---
id: platform/service-types
title: Which service type to use?
description: Choose between web services, private services, workers, cron jobs, static sites, and managed datastores.
keywords: [bex, service types, web service, static site, background worker, cron job]
last_updated: 2026-09-23
---

Choose a service type based on whether your code receives requests, runs
continuously, or exits after completing a task. Choose the runtime separately:
it determines how Bex builds or obtains the artifact to deploy.

## Choose a workload

| Workload | Use it for | Incoming connections | Blueprint configuration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Web service](./web-services.md) | Public APIs and server-rendered websites | HTTP through configured public routing | `type: web` |
| [Private service](./private-network.md) | An internal API or network server | Internal service address; no public ingress | `type: pserv` |
| [Background worker](./background-workers.md) | Queue consumers and continuous processing | No service endpoint | `type: worker` |
| [Cron job](./cron-jobs.md) | Scheduled commands that exit | No service endpoint | `type: cron`, plus `schedule` |
| [Static site](./static-sites.md) | Built HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other files | Shared static server with configured public routing | `type: web`, `runtime: static` |

A static site cannot run server-side request handlers. If your framework needs
a server for rendering or API routes, deploy it as a web service instead.
A worker can make outbound connections to a database, queue, or API without
exposing an inbound endpoint.

## Choose a runtime

For web/private services, workers, and cron jobs:

- **Dockerfile in Git:** use `runtime: docker` and a repository URL.
- **Prebuilt container:** use `runtime: image` and `image.url`.
- **Native build:** select `node`, `python`, `go`, `ruby`, `rust`, or `elixir`,
  and supply build and start commands appropriate to your application.

See [Docker deploys](./docker-deploys.md) and [How deploys work](./how-deploys-work.md).
Build and runtime settings are independent of whether a service is public.

## Store application data

Use [PostgreSQL](./postgres.md) for relational data and [Key Value](./key-value.md)
for a Redis-compatible cache or queue. PostgreSQL declarations live under
`databases:` in a Blueprint. Key Value uses `type: keyvalue` under `services:`.
These managed datastores have their own lifecycle and connection settings.

## Configure and deploy

Use the dashboard creation flow or declare one or more resources in a
[`render.yaml` Blueprint](./app-resource.md). That guide covers the required
API credentials, validation, and deployment commands.

For example, this selects a private HTTP service built from a Dockerfile:

```yaml
services:
  - name: internal-api
    type: pserv
    runtime: docker
    repo: https://github.com/your-org/internal-api
    branch: main
    autoDeployTrigger: off
```

Replace the repository URL with your own application. Its server should listen
on `0.0.0.0:$PORT`. The service has an internal address, with no public ingress;
use the [private network guide](./private-network.md) to connect callers.

Blueprint names differ from Kubernetes App type names:

| Blueprint | Kubernetes App `spec.type` |
| --- | --- |
| `web` | `web_service` |
| `pserv` | `private_service` |
| `worker` | `background_worker` |
| `cron` | `cron_job` |
| `web` with `runtime: static` | `static_site` |

Do not use `type: private` or `type: static` in a Blueprint. A service's type
is fixed after creation. To change the workload type, create a replacement,
verify its behavior, move callers or traffic, and retire the old service when
it is no longer needed.

## Scale the right resource

For long-running services, the instance count controls concurrent processes;
[scaling](./scaling.md) explains manual and automatic policies. A cron schedule
controls when work starts, not how many replicas run. Static sites publish
files to shared serving infrastructure rather than running a dedicated
application process for each site.

Render has additional product surfaces, including Workflows. Their presence in
[Render's service catalog](https://render.com/docs/service-types) does not imply
Bex support; consult [compatibility](./compatibility.md) before migrating.