# Deployment and Billing ## Billing -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Introduction" description: "The Billing documentation covers information on the payment models and plans available in Catalyst, as well as steps to set up your payment method, access billing and transaction reports, configure budgets, and more." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.535Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/introduction/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Billing ## Introduction Catalyst handles billing for all its {{%link href="/en/" %}}services{{%/link%}} overall, and for all the features in the services that are billable through a monthly billing cycle. There are two different pricing models that you can select from in Catalyst, depending on your requirements and usage. * **Pay-as-you-go Model:** Users will be billed for their exact resource usage in all services, post the consumption * **Subscription Model:** Users pay a fixed subscription fee in advance and purchase resources worth that amount You can avail of a **free tier allowance** in the pay-as-you-go pricing model that is refreshed monthly. The free tier provides you with Catalyst resources for free of cost until you exceed the specified hard limits on the utilization of these resources. {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/pay-as-you-go-model" %}}Learn more about the pay-as-you-go model{{%/link%}}. If you choose the subscription model, Catalyst will provide an additional USD 5 per billing cycle on top of your selected plan at no extra cost. For example, if you select the Basic plan at USD 25/month, you will receive a total of USD 30/month, with Catalyst provisioning the extra USD 5. {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing//billing/subscription-model" %}}Learn more about our available subscription plans{{%/link%}}. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} You can refer to the {{%link href="https://catalyst.zoho.com/pricing1.html" %}}**Pricing page**{{%/link%}} to check the latest pricing calculations, and the details of each billable component operation. You can check the hard limits of the resources provided in the free tier from the {{%link href="https://catalyst.zoho.com/free-tier.html" %}}**Free Tier page**{{%/link%}}. Catalyst does not impose any other additional or hidden charges besides the pricing stated in that page.{{%/note%}} Catalyst monitors your usage and provides you with a consolidated bill for all your {{%link href="/en/getting-started/catalyst-projects/" %}}projects{{%/link%}}, that contains a breakdown of the resources you utilized in each feature of each service, along with the charges for the units consumed in both pricing models. The usage here can be regarded as the API calls made or the memory utilized in a specific component, for instance. Some examples include data insertions in the Cloud Scale Data Store, Serverless Function executions, or a file upload operation in the File Store. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} Catalyst currently provides the {{%link href="https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/convokraft/" %}}ConvoKraft{{%/link%}} service for completely free of cost, with no charges on usage. {{%/note%}} Catalyst supports payments made through various payment methods, depending on your Zoho account's data center and region. For example, for the accounts registered in the US data center, the supported payment methods include credit cards and PayPal accounts. If the account is registered in the IN data center, payment options also include UPI, Netbanking, and debit cards. You can configure your payment method for your Catalyst account for both payment models, and manage your payments and subscriptions from the {{%link href="https://store.zoho.com/html/store/home.html" %}}**Zoho Store**{{%/link%}}. You can keep a track of your resource usage of all projects in an {{%link href="/en/getting-started/catalyst-organizations/" %}}organization{{%/link%}}, view reports and cost breakdowns, check forecasts, create budgets, and more from the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/billing-settings/" %}}Billing settings{{%/link%}} in your Catalyst remote console. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Important Points to Remember:{{%/bold%}} Catalyst had followed only a pay-as-you-go pricing model previously, that included Amount and Credits as the payment units along with the pricing plans of Light User and Heavy User. This old pricing system was applicable until 1 April 2024, for all Catalyst users who had signed up before 31 Dec 2023. The new dual pricing model system mentioned above became applicable from 1 Jan 2024 for the users who signed up in 2024, and from {{%bold%}}1 April 2024{{%/bold%}}, to all Catalyst users. The old pricing system is now deprecated.<br> <br> Users can now select their preferred payment model upon their account signup or during their Catalyst usage. First-time users also get a one-time, USD 250 worth of free resources after they sign up to Catalyst, or subscribe to a plan in the subscription model. This will be utilized upon exhausting the free tier allowance or plan benefit in either payment models.{{%/note%}} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Free Tier Usage" description: "The Billing documentation covers information on the payment models and plans available in Catalyst, as well as steps to set up your payment method, access billing and transaction reports, configure budgets, and more." