Scenarios

Compare ZenML Pro deployment scenarios to find the right fit for your organization.

ZenML Pro offers three flexible deployment options to match your organization's security, compliance, and operational needs. This page helps you understand the differences and choose the right scenario for your use case.

Quick Comparison

Entity	SaaS	Hybrid SaaS	Self-hosted
ZenML Workspace Server	ZenML infrastructure	Your infrastructure	Your infrastructure
ZenML Control Plane	ZenML infrastructure	ZenML infrastructure	Your infrastructure
ZenML Pro UI	ZenML infrastructure	ZenML infrastructure	Your infrastructure
Stack (Pipeline Compute & Data)	Your infrastructure	Your infrastructure	Your infrastructure
Setup Time	⚡ ~1 hour	~4 hours	~8 hours
Maintenance Responsibility	Fully managed	Partially managed (workspace maintenance required)	Fully customer managed
Best For	Teams wanting minimal infrastructure overhead and fastest time-to-value	Organizations with security/compliance requirements but wanting simplified user management	Organizations requiring complete data isolation and on-premises control

In all of these cases the client SDK that you pip install into your development environment is the same one found here: https://pypi.org/project/zenml/

Which Scenario is Right for You?

SaaS Deployment

Choose SaaS if you want to get started immediately with zero infrastructure overhead.

What runs where:

• ZenML Server: ZenML infrastructure

• Metadata and RBAC: ZenML infrastructure

• Compute and Data: Your infrastructure

Key Benefits:

• ⚡ Fastest setup (minutes)

• ✅ Fully managed by ZenML

• 🚀 Immediate production readiness

• 💰 Minimal operational overhead

Ideal for: Startups, teams prioritizing time-to-value and operational simplicity, organizations comfortable leveraging managed cloud services.

Set up SaaS deployment →

Hybrid SaaS Deployment

Choose Hybrid if you need to keep sensitive metadata in your infrastructure while benefiting from centralized user management.

What runs where:

• ZenML Control Plane: ZenML infrastructure

• ZenML Pro UI: ZenML infrastructure

• ZenML Pro Server: Your infrastructure

• Run metadata: Your infrastructure

• Compute and Data: Your infrastructure

Key Benefits:

• 🔐 Metadata stays in your infrastructure

• 👥 Centralized user management

• ⚖️ Balance of control and convenience

• 🏢 Control plane and UI fully maintained and patched by ZenML

• ✅ Day 1 production ready

Ideal for: Organizations with security policies requiring metadata sovereignty, teams wanting simplified identity management without full infrastructure control.

Set up Hybrid deployment →

Self-hosted Deployment

Choose Self-hosted if you need complete control with no external dependencies.

What runs where:

• All components: Your infrastructure (completely isolated)

Key Benefits:

• 🔒 Complete data sovereignty

• 🚫 No external network dependencies

• 🛡️ Maximum security posture

Ideal for: Regulated industries (healthcare, finance, defense), government organizations, enterprises with strict data residency requirements, environments requiring offline operation.

Set up Self-hosted deployment →

Making Your Choice

Consider these factors when deciding:

1. Metadata Storage Requirements: Where must your ML metadata and run data reside?

   • Cloud-hosted is acceptable → SaaS

   • Must stay in your infrastructure → Hybrid

   • Must be completely isolated on-premises → Self-hosted

2. Infrastructure Complexity: How much infrastructure control do you want?

   • Minimal → SaaS

   • Moderate → Hybrid

   • Full control → Self-hosted

3. Time to Value: How quickly do you need to be productive?

   • Within 1 hour → SaaS

   • Within 4 hours → Hybrid

   • Hours to Days (depending on your complexity) → Self-hosted

4. Compliance Requirements: What regulations apply to your organization?

   • General business → SaaS

   • Data residency rules → Hybrid

   • Strict isolation requirements → Self-hosted

Not sure which option is right for you? Book a call with our team to discuss your specific requirements.

Next Steps

• Ready to start? Choose SaaS Deployment

• Need metadata control? Set up Hybrid Deployment

• Require complete isolation? Configure Self-hosted Deployment