# Self Hosted

> Run Federated Core on the servers, VMs, or cloud you choose, for your own organization or for your customers.

- Web page: https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/

Self Hosted is how you run [Federated Core](https://federated.computer/product/federated-core/) yourself. On the [pricing page](https://federated.computer/pricing/) this is the **You host** option: you install Federated wherever you like and pay per installation, per month.

You bring the infrastructure, such as a VM at your cloud provider, a server in your data center, or your own private cloud. Federated supplies **CoreServer**, the operating system, and the open source applications from the [Software Library](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/software-library/), all connected to shared sign-in, storage, and updates. Each installation is called a **Core**.

If you'd rather Federated host everything for you, see the **We host** plans on the [pricing page](https://federated.computer/pricing/). The guides in this section are for You host.

## Plans

You pay for each Core you run. There is no membership fee and no per-user pricing.

| | Free | Developer | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per installation / month | $0 | $35 | $10 |
| Best for | Trying Federated and running a small setup | Teams building on their own business data | More than 100 installations within 3 months |
| Human technical support | None | Same-day response | Shared Matrix channel, within 6 hours |

Backups ($15/month), Monitoring ($10/month), and Customer Service ($20/month) can be added to any Core on any tier. See [Plans and Pricing](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/plans-and-pricing/) for everything each tier includes.

## Who uses Self Hosted

- **Organizations running their own software.** Replace Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, and similar subscriptions with open source applications on infrastructure you control.
- **Development teams.** Build on your own business data with Data & Controls and AI and MCP features, on the Developer tier.
- **Hosting companies, networks, and service providers.** Offer Federated Core to your customers under your own brand. The Platform tier adds white-label branding, one dashboard for all installations, a rollout kickoff call, and an SLA. See [Partners](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/partners/).

## How it works

1. **Create an account** in the dashboard and choose a tier. See [How to Start](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/how-to-start/).
2. **Provision a Core.** Install the CoreServer image on a VM, add your account's SSH key, and run one API call. See [Provisioning a Core](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/cores/provisioning-a-core/).
3. **Use it.** The applications you chose are ready to use, with one sign-in for everyone on the Core.
4. **Add what you need.** Turn Backups, Monitoring, or Customer Service on or off for each Core at any time.

## In this section

## Pages in this section

- [Why Federated](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/why-federated/index.md): What you get when you run Federated Core yourself.
- [Plans and Pricing](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/plans-and-pricing/index.md): The three You host tiers (Free, Developer, and Platform), what each includes, and add-on prices.
- [How to Start](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/how-to-start/index.md): Create an account, choose a tier, and provision your first Core.
- [Cores](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/cores/index.md): Install, provision, size, and manage Cores on your own VMs or servers.
- [Domains](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/domains/index.md): Manage Federated and custom domains for your account.
- [Billing](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/billing/index.md): Billing cycles, account balance, plan changes, coupons, invoices, and payment methods.
- [Account and Team](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/account/index.md): Account settings, user profiles, team members, and roles.
- [Software Library](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/software-library/index.md): The open source applications and services you can run on a Core.
- [Partners](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/partners/index.md): Offer Federated Core to your own customers as a hosting company, network, managed service provider, solution builder, or consultancy.
- [Support and Services](https://documentation.federated.computer/self-hosted/support-and-services/index.md): Technical support by tier, end-user support, the community, and custom work from Federated.