> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/aiven/aiven-docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Aiven Platform Overview

> Learn about the Aiven Platform, including organizations, projects, services, security features, and deployment options.

The Aiven Platform is a comprehensive cloud data platform that enables you to deploy, manage, and scale open-source data services across multiple cloud providers. Built on a foundation of security, reliability, and performance, Aiven provides enterprise-grade managed services for databases, streaming, and observability.

## Platform architecture

The Aiven Platform is organized into a hierarchical structure that helps you manage your infrastructure efficiently:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Organizations" icon="building" href="/platform/organizations-and-projects">
    Top-level entity containing all your resources and settings
  </Card>

  <Card title="Projects" icon="folder" href="/platform/organizations-and-projects">
    Collections of services grouped by use case or environment
  </Card>

  <Card title="Services" icon="server">
    Individual managed database and data infrastructure services
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Three-tier hierarchy

```
Organization
├── Organizational Unit (Development)
│   ├── Project (dev-backend)
│   │   ├── PostgreSQL Service
│   │   └── Kafka Service
│   └── Project (dev-frontend)
│       └── Redis Service
└── Organizational Unit (Production)
    ├── Project (prod-backend)
    │   ├── PostgreSQL Service
    │   └── Kafka Service
    └── Project (prod-analytics)
        └── OpenSearch Service
```

## Key platform capabilities

### Multi-cloud deployment

Deploy services across multiple cloud providers:

* **Amazon Web Services (AWS)** - 20+ regions worldwide
* **Google Cloud Platform (GCP)** - 15+ regions worldwide
* **Microsoft Azure** - 15+ regions worldwide
* **DigitalOcean** - Select regions
* **UpCloud** - Select regions

All services can be deployed in any supported region, giving you flexibility to:

* Reduce latency by deploying close to your users
* Meet data residency and compliance requirements
* Avoid vendor lock-in with true multi-cloud architecture
* Optimize costs with cloud-specific pricing

### Security and compliance

Aiven provides enterprise-grade security features:

* **Encryption at rest and in transit** - All data encrypted using industry-standard algorithms
* **VPC peering** - Private network connectivity between your infrastructure and Aiven services
* **IP allowlisting** - Restrict access to services by IP address
* **SSO and SAML** - Enterprise authentication with identity providers
* **Compliance certifications** - SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR

<Note>
  Learn more about [security features](/platform/security) and [VPC networking](/platform/vpc-and-networking).
</Note>

### Deployment models

Aiven offers flexible deployment options to meet your requirements:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Standard Deployment" icon="cloud">
    Services run on Aiven-managed infrastructure with full platform integration
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC)" icon="building" href="/platform/organizations-and-projects">
    Services run in your own cloud account while managed by Aiven
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

**BYOC benefits:**

* Use existing cloud commitments and discounts
* Enhanced network control and visibility
* Meet strict compliance requirements
* Audit network metadata in your cloud account

<Warning>
  BYOC is available for AWS and GCP with Advanced or Premium support tiers. Contact your account team to learn more.
</Warning>

## Platform services

Aiven provides fully managed services for:

### Databases

* PostgreSQL, MySQL, Cassandra, Redis, OpenSearch

### Streaming

* Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, Kafka Connect

### Observability

* Grafana, Metrics (M3DB/Thanos)

### Analytics

* ClickHouse, Dragonfly

All services include:

* Automated backups and point-in-time recovery
* High availability with automatic failover
* Monitoring and alerting
* Maintenance updates with zero downtime
* 24/7 support

## Management tools

Manage your Aiven infrastructure using:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Aiven Console">
    Web-based UI for visual management and monitoring at [console.aiven.io](https://console.aiven.io)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Aiven CLI">
    Command-line interface for automation and scripting

    ```bash theme={null}
    # Install the Aiven CLI
    pip install aiven-client

    # List services in a project
    avn service list --project my-project
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Aiven API">
    RESTful API for programmatic access and integrations

    ```bash theme={null}
    # Get service details
    curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
      https://api.aiven.io/v1/project/my-project/service/my-service
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Infrastructure as Code">
    Terraform Provider and Kubernetes Operator for declarative infrastructure management

    ```hcl theme={null}
    resource "aiven_pg" "demo" {
      project      = "my-project"
      cloud_name   = "aws-us-east-1"
      plan         = "business-4"
      service_name = "demo-postgres"
    }
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Pricing model

Aiven uses transparent, predictable pricing:

* **Hourly billing** - Pay only for what you use
* **No hidden fees** - All costs included (backups, data transfer within region)
* **Service plans** - Choose from Hobbyist, Startup, Business, and Premium tiers
* **Custom plans** - Available for large deployments

Billing is managed through [billing groups](/platform/billing-and-payment) at the organization level.

## Getting started

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign up">
    Create your Aiven account at [console.aiven.io](https://console.aiven.io/signup)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a project">
    Organize your services by creating a project in your organization
  </Step>

  <Step title="Deploy a service">
    Choose a service type, cloud provider, region, and plan
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect">
    Use connection credentials from the Console to connect your applications
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Organizations & Projects" icon="sitemap" href="/platform/organizations-and-projects">
    Learn how to structure your Aiven resources
  </Card>

  <Card title="Users & Permissions" icon="users" href="/platform/users-and-permissions">
    Manage access control for your team
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" icon="lock" href="/platform/authentication">
    Configure SSO and authentication policies
  </Card>

  <Card title="VPC Networking" icon="network-wired" href="/platform/vpc-and-networking">
    Set up private network connectivity
  </Card>
</CardGroup>