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.535Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/free-tier/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Free Tier Usage Catalyst enables a free tier usage for all existing users, and for all new users when they sign up, if they have opted for the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/pay-as-you-go-model" %}}pay-as-you go pricing model{{%/link%}}. The free tier usage allowance offers resources in various Catalyst services for free of cost per month, based on a set of hard limits defined for each. For example, Catalyst offers 25k GB-seconds of Serverless Function requests, 2 GB storage in the Data Store, 1000 GET requests in Cache, and more for free per month. You can refer to the {{%link href="https://www.zoho.com/catalyst/free-tier.html" %}}**Free Tier page**{{%/link%}} page for a list of the full set of resources and operations available in the free tier. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} Refer to the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/pricing-calculations/" %}}Pricing Calculation{{%/link%}} section to understand the units of GB-Seconds and GB-Minutes assigned to Serverless Function and AppSail service executions, mentioned in the Free Tier page.{{%/note%}} ### Important Points to Remember * The free tier allowance is only available with the pay-as-you-go pricing model. For the subscription model, an additional USD 5 per month will be added to your selected plan. For example, if you choose the Basic plan at USD 25/month, you’ll receive a total of USD 30/month, with Catalyst providing the extra USD 5. * The free tier usage allowance is refreshed monthly, and is not just a one-time benefit. The counter is refreshed after every bill payment in the monthly cycle in the case of the pay-as-you-go model, or the subscription fee payment in the case of the subscription model. You will be prompted to set up your Catalyst payment method as soon as any resource's free tier allowance is about to expire in the case of pay-as-you-go model. * The resources provided in the free tier allowance spans across all {{%link href="/en/getting-started/catalyst-organizations/" %}}organizations{{%/link%}} and projects you create in Catalyst and is not specific to one project. That is, Catalyst offers 25k GB-seconds of Serverless Function requests in the free tier for your Catalyst account overall, irrespective of any number of organizations or projects you might create. * If you opt for the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/pay-as-you-go-model/" %}}pay-as-you-go pricing model{{%/link%}}, you can continue to stay within the hard limits of the resource utilization each month and potentially avail resources for free of cost in an unlimited manner. The final net amount will be calculated by subtracting the free tier allowance from the overall usage. ### Exceeding Free Tier Allowance The hard limits of the {{%link href="https://www.zoho.com/catalyst/free-tier.html" %}}free tier allowance{{%/link%}} for resource utilization are defined for the entire Catalyst account overall, and not for individual projects or organizations. For example, the hard limit of 5k insertions in the Data Store in the free tier is applicable across all projects in all orgs in your account overall, and not for a single project. The limits can be split across multiple projects in any manner, as the usage is measured in a consolidated way. If you cross the hard limit defined for a specific resource in the free tier for your Catalyst account overall, you are out of the free tier for that resource alone, and you will be obligated to pay for its usage beyond that limit. Catalyst will consider the free tier allowance of only that resource as expired in this case, and not the other resources. **Example:** Assume the hard limits for data insertion is 5k and function execution is 25k. If you cross the limit for data insertions, your billing of data insertions will start from the 5001st insertion. However, if you have only used 10k function executions, you can continue to use Functions in the free tier until you cross the limit. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} These hard limits are applicable only for the pay-as-you-go model, you will need to settle the final bill that is calculated and generated on or before your payment due date. {{%/note%}} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Avail 250$ Credits" description: "The Billing documentation covers information on the payment models and plans available in Catalyst, as well as steps to set up your payment method, access billing and transaction reports, configure budgets, and more." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.535Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/avail-250-credit/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Avail 250$ Credits To help you get started and explore Catalyst’s services, we now offer credits worth USD 250 to all users.You can claim your credits at any time by clicking the **"Get $250 Credits"** button, as shown in the screenshot below. You can click on **Select Payment Plan** and choose your preferred payment option to avail the 250$ worth of credits instantly. