What deployment options does CoCalc offer?

Updated

CoCalc offers three deployment paths: hosted CoCalc.ai, a local or single-VM installation, and a customer-operated private deployment. The right choice depends on who should control the infrastructure and how much maintenance you want to take on. Hosted is the fastest way to start; local/VM and private deployments shift control to you or your organization.

The three deployment paths

Path Where it runs Who operates it Best fit when
Hosted CoCalc.ai CoCalc's hosted service CoCalc (SageMath, Inc.) You want to start immediately without managing servers
Local or single VM Your own machine or one VM You You need local control or a self-contained setup
Customer-operated private deployment Infrastructure your organization operates Your organization You need a private deployment you run yourself

CoCalc is developed by SageMath, Inc., and has been offered as collaborative computing online since 2013.

Hosted CoCalc.ai

This is the default starting point. You use CoCalc as a hosted service, so there is no server to provision or maintain. Projects are persistent shared Linux projects that keep files, notebooks, terminals, history, and recovery together.

Choose this when you want the shortest path to a working project and don't need to control the underlying infrastructure. Note that some capabilities are gated by site configuration — for example, Claude Code is described as an experimental preview on sites that enable it, and it works with your personal Claude Pro or Max subscription.

Local or single VM

CoCalc can also run locally or on one VM. This keeps the environment under your control while staying relatively simple — a single machine or instance rather than a distributed setup.

Choose this when you want the project environment on hardware you manage, or when a self-contained instance fits your workflow better than a hosted service. You take on the setup and upkeep that hosting would otherwise cover.

Customer-operated private deployment

For organizations that need a private deployment they operate themselves, CoCalc offers a path to evaluate a customer-operated private deployment. Here the infrastructure and operation sit with your organization.

Choose this when control over where data and services live matters more than minimizing maintenance. Because you run it, plan for the operational work that comes with a private deployment.

How to decide

  • Want to start now, minimal upkeep → hosted CoCalc.ai.
  • Want your own machine or a single instance → local or single VM.
  • Need a private deployment your organization runs → evaluate a customer-operated private deployment.

Across all three, the working model is the same: one durable project holding notebooks, terminals, code, documents, services, discussion, history, and recovery, with AI agents working in the same shared project as your files, software, and collaborators.

For current details on cost and licensing, see CoCalc's Pricing and licensing page, and use the support and sales channels for deployment-specific questions.