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

# Deploy mcpjungle in production

> Run mcpjungle as a shared deployment in enterprise mode - for teams.

This guide covers the production operating model for mcpjungle.

When teams want shared access to MCPs in an enterprise environment, Mcpjungle should run in **enterprise mode** with a dedicated PostgreSQL database

That is the mode intended for teams, internal platforms and organizations running Mcpjungle for shared MCP access.

If your goal is simply to use MCPs locally for yourself, development mode is usually a better fit.

## Start in enterprise mode

You can enable enterprise mode in three ways:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="CLI flag">
    ```bash theme={null}
    mcpjungle start --enterprise
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Environment variable">
    ```bash theme={null}
    export SERVER_MODE=enterprise
    mcpjungle start
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Docker Compose">
    Use the production compose file, which sets `SERVER_MODE=enterprise` by default:

    ```bash theme={null}
    docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yaml up -d
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Initialize the server once

After the first boot in enterprise mode, run `mcpjungle init-server` once from your client machine to create the initial admin identity and authenticate your CLI.

For the exact bootstrap flow and command details, see:

* [Access and governance overview](/governance/overview)
* [Enterprise operations](/reference/cli-enterprise)

## Recommended runtime pattern

For a shared deployment, the recommended pattern is:

1. Run the standard `ghcr.io/mcpjungle/mcpjungle:latest` image.
2. Keep the CLI installed separately on operator machines.
3. Point Mcpjungle at a separate PostgreSQL instance or cluster.

## Run with Docker

For production, use the standard (minimal) Mcpjungle image. It is based on `distroless/base` and contains only the `mcpjungle` binary.

Supply your database connection string with the `DATABASE_URL` environment variable:

```bash theme={null}
docker run -d \
  --name mcpjungle-server \
  -e SERVER_MODE=enterprise \
  -e DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:password@your-db-host:5432/mcpjungle \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  ghcr.io/mcpjungle/mcpjungle:latest
```

<Tip>
  For production, deploy a separate managed Postgres cluster and point `DATABASE_URL` at it rather than running Postgres in the same container. See [Configure Mcpjungle's database](/deployment/database) for all database options.
</Tip>

## Graceful shutdown

Mcpjungle handles `SIGTERM` for graceful shutdown. It closes all active stateful sessions, flushes telemetry, and stops accepting new connections before exiting.

Send `SIGTERM` to stop the server cleanly:

```bash theme={null}
# For a process running directly
kill -SIGTERM <pid>

# For a Docker container
docker stop mcpjungle-server
```

`docker stop` sends `SIGTERM` by default, so no extra flags are needed.

## What enterprise mode enables

| Feature               | Development mode  | Enterprise mode                  |
| --------------------- | ----------------- | -------------------------------- |
| Authentication        | Disabled          | Required for Users & MCP clients |
| Access control (ACLs) | Disabled          | Enabled                          |
| OpenTelemetry metrics | Disabled (opt-in) | Enabled by default               |
| Server initialization | Automatic         | Manual (`init-server`)           |

<Info>
  Even in enterprise mode, you can override metrics with `OTEL_ENABLED=false` if needed, though that is not the recommended default for shared deployments.
</Info>

## What to read next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Database" icon="database" href="/deployment/database">
    Configure PostgreSQL correctly for production use.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Observability" icon="chart-line" href="/deployment/observability">
    Scrape Prometheus-compatible metrics from the `/metrics` endpoint.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Governance overview" icon="lock" href="/governance/overview">
    Understand enterprise mode, tokens, clients, and users.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Access control" icon="shield-halved" href="/governance/access-control">
    Give each MCP client access only to the servers it should reach.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>