> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gateways.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Gateways vs Netlify

> Owned cloud operations vs Netlify's composable web platform.

# Gateways vs Netlify

**Netlify** is strong for deploying modern web experiences: static sites, frontend frameworks, serverless functions, forms, edge features, and Git-based workflows on Netlify's platform.

**Gateways** is for teams whose infrastructure must live in their own AWS, Azure, or GCP accounts. It gives those teams a visual operations layer for servers, scalable servers, databases, DNS, storage, functions, connections, environments, activity, SSH access, and APIs.

## At A Glance

| Decision area               | Gateways                                                                | Netlify                                               |
| --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| **Infrastructure boundary** | Your cloud accounts                                                     | Netlify-managed platform                              |
| **Primary workflow**        | Operate cloud resources and environments                                | Build and deploy web projects from Git                |
| **Best fit**                | Platform teams, owned cloud estates, compliance, multi-cloud operations | Frontend teams shipping web apps and sites quickly    |
| **Control model**           | Native cloud resources, provider access, SSH, and APIs                  | Netlify abstractions, integrations, and edge platform |

## Choose Netlify When

* Your product is primarily a web app, marketing site, docs site, or composable frontend.
* You want fast Git-to-deploy workflows with Netlify-managed build, hosting, edge, and functions.
* You prefer platform-managed infrastructure over direct ownership of cloud resources.

## Choose Gateways When

* Your workloads, data, networking, and billing must remain in AWS, Azure, or GCP accounts your organization owns.
* Your system includes more than frontend delivery: servers, databases, DNS, storage, functions, runtime configuration, and cross-resource connections.
* You want the speed of a product UI without losing direct access to the underlying cloud resources, SSH, provider consoles, and billing.
* You need an operational fallback: if Gateways is unavailable, the resources still exist in your cloud account and can be inspected or operated directly.

## Bottom Line

Netlify is a strong fit when the web delivery platform is the center of the architecture. Gateways is the better fit when the website or app is one part of a broader cloud estate that your team needs to own, see, automate, SSH into, and operate directly.

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