Platform Overview

The Carpathian platform simplifies cloud infrastructure by providing predictable costs, security-first design, and direct control over your deployments. This overview covers the essential components and workflows you need to understand before building on Carpathian.

Core Platform Features

Cloud Servers

Provision virtual machines with guaranteed resources and transparent pricing. Each server runs on dedicated hardware with no noisy neighbors or performance surprises.

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS base images with pre-configured security settings
Direct console access through the web interface
Automatic backup scheduling with point-in-time recovery
Resource monitoring with real-time metrics and alerting

Web Servers

Deploy public-facing applications with automatic TLS certificates and global routing. The platform handles all proxy configuration and traffic management.

Automatic HTTPS with Let's Encrypt certificate management
Custom domain mapping with DNS validation
Load balancing across multiple server instances
CDN integration for static asset delivery

Database Services

Managed database instances with automated backups, security patches, and monitoring. Currently supports PostgreSQL and MySQL with additional engines planned.

Automated backups with configurable retention policies
Read replicas for high-availability setups
Connection pooling for optimal performance
Encryption at rest and in transit

Getting Started

Account Setup

Create your Carpathian account and configure your first project workspace. Each workspace isolates resources and billing for different applications or environments.

Sign up at the Carpathian dashboard
Verify your email and set up two-factor authentication
Add payment information for resource provisioning
Create your first workspace with appropriate access controls

First Deployment

Launch a simple web application to familiarize yourself with the platform workflows and management interface.

Provision a server with the Ubuntu 22.04 base image
Configure web routing by adding your domain name
Access the console to install your application stack
Deploy your code using git, rsync, or direct file transfer

Platform Architecture

Infrastructure Layer

Carpathian operates its own data centers with enterprise-grade hardware and network infrastructure. This provides cost predictability and performance isolation.

Dedicated virtualization hosts prevent resource contention
Redundant networking with automatic failover capabilities
SSD storage arrays with RAID protection and backup systems
Physical security with biometric access and surveillance

Management Layer

The platform management system handles provisioning, monitoring, and orchestration of all resources through a unified API and web interface.

Resource scheduling optimizes placement across available hardware
Health monitoring tracks system metrics and application performance
Automated scaling responds to traffic patterns and resource usage
Security scanning continuously monitors for vulnerabilities

Application Layer

Your applications run in isolated environments with dedicated resources and configurable access controls.

Container support for Docker-based deployments
Process isolation prevents applications from interfering with each other
Network segmentation controls traffic between different services
Resource limits prevent any single application from consuming excessive resources

Security Model

Access Control

All platform access uses role-based permissions with mandatory two-factor authentication for administrative functions.

Workspace isolation prevents unauthorized access to resources
API key management for automated deployments and integrations
Audit logging tracks all administrative actions and changes
Session management with automatic timeout and renewal

Data Protection

Customer data remains encrypted throughout the entire platform stack with customer-controlled encryption keys.

Encryption at rest using AES-256 with customer-managed keys
Encryption in transit with TLS 1.3 for all network connections
Backup encryption protects archived data with separate key management
Key rotation follows industry best practices for cryptographic hygiene

Network Security

Network traffic isolation and monitoring protect against both external attacks and internal privilege escalation.

Firewall rules restrict network access to only required services
DDoS protection automatically mitigates volumetric attacks
Intrusion detection monitors for suspicious network activity
VPN access provides secure administrative connectivity

Billing and Cost Management

Transparent Pricing

All resource costs are calculated hourly with no hidden fees or surprise charges. You pay only for what you provision and use.

Fixed hourly rates for compute, storage, and network resources
No bandwidth charges for normal traffic patterns
Predictable scaling costs with clear per-unit pricing
Monthly billing caps prevent unexpected overages

Resource Optimization

Built-in tools help you monitor and optimize resource usage to minimize costs while maintaining performance.

Usage analytics show resource consumption patterns over time
Rightsizing recommendations suggest optimal instance configurations
Automatic shutdown for idle development environments
Cost alerts notify you when spending exceeds defined thresholds

Support and Documentation

Technical Support

The Carpathian team provides direct technical support for all platform users with guaranteed response times and escalation procedures.

Email support with 24-hour response guarantee
Live chat during business hours for urgent issues
Phone support for enterprise customers with critical deployments
Community forums for peer-to-peer assistance and best practices

Documentation Resources

Comprehensive documentation covers all platform features with step-by-step tutorials and real-world examples.

API documentation with interactive examples and code samples
Deployment guides for common application frameworks and stacks
Troubleshooting guides for resolving common configuration issues
Best practices for security, performance, and cost optimization

Migration and Integration

Moving to Carpathian

Migrate existing applications from other cloud providers or on-premises infrastructure with minimal downtime and configuration changes.

Migration planning assistance from the technical team
Data transfer tools for moving large datasets efficiently
Configuration templates for common migration scenarios
Parallel deployment support for gradual traffic shifting

API Integration

Integrate Carpathian resources into existing development and deployment workflows using the comprehensive REST API.

Infrastructure as code support for Terraform and Ansible
CI/CD integration with popular build and deployment systems
Monitoring integration with external logging and metrics platforms
Webhook notifications for resource lifecycle events

Next Steps

Start exploring the platform by provisioning your first server and deploying a simple application. The web interface provides guided workflows for common tasks, while the API documentation covers advanced automation scenarios.

For specific deployment scenarios, consult the detailed guides in this documentation section. Each guide includes complete command sequences and configuration examples for real-world applications.

The Carpathian platform grows with your needs, from single-server deployments to complex multi-region architectures. Focus on building your application while the platform handles infrastructure complexity and security requirements.