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} 1. This 250$ worth of credits is an one-time benefit and won't be refreshed monthly along with the free tier allowance in the pay-as-you go pricing model. Also, this credit is exclusive of the free tier allowance for {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/pay-as-you-go-model/" %}}pay-as-you-go model{{%/link%}} and the USD 5 credit for the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/subscription-model/" %}}subscription model{{%/link%}}. 2. The $250 credit you receive after setting up your payment method is valid for 60 days from the date it is claimed. After this period, you will be billed according to the pricing model you have selected. {{%/note%}} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Pay-As-You-Go Pricing Model" description: "The Billing documentation covers information on the payment models and plans available in Catalyst, as well as steps to set up your payment method, access billing and transaction reports, configure budgets, and more." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.535Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/pay-as-you-go-model/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # The Pay-As-You-Go Pricing Model The pay-as-you-go pricing model requires users to pay only for the resources they consume, post the consumption. This is a postpaid model in which the price is calculated for each billable resource usage, and the bill is generated on a monthly basis. ### Benefits * The pay-as-you-go model is highly cost effective and efficient, enabling you to only pay for the resources you consume. There are no overhead or subscription charges levied for any resource. * This model saves you from implementing a trial and error method of subscribing to plans or purchasing features beforehand, when you cannot foresee your requirements in advance. * You can avail this option if your usage is on a small scale, such as building independent projects or freelancing, or if you prefer only to pay for what you use without prior commitments. * You can highly benefit from the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/free-tier/" %}}free tier usage allowance{{%/link%}} if you opt for the pay-as-you-go model. If you don't exceed the hard limits imposed for the free usage allowance of resources each month, you can utilize Catalyst for free of cost in an unlimited manner. ### Billing Calculations in Pay-As-You-Go Upon exceeding the free tier allowance for a specific component, your further usage of Catalyst will be liable for payment. If you opt for the pay-as-you-go model, the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/billing-settings/" %}}Billing settings{{%/link%}} will display a breakdown of your resource utilization across all projects in an {{%link href="/en/getting-started/catalyst-organizations/" %}}organization{{%/link%}} and their billing calculations for the final amount due. This is refreshed in each billing cycle. Catalyst levies a **minimum billing amount of USD 5**. If you exceed the free tier allowance of any one resource, your due payment in the pay-as-you-go model will begin from the USD 5 mark. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} For users paying in other currencies, the minimum billing amount is USD 5 converted in the local currency.{{%/note%}} Additionally, if you exceed the free tier allowance, you will still be required to pay the minimum billing amount for all the projects that you have created in an organization. In the projects where the free tier has been exceeded, an amount worth the value of the free tier allowance of each billable operation left is subtracted from the overall usage of that resource to obtain the billed value during the final billing. Let's understand this with an example. #### Example: Assume you create three projects in a Catalyst org: Project 1, Project 2, Project 3. Until you exceed the free tier allowance of the Catalyst organization and you continue to operate within the hard limits of each resource, you can work with these projects for free of cost. Now assume that you exceed the free tier allowance for a resource in any of the projects. Let the overall consumption charges of resources in these three projects be as follows: <table class="content-table"> <thead> <tr> <th class="w25p"> </th> <th class="w75p">Overall Consumption Charges</th> <th class="w75p">Billed Charges</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>{{%bold%}}Project 1{{%/bold%}}</td> <td>$6</td> <td>$6</td> </tr> <tr> <td>{{%bold%}}Project 2{{%/bold%}}</td> <td>$3</td> <td>$5 (Min. billing amount)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>{{%bold%}}Project 3{{%/bold%}}</td> <td>$2</td> <td>$5 (Min. billing amount)</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>{{%bold%}}Total Billed Charges{{%/bold%}}</td> <td>{{%bold%}}$16{{%/bold%}}</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Because the free tier allowance was exceeded, you are billed the minimum billing amount of $5 in Project 2 and Project 3 as well. This calculation is before the free tier allowance value is subtracted from the overall usage consumption. Now, assume the free tier allowances in the organization are worth USD 5. Your total amount due will then be: {{%italics%}}$16 - $5 = $11{{%/italics%}} i.e., **Total Billed Charges - Free Tier Allowance Left = Total Amount Due** Suppose you exceed the free tier usage for multiple resources, and your overall consumption charges come to $7 and the free tier allowance left is $2 in that project, then your total amount due will be: {{%italics%}}[$6 + $7 + $5 ] - $2 = $16{{%/italics%}} i.e., [Billed Charges in Project 1 + Project 2 + Project 3] - [Free Tier Allowance Left] {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} Catalyst will not charge the minimum billing amount for a project that is completely empty, if you exceed the free tier allowance. The projects in which no resources have been created or utilized will be exempt from billing entirely. However, if even a single billable action has occurred in the project, it will be billed. Therefore, we recommend you to delete all unused projects to optimize your usage.