# Blnk Cloud

Deploy a Sandbox or Production instance on Blnk Cloud and copy the Core URL when it is connected.

Deploy a managed instance on Blnk Cloud. Blnk hosts the ledger for you, while you connect your application to it with the Core URL and secret key.

## Deployment tiers

Blnk Cloud offers two tiers: Sandbox and Production.

- **Sandbox:** shared infrastructure for low-risk workloads and small traffic.
- **Production:** dedicated infrastructure for larger workloads that need an uptime SLA, backups, and high availability.

| | Sandbox | Production |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Best for | Low-risk workloads and small traffic | Larger workloads that need an uptime SLA, backups, and high availability |
| Infrastructure | Shared | Dedicated |
| Included records | 100,000 | 200,000 |
| Additional records | \$0.00135 per record | \$0.00175 per record |
| Throughput | Up to 5,000 transactions a minute | Up to 100,000 transactions a minute |
| Uptime | No SLA | 99.9% |
| Backups and high availability | Not included | Included |
| 24/7 deployment support | Not included | Included |
| SQL-based data lake | Not included | Included |

<Note>Usage is the number of records stored on the instance: ledgers, balances, transactions, identities, and reconciliation uploads.</Note>

## Deploy an instance

<Steps>
<Step title="Sign up">

Create a workspace at [cloud.blnkfinance.com](https://cloud.blnkfinance.com/auth/sign-up?utm_source=blnk_docs&utm_medium=documentation&utm_campaign=deploy%2Fblnk-cloud). 

</Step>

<Step title="Open the deploy form">

On the homepage, click **Deploy new Core**. The same form opens from **Deploy an instance** in the header.

![Blnk Cloud homepage with Deploy new Core](img/home/cloud-home.png)

</Step>

<Step title="Deploy the instance">

- **Instance name:** a name you will recognize, such as `blnk-sandbox`
- **Deploy Managed Core:** selected, so Blnk hosts Core
- **Deploy type:** `Sandbox` or `Production`
- **Region:** the region closest to your application
  - New York City, United States
  - London, United Kingdom
  - Amsterdam, the Netherlands
  - Singapore
  - Frankfurt, Germany
  - Toronto, Canada

Accept the Service Level Agreement, then click **Deploy instance**.

![Deploy an instance form with deploy type and region](img/home/managed-instance-form.png)

</Step>

<Step title="Wait until it is connected">

Sandbox usually finishes in 1–3 minutes, and Production can take 10–30 minutes.

When the status is **Connected**, open the instance and copy the Core URL and secret key. 

Use that URL for Core API requests, and send the secret key as `X-blnk-key`.

</Step>
</Steps>

## FAQs

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What support does the Production tier include?">

Production includes 24/7 deployment support: guided migration and deployment, and a 30-minute response on a SEV-1 incident. 

  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="How is Pro Support different from deployment support?">

Deployment support covers the hosted instance, from the first deploy through a SEV-1 incident. 

Pro Support is a separate plan: Blnk engineers work with your team on ledger design, integration, and production issues, on a private Slack channel.

  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="Can I stay on Sandbox?">

Yes. Sandbox is for low-risk workloads, and you can keep it. Move to Production when you need dedicated infrastructure, a 99.9% uptime SLA, backups, or deployment support.

  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="Do extra records force a move to Production?">

No. Extra records are billed on the tier you already chose. 

Choose Production for the dedicated infrastructure and the uptime SLA, not because the record count grew.

  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<RelatedTopics
  items={[
    { title: "Quick start", href: "/install" },
    { title: "Open-source", href: "/deploy/open-source" },
  ]}
/>