> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/s2-streamstore/s2/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# S2 Lite Overview

> Self-hostable implementation of the S2 API backed by object storage

S2 Lite is a self-hostable server implementation of the S2 API. It's a single-node binary with no external dependencies beyond object storage, making it easy to run on AWS S3, Tigris, MinIO, or any S3-compatible storage.

## What is S2 Lite?

S2 Lite is embedded as the `s2 lite` subcommand of the S2 CLI. It provides:

* **Zero dependencies**: Single binary with no external services required (besides optional object storage)
* **Multiple storage modes**: In-memory, local filesystem, or S3-compatible object storage
* **Durable by default**: Data is always persisted to object storage before acknowledgment
* **SlateDB engine**: Uses [SlateDB](https://slatedb.io) for storage, designed specifically for object stores
* **Full S2 API**: Compatible with all S2 SDKs and the CLI

## Architecture

S2 Lite consists of:

* **HTTP server** built with [axum](https://github.com/tokio-rs/axum)
* **Stream tasks**: Each stream runs as a Tokio task ("streamer") that owns the tail position, serializes appends, and broadcasts to followers
* **SlateDB storage**: Embedded key-value store backed entirely by object storage
* **Pipelined appends**: Improved performance against high-latency object storage

## Storage Modes

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="In-Memory" icon="memory">
    No persistence. Perfect for development, testing, and CI environments.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Local Filesystem" icon="folder">
    Persist to local disk. Good for single-node deployments with attached storage.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Object Storage" icon="cloud">
    Durable persistence on S3-compatible storage. Production-ready.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Key Features

### Simplified Deployment

No distributed consensus, no coordination services, no complex cluster management. Just a single binary and object storage.

### Development-Friendly

Run in-memory mode for instant local development and testing:

```bash theme={null}
s2 lite --port 8080
```

### Production-Ready

Deploy to Kubernetes with the official Helm chart, or run as a Docker container with S3 backend.

### Full API Coverage

<Note>
  S2 Lite implements the complete S2 v1 API, including basins, streams, records, and streaming sessions. The only exception is access token management (not needed for self-hosted deployments).
</Note>

## Use Cases

**Development & Testing**

* Local development without cloud dependencies
* Integration tests with in-memory mode
* CI/CD pipeline testing

**Self-Hosted Production**

* On-premises deployments
* Private cloud environments
* Cost-optimized workloads

**Edge & Regional**

* Edge computing scenarios
* Regional data residency requirements
* Low-latency local processing

## Compatibility

S2 Lite works with all official S2 SDKs and tools:

* **CLI**: ✅ v0.26+
* **TypeScript SDK**: ✅ v0.22+
* **Go SDK**: ✅ v0.11+
* **Rust SDK**: ✅ v0.22+
* **Python SDK**: 🚧 Migration to v1 API in progress
* **Java SDK**: 🚧 Migration to v1 API in progress

## Performance

<Warning>
  Pipelining is currently disabled by default for safety. Enable it with `S2LITE_PIPELINE=true` to improve performance against high-latency object storage. This will be enabled by default in a future release.
</Warning>

For performance testing, use the built-in benchmark:

```bash theme={null}
s2 bench my-basin --target-mibps 10 --duration 5s
```

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quick Start" icon="rocket" href="/lite/quickstart">
    Get S2 Lite running in minutes
  </Card>

  <Card title="Deployment" icon="server" href="/lite/deployment">
    Deploy to production environments
  </Card>

  <Card title="Kubernetes" icon="dharmachakra" href="/lite/kubernetes">
    Deploy with Helm to Kubernetes
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configuration" icon="gear" href="/lite/configuration">
    Configure S2 Lite for your needs
  </Card>
</CardGroup>