{{%/note%}} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Subscription Pricing Model" description: "The Billing documentation covers information on the payment models and plans available in Catalyst, as well as steps to set up your payment method, access billing and transaction reports, configure budgets, and more." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.535Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/subscription-model/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # The Subscription Pricing Model The subscription pricing models requires the users to pay a fixed subscription fee in advance on a monthly basis, and purchase Catalyst resources worth that amount as determined by the pricing. This is a prepaid model in which a fixed set of resources are allocated for each subscription amount tier. Catalyst currently provides the following price tiers for the subscription model: * **Basic:** USD 25/month * **Standard:** USD 50/month * **Premium:** USD 75/month * **Elite:** USD 100/month * **Enterprise 500:** USD 500/month * **Enterprise 1200:** USD 1200/month If you choose to opt for the subscription model, you can select your preferred subscription price tier and set up your payment method for your account in the {{%link href="https://store.zoho.com/html/store/home.html" %}}Zoho Store{{%/link%}}. Catalyst will deduct the payment, and the amount will be consumed for your resource usage in that month. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} If your Catalyst account is registered in a region or data center other than the US, the pricing of these tiers are calculated in your local currency correspondingly. The payments are processed in your local currency.{{%/note%}} ### Benefits * The subscription pricing model is aimed at users who require a specific amount to be budgeted at their organization or businesses every month for Catalyst usage. * The subscription model is beneficial for SMBs or enterprises of various scales, as it enables a way for you to meticulously plan and allocate allowances for your operations, and manage your expenditures effectively. * A USD 5 will be added to the subscription amount you choose by default as a free allowance. This is refreshed for each billing cycle, and is not just a one-time benefit. It means, if you subscribe to a Basic plan ($25 plan), you will infact be provided with $30 worth of resources. Similarly, in a Standard plan ($50 plan), you will get $55 worth of resources, and so on. * While the cost you incur with the pay-as-you-go model can vary depending on your usage, you can pay a fixed price each month with the subscription model. If you are fully aware of your requirements and utilization, you can calculate and determine the exact price tier you will need, and optimize your expenses. ### Subscription Inclusions Catalyst provides a quota of resources for each subscription plan tier, worth that amount's usage. You can write to {{%link href="mailto:support@zohocatalyst.com" %}}support@zohocatalyst.com{{%/link%}} to find out about the exact inclusions in each subscription price tier. The monthly subscription fee you pay applies to your Catalyst account overall, for as many projects you create in any number of {{%link href="/en/getting-started/catalyst-organizations/" %}}organizations{{%/link%}}, and not for individual projects. You will be required to renew your subscription monthly by paying the fee for any specific plan tier. The payment can be made automatically each month after you {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/setting-up-payment/" %}}set up your payment method{{%/link%}} in Catalyst. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} With the subscription model, you have the flexibility to allocate your usage across various components and operations as needed. For example, you can use your entire subscription value for up to 1 million function calls, or you can split it between different operations such as 10,000 function calls, 200,000 row insertions, or 100,000 file uploads, depending on your requirements. There are no fixed limits for individual components, so you can tailor your usage based on your specific needs.