docs/content/admin/overview/about-github-enterprise-server.md

title, intro, versions, type, topics

title	intro	versions	type	topics
About GitHub Enterprise Server	Find out if {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %} is right for your business.	ghes *	overview	Enterprise Fundamentals

{% data reusables.enterprise.ghes-is-a-self-hosted-platform %} Your business can benefit from increased control and avoid issues associated the public cloud, while your developers can benefit from familiar features and workflows from {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}.

{% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %} is suitable for enterprises that are subject to regulatory compliance. It runs on your infrastructure and is governed by access and security controls that you define, such as firewalls, network policies, IAM, monitoring, and VPNs.

If your main compliance requirement is for your company's data to reside in a specific region, you may want to consider {% data variables.enterprise.data_residency %}. With this option, you won't need to schedule downtime for maintenance or upgrades, and your users will have access to the latest features from {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}, such as {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %}. See AUTOTITLE in the {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_cloud %} documentation.

{% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %} is a deployment option for the {% data variables.product.prodname_enterprise %} plan. To learn about available features and assess other deployment options, see AUTOTITLE.

Features and releases

{% data reusables.enterprise.constantly-improving %}

Most features are released on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %} first, then come to {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %} through the release process. You can see which features we're working on in the [{% data variables.product.prodname_roadmap %}]({% data variables.product.prodname_roadmap_link %}).

Optional features

You can also configure optional features on {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %} to improve the software development lifecycle for your enterprise.

• {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %}: Automate CI/CD and development workflows{% ifversion ghas-products %}
• {% data variables.product.prodname_GH_code_security %}: Automate detection and remediation of vulnerabilities in code and dependencies
• {% data variables.product.prodname_GH_secret_protection %}: Block users from leaking secrets and identify and remediate historic leaks{% else %}
• {% data variables.product.prodname_GHAS %}: Scan code for secrets and vulnerabilities{% endif %}
• {% data variables.product.prodname_github_connect %}: Benefit from data and features on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}
• {% data variables.product.prodname_registry %}: Host software packages for your enterprise

How do I deploy {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %}?

{% data reusables.enterprise.github-distributes-ghes %} Installing third-party software or making changes to the underlying operating system is not supported.

You can deploy {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %} to a virtualization hypervisor within your on-premises datacenter, or to a public cloud service.

Supported on-premises hypervisors

• Microsoft Hyper-V
• OpenStack KVM
• VMware ESXi

Supported cloud services

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
• Microsoft Azure

Keeping GitHub Enterprise Server updated

As an administrator, you are responsible for keeping your {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %} instance up to date. {% data variables.product.company_short %} regularly releases updates for {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %}, including OS-level security patches. Updates are delivered either as upgrade packages or as hotpatches. Apply updates promptly to maintain the security, stability, and performance of your environment. For more information about the upgrade process, see AUTOTITLE.

You can manually install upgrade packages or hotpatches. You can also enable automatic updates to apply eligible hotpatches automatically. Automatic updates do not replace planned full upgrades. For more information, see AUTOTITLE, AUTOTITLE, and AUTOTITLE.

For information about recent features, bug fixes, and security updates, see the release notes.

Administrative options

You can give certain employees administrative access to your {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %} instance. {% data variables.product.company_short %} has found that people with Linux administration experience are more successful with deployment and maintenance.

Administrators can:

• Configure and monitor the instance via browser, administrative SSH access, and REST or GraphQL APIs
• Set up external authentication using CAS, LDAP, or SAML
• Set usage policies to ensure compliance with business rules or regulatory restrictions

Backups and availability

{% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %} provides options for safeguarding against data loss or service disruptions.

• To back up configuration and user data, you can take regular snapshots of your instance using our Backup Utilities system.
• To increase reliability, you can configure a passive replica instance to fail over to in the event of a system or network failure.
• To improve performance, you can configure active replicas to scale the instance for dispersed users or high demand.

Getting started

You can sign up for a free, 45-day trial of {% data variables.product.prodname_ghe_server %}. See AUTOTITLE.

If you're ready to get started with a production instance, see AUTOTITLE.