# Helmut4 Server

The purpose of this guide is to provide comprehensive instructions for the successful deployment of the latest version of Helmut4.

Helmut4 offers two hosting options:

* Single (standalone) server installation
* Cluster installation

### Single (Standalone) Server Installation

The single server deployment method is the default for Helmut4. All necessary components run on a single system, ensuring a straightforward and easy setup.

### Cluster installation

For customers managing a higher volume of users, a cluster installation provides an alternative solution for load balancing and redundancy.

This setup requires a minimum of three individual machines, which will be combined to form a swarm cluster. For further information check out the official [docker documentation](https://docs.docker.com/engine/swarm/admin_guide/).

{% hint style="warning" %}
For a cluster installation, the customer must provide an external load balancer tailored to their deployment environment. This load balancer can be implemented as a dedicated hardware appliance, a software-based solution, or even a DNS-based round-robin configuration, depending on performance and redundancy requirements
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
Cluster systems have a distinct SLA/support agreement compared to the default single-server installation.
{% endhint %}


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.helmut.de/helmut4-releases/v4.8.0/getting-started/installation-guide/helmut4-server.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.