{{%/note%}} ### Exceeding the Subscription Amount Catalyst will consider your subscription amount as consumed if you exceed the quota of the resource inclusions of that tier, overall within the month. If your subscription tier is $25 and Catalyst provides an additional $5 of free usage, you must upgrade to the next pricing tier once your usage exceeds the combined total to continue using Catalyst without interruption. For example, if you exceed the $25 Basic subscription plan before its validity period, you will need to upgrade to any of the next tiers, such as the Standard $50 or Premium $75 plan, to continue your usage without interruption. If you fail to upgrade your subscription plan, Catalyst will temporarily suspend your account activities. You will not be able to work with any of your Catalyst projects in any organization or use any Catalyst resources until you configure your plan upgrade. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} Catalyst also helps you keep track of your usage and manage it effectively by auto-creating {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/billing-settings/#budgets" %}}budgets{{%/link%}}, based on your subscription plan as soon as you subscribe. These budgets will be automatically configured and alerts will be set for your usage of 50%, 75%, 90%, and 100% of that subscription amount. You will be alerted each time you approach these budget limits through email.{{%/note%}} You can also keep track of the amount you have consumed from your subscription plan at any time from the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/billing-settings/" %}}Billing settings{{%/link%}} in your Catalyst console. ### Billing Calculations in the Subscription Model Billing in the subscription pricing model is calculated based on the resources you have consumed in all projects across orgs in a straightforward manner. Each subscription plan comes with a set of resources that are worth that plan's amount overall. You can view a breakdown of all the resources you have consumed from the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/billing-settings/#breakdown" %}}Breakdown{{%/link%}} section in the Billing settings, and the pricing of each resource from the {{%link href="https://catalyst.zoho.com/pricing1.html" %}}Pricing{{%/link%}} page. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Pricing Calculations" description: "The Billing documentation covers information on the payment models and plans available in Catalyst, as well as steps to set up your payment method, access billing and transaction reports, configure budgets, and more." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.535Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/pricing-calculations/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Pricing Calculations The {{%link href="https://catalyst.zoho.com/pricing1.html" %}}**Catalyst Pricing page**{{%/link%}} contains the latest pricing calculations of each action in a feature or component in every Catalyst service. Depending on the operation in a specific component, the unit of pricing will vary. For most components, the pricing calculations mentioned in the Pricing Page are self-explanatory. For example, the unit of pricing for Circuits in Serverless is *amount/state* transition, which indicates that each transition occurring in every circuit is billed at the specified price. Similarly, the unit of pricing for operations such as a File Store Download, Data Store Insertion, or Cache Get is *amount/request*, which indicates that each request or API call made will be billed at the specified price. Components such Mail, Push Notifications, or Search are priced in the units of *amount/email* sent, *amount/notifications* sent, *amount/query* executed respectively. The units of pricing for Serverless {{%link href="/en/serverless/help/functions/introduction/" %}}Functions{{%/link%}} and {{%link href="/en/serverless/help/appsail/introduction/" %}}AppSail{{%/link%}} are **GB-Second** and **GB-Minute** respectively, which are not as straightforward as the other units. Let's discuss these units with an example. Consider the pricing for these units as given below. #### Functions **Unit: Executions Per Second** <table class="content-table"> <thead> <tr> <th><strong>Memory</strong></th> <th><strong>USD Per Second</strong></th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>128 MB</td> <td>0.000002</td> </tr> <tr> <td>256 MB</td> <td>0.000004</td> </tr> <tr> <td>512 MB</td> <td>0.000008</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <br> #### AppSail **Unit: Instances Per Minute** <table class="content-table"> <thead> <tr> <th><strong>Memory</strong></th> <th><strong>USD Per Minute</strong></th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>256 MB</td> <td>0.000325</td> </tr> <tr> <td>512 MB</td> <td>0.00065</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1GB</td> <td>0.0013</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2GB</td> <td>0.0026</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> The table indicates that the cost of a function's execution varies based on the function's configured memory size. For example, a 128 MB function's execution will incur a cost of $0.000002 per second. A single unit of this is considered as 1 GB-Second. That is, USD 0.000002 worth of usage per second for a function execution is 1 GB-Second, for a function of memory size 128 MB. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} The hard limits in the free tier allowance specified in terms of GB-Seconds and GB-Minutes units of pricing for functions and AppSail are not cumulative. That is, if 25,000 GB-Seconds are provided for free, it is split overall across all function executions of all memory sizes. It does not indicate that Catalyst provides 25,000 GB-Seconds for 128 MB functions, another 25,000 GB-Seconds for 256 MB functions, and so on.