On-prem tech stack hosting: Security and data governance benefits in November 2025

Self-hosting infrastructure is crucial for organizations handling sensitive data or operating under strict regulatory frameworks like HIPAA, GDPR, or CMMC, as it allows them to maintain control over their data, ensuring compliance and security while eliminating the need to rely on third-party cloud services. By keeping API documentation and SDK generation tools within their network perimeter, companies can implement custom security protocols, manage data residency, and provide detailed audit trails, meeting specific regulatory requirements that cloud-hosted solutions may struggle with. Fern offers a unique solution by providing fully self-hosted deployment options for SDK generation and documentation, unlike other vendors like Stainless and Speakeasy, which primarily operate as managed cloud services. While self-hosting comes with operational overhead, such as the need for infrastructure expertise and ongoing maintenance, it offers long-term cost predictability and customization benefits, enabling organizations to optimize performance and prevent vendor lock-in. For enterprises under strict compliance mandates, the decision to self-host is driven by the need to mitigate regulatory penalties and maintain a secure and controlled environment, balancing compliance with a modern developer experience.