Hosting Options with Optical Flex
Optical Flex offers two distinct hosting models to accommodate different technical requirements and infrastructure constraints. Choose the option that best fits your project’s needs.
Overview
Your hosting choice depends on:
- Integration requirements: What systems need to connect to your application
- Infrastructure control: How much control you need over deployment and networking
- Compliance needs: Specific regulatory or security requirements
- Technical expertise: Your team’s capacity for infrastructure management
Option 1: Full Stack Hosting
Optical manages everything - both the CMS backend and your web application frontend, including all supporting infrastructure.
What’s Included
- Complete Infrastructure Management: Servers, CDN, networking, and scaling
- Built-in Compliance: Infrastructure-level compliance and security
- High Availability: Managed uptime and disaster recovery
- Performance Optimization: Optimized CDN and caching layers
Your Responsibilities
- Application Code: Develop and maintain your custom frontend
- Application-level Security: Handle VA testing via SHIP-HATS
- Content Management: Manage your content and user permissions
Best For
- Applications that integrate with internet-accessible services only
- Teams who want to focus on application development, not infrastructure
- Projects that do not require connectivity to GEN or Common Services VPC
- Rapid deployment and reduced operational overhead
Option 2: CMS Only Hosting
Optical hosts the CMS, while you manage your own frontend infrastructure in your preferred cloud environment.
What Optical Provides
- Hosted CMS Backend: Fully managed Optical Content Studio
- API Access: REST and GraphQL APIs for content management
- Content Security: Backend security and data protection
- CMS Updates: Regular updates and maintenance
Your Responsibilities
- Frontend Infrastructure: Container deployment, CDN, networking setup
- Cloud Environment: Manage AWS, Azure, or other cloud services
- Compliance Management: Handle all infrastructure-level compliance
- Network Configuration: Set up VPC connectivity and security groups
Best For
- Applications requiring GEN or Common Services VPC connectivity
- Teams needing fine-grained control over network setup and deployment
- Organizations with existing cloud infrastructure and expertise
- Complex integration requirements with government systems
Decision Guide
| Requirement | Full Stack Hosting | CMS Only Hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Internet-only integrations | ✅ Recommended | ✅ Supported |
| GEN/Common Services VPC access | ❌ Not available | ✅ Required choice |
| Rapid deployment | ✅ Faster setup | ⚠️ Longer setup time |
| Infrastructure control | ❌ Limited | ✅ Complete control |
| Operational overhead | ✅ Minimal | ⚠️ Significant |
| Custom networking | ❌ Standard only | ✅ Fully customizable |
Getting Started
For Full Stack Hosting
- Discuss requirements with the Optical team
- Receive your pre-configured GitLab repository
- Start developing immediately
- Deploy through our managed pipeline
For CMS Only Hosting
- Plan your infrastructure architecture
- Set up your cloud environment
- Configure network connectivity to Optical CMS
- Implement your frontend deployment pipeline
Need Help Choosing?
Contact our team to discuss your specific requirements:
