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

# Deployment Overview

> Overview of deployment options for NeMo Guardrails applications.

# Deployment Overview

NeMo Guardrails can be deployed in various environments depending on your requirements. This guide provides an overview of the available deployment options.

## Deployment Options

You can deploy NeMo Guardrails in the following ways:

### Local Server

The quickest way to get started is running the server locally on your development machine.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install NeMo Guardrails">
    Install the package using pip:

    ```bash theme={null}
    pip install nemoguardrails
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start the Server">
    Run the server with your configuration:

    ```bash theme={null}
    nemoguardrails server --config=/path/to/config
    ```

    By default, the server runs on port 8000.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test the Deployment">
    Test your deployment with a simple curl command:

    ```bash theme={null}
    curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/v1/chat/completions \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{
        "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
      }'
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  The local server is ideal for development and testing but not recommended for production use.
</Note>

### Docker Container

Docker provides a consistent, isolated environment for deploying NeMo Guardrails.

**Benefits:**

* Consistent environment across development and production
* Easy dependency management
* Simplified deployment and scaling
* Isolation from host system

See the [Docker Deployment](./docker) guide for detailed instructions.

### Production Deployment

For production workloads, you'll need additional considerations:

* **Scalability**: Load balancing and horizontal scaling
* **Security**: API authentication, TLS/SSL, secrets management
* **Monitoring**: Logging, metrics, and observability
* **High Availability**: Redundancy and failover mechanisms

See the [Production Deployment](./production) guide for best practices.

## Choosing a Deployment Method

Use this guide to select the appropriate deployment method:

| Deployment Type | Use Case                         | Complexity |
| --------------- | -------------------------------- | ---------- |
| Local Server    | Development, testing, demos      | Low        |
| Docker          | Staging, consistent environments | Medium     |
| Production      | Production workloads, enterprise | High       |

## Server Configuration

The NeMo Guardrails server supports several configuration options:

```bash theme={null}
nemoguardrails server \
  --config=/path/to/config \
  --port=8000 \
  --verbose
```

**Common Options:**

* `--config`: Path to your guardrails configuration directory
* `--port`: Port to run the server on (default: 8000)
* `--verbose`: Enable verbose logging for debugging

## API Endpoints

The server exposes the following main endpoints:

<Code>
  ```
  POST /v1/chat/completions
  ```
</Code>

Chat completions endpoint compatible with OpenAI API format.

<Code>
  ```
  GET /v1/rails/config
  ```
</Code>

Retrieve the current rails configuration.

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Docker Deployment" icon="docker" href="./docker">
    Deploy using Docker containers
  </Card>

  <Card title="Production Deployment" icon="server" href="./production">
    Best practices for production
  </Card>
</CardGroup>