# Deploying to Production

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Gain knowledge**

Before you start your deployment, take a moment to learn about Defguard.

The following articles will help you make deployment decisions and understand which features you may want to configure afterward. Make sure to read them carefully.

* [Defguard's features](/1.6/about/features-overview.md)
* [Defguard's architecture](/1.6/in-depth/architecture.md)
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Choose your deployment strategy**

Decide which deployment approach best fits your infrastructure and security requirements. Choose from different [deployment strategies](/1.6/deployment-strategies/setting-up-your-instance.md#choose-your-deployment-strategy) and their recommended use cases.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Prepare your environment**

Make sure your infrastructure meets all [system and network requirements](/1.6/deployment-strategies/hardware-os-network-and-firewall-recommendations.md).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Deploy using the chosen strategy**

Deploy your instance using the chosen [strategy](/1.6/deployment-strategies/setting-up-your-instance.md#choose-your-deployment-strategy). Make sure to follow the right [deployment sequence](/1.6/deployment-strategies/setting-up-your-instance.md#initial-deployment-sequence).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Test if everything works as expected**

Follow our [guide](/1.6/deployment-strategies/production-deployment-verification-guide.md) to test if your deployment in secure and works as expected.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Configure features**

Follow detailed descriptions of [Defguard's features](https://github.com/DefGuard/docs/blob/v1.6/deployment-strategies/broken-reference/README.md). As you follow along, you can adjust the configuration directly within your instance.

For a detailed list of all configurable things through environmental variables, options or configuration files follow [this reference](/1.6/deployment-strategies/configuration.md).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Your secure infrastructure is ready for use**

Optional but recommended additional steps:

* [Securing internal gRPC communication](/1.6/deployment-strategies/grpc-ssl-communication.md)
* [Configuring backups](/1.6/deployment-strategies/setting-up-your-instance.md#backup)
* [Setting up for high availability and failover](/1.6/deployment-strategies/high-availability-and-failover.md)
  {% endstep %}
  {% endstepper %}


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.defguard.net/1.6/deployment-strategies/deploying-to-production.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.