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Database / Weaviate Vector database Interview questions

What are the main deployment options for Weaviate?

Weaviate can be deployed in a few different ways, matching different operational preferences and scale requirements, all running the same underlying open-source engine.

Deployment optionBest suited for
Self-hosted (Docker / Kubernetes)Full control, self-managed infrastructure, strict data residency needs.
Weaviate Cloud (managed)Teams that want to avoid operating infrastructure themselves.
Embedded mode (experimental)Local development and lightweight prototyping within a single application process.

Because self-hosted deployments and Weaviate Cloud run identical code, a common pattern is prototyping or starting a project on the managed cloud service, then migrating to self-hosted infrastructure later if cost, compliance, or specific infrastructure requirements make that the better long-term fit, without needing to re-architect the application's query logic in the process.

Which Weaviate deployment option is described as experimental and intended mainly for local development?
Migrating from Weaviate Cloud to self-hosted deployment is generally straightforward because:

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