stages.html.md.erb

---
title: Types of integration for your services
owner: Services
---

You can use a service to integrate with <%= vars.app_runtime_full %> at four levels, depicted here in order of increasing
integration. In general, your user-experience and production-readiness improves as the
integration level increases. But none of the higher levels is required.

You can stop service
integration and declare it finished (enough) after any of these:

When you integrate third-party software with Cloud Foundry, the effort
typically progresses through increasing levels of integration.
This staged approach allows early feedback on the value and the
design of the integration, which helps make better decisions about future
stages.

For non-service integrations,such as applications or buildpacks, a similar
staged integration approach is often possible and desirable.

![Examples of service integration stages.](img/integration-stages.png)

## <a id="ups"></a> Level 1: User-Provided Service

The service runs external to <%= vars.app_runtime_abbr %> and has no service broker or tile. To use a service
with an app, the developer creates a service broker by running
`cf create-user-provided-service` from the Cloud Foundry Command-Line Interface
(cf CLI).

Configuring, running, upgrading, and paying for a user-provided service are all
up to the developer.

## <a id="broker"></a> Level 2: Service Broker Only

A brokered service runs external to <%= vars.app_runtime_abbr %>, but has a tile on
[VMware Tanzu Network](https://network.tanzu.vmware.com/).

VMware Tanzu Network designates brokered services by including "Service Broker for VMware Tanzu" in the name.

You can install, configure, and upgrade the tile through the Tanzu Operations Manager
Installation Dashboard. Developers can see your service plans and create
service instances in Apps Manager, or by running the `cf marketplace` and
`cf create-service` commands.

[Brokered Service](./brokered.html) has more information about brokered
service tiles and how to create them.

## <a id="managed"></a> Level 3: Managed Service

With a managed service, both the service broker and the service itself run within
<%= vars.app_runtime_abbr %>. <%= vars.app_runtime_abbr %> activates to manage, monitor, and
increase service performance.

As with the brokered service, the service has a service broker and a tile listed
on VMware Tanzu Network. VMware Tanzu Network lists managed services as "for VMware Tanzu," without
"Service Broker" in the name.

When you install the tile, you allocate a block of VMs to run service
instances and provisions for CPU and memory resources.

[Managed Service](./managed.html) has more information about managed
service tiles and how to create them.

## <a id="dynamic"></a>  Level 4. On-Demand (dynamic) Service

Just as with a managed service, an on-demand service and broker both run within
<%= vars.app_runtime_abbr %>,
and VMware Tanzu Network lists the service tile without "Service Broker" in the name.
But unlike a managed service, an on-demand service does not limit the number of
service instance VMs.
You do not have to pre-allocate and provision VM resources for the
service.

When a developer creates an instance for an on-demand service, they provision the
resources (within an allowed range) and BOSH dynamically creates a new, dedicated
VM for the instance.

[On-Demand service](./on-demand.html) has more information about
On-Demand service tiles and how to create them.