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For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt. This page is also available as Markdown.

Concepts

Core concepts behind CARTO Self-Hosted — understand how the platform uses its infrastructure before you configure it

This section explains how CARTO Self-Hosted uses its key infrastructure components. Understanding these concepts helps you make informed decisions when planning, sizing, and configuring your deployment.

Instances, Licenses & Organizations

Understand the relationship between CARTO instances, licenses, and organizations — and how to structure dev/prod environments.

How CARTO uses the Metadata Database

Learn what CARTO stores in PostgreSQL and why an external managed database is recommended for production.

How CARTO uses Object Storage

Understand how CARTO uses blob bucket storage across cloud providers and what data lives there.

How CARTO uses Caches

Distinguish the user-facing HTTP cache (Varnish) from the internal in-memory store (Valkey), and learn when to configure an external store.

Metadata Database vs. Data Warehouse

Clarify the distinction between the PostgreSQL metadata database and the data warehouse CARTO connects to.

How Configuration Works

Understand how configuration is managed in CARTO Self-Hosted, and how the Helm (file-based) and Kots (Admin Console) models differ.

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