Issue
I have deployed Appsmith on my machine successfully, but I have two questions before using it at a production level. Firstly, where does the dashboard data get stored? Secondly, does Appsmith require internet access after deployment?
Resolution
If you've successfully deployed Appsmith on your own machine and are evaluating whether it's ready for production use, here are the key details about dashboard data storage and internet requirements:
1. Data Storage
- In a self‑hosted Appsmith instance (Community, Business, or Enterprise edition), all persistent data — including user accounts, workspaces, applications, pages, widgets, data source configurations, and stored queries — is stored in an embedded MongoDB instance that is shipped with the deployment.
- When deployed via Docker or Kubernetes, MongoDB runs alongside the Appsmith server in the same containerized environment. You must configure a persistent volume (e.g. host bind mount for Docker or PVC in Kubernetes) so that data persists across container restarts or upgrades.
- If desired, you may configure Appsmith to use an external MongoDB (for example, MongoDB Atlas or your own MongoDB server) by following the relevant configuration guides in the official documentation
2. Internet Access Requirement
- Even after deployment, Appsmith requires internet connectivity to function properly on Community and Business editions. Internet access is needed for:
- Accessing app templates
- Google Sheets integration
- Fetching release notes
- Other internal communications with Appsmith-managed services like cs.appsmith.com
- If you need air-gapped deployment (completely offline operation), that is only available in Appsmith’s Enterprise edition. Contact Appsmith sales to discuss enterprise licensing and support options for air‑gapped use cases