{{%/note%}} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Billing Process" description: "The Billing documentation covers information on the payment models and plans available in Catalyst, as well as steps to set up your payment method, access billing and transaction reports, configure budgets, and more." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.535Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/billing-process/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Billing Process for both Pricing Models Given below are some important points to remember regarding the billing process for both the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/pay-as-you-go-model/" %}}pay-as-you-go{{%/link%}} and {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/subscription-model/" %}}subscription{{%/link%}} pricing models: * You will receive one common invoice for your Catalyst account every month, that includes a detailed breakdown of all resource consumptions in all services, across all your organizations and projects. * The invoice will be generated on the second day of every month at GMT 0 time for the pay-as-you-go pricing model. Your billing cycle will follow this pattern every month. For the subscription model, your billing cycle commences from the date you subscribe. The subscription amount you pay will be valid exactly for 1 month from the date of payment. * Your invoice will be sent to the email address you used to sign up for Catalyst. You can also add additional email recipients to send the invoice to. * Catalyst enables you to configure your payment method and handle payments through the {{%link href="https://store.zoho.com/html/store/home.html" %}}**Zoho Store**{{%/link%}}. By default, the payment option you set up, such as your credit card or PayPal, will be debited for your due bill amount or subscription amount every month on the due date automatically. * The payment guidelines and local laws in certain regions allow for a non-recurring payment option to be set up as well. If you set up a non-recurring payment mode, you will need to provide your payment details and manually pay your bill each time the bill is due. If the payment of your due bill amount is not processed for any reason in either case, you will need to verify or modify your payment setup and pay the bill before the due date. * If your payment is due in either pricing model, your Catalyst account will be temporarily suspended until the payment is cleared, following a grace period, . You will not be able to work with any of your Catalyst projects in any orgs during the account suspension. * Catalyst will send email alerts for monthly invoice generation, subscription plan usage and upgrades, payment reminders, budget utilizations, and failed transactions to help you keep track. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Setting up Payment" description: "The Billing documentation covers information on the payment models and plans available in Catalyst, as well as steps to set up your payment method, access billing and transaction reports, configure budgets, and more." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.536Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/setting-up-payment/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Setting up Your Payment Method in Catalyst Catalyst subscriptions and payments are managed in {{%link href="https://store.zoho.com/html/store/home.html" %}}**Zoho Store**{{%/link%}}, where you can also view and manage all your other Zoho subscriptions and payments. You can access the Store anytime and set up your payment method. It is advisable to set it up before you expire your free tier usage allowance if you had opted for the pay-as-you-go pricing model, or the subscription plan benefits, to continue using your Catalyst account. To set up your payment method for your Catalyst account: 1. Navigate to the Settings from the Catalyst console.<br /> <br /> 2. Click {{%bold%}}Manage Billing{{%/bold%}} under the {{%italics%}}Billing{{%/italics%}} section.<br /> <br /> This will open the Zoho Store portal in a new tab.<br /> {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} When you are in your free tier usage, and you click on the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/free-tier/#free-tier-expiration" %}}Free Tier Upgrade prompt{{%/link%}}, Catalyst opens a pop-up window displaying the details of all your resource usage. Clicking on Continue to select plan will redirect you to the Zoho Store as well.{{%/note%}} ### Payment Model Selection If you are setting up your payments for the first time, the Store will display the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/pay-as-you-go-model/" %}}pay-as-you-go pricing option{{%/link%}} and the four {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/subscription-model/" %}}subscription tiers{{%/link%}} for you to choose from. Subsequently, the Store will display your chosen payment model, available wallet credits that were provided to you when you were a first-time Catalyst user, and other details of your Catalyst plan. Select the required payment model or pricing plan to proceed. <br /> {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}}The pricing details will be displayed in the currency of your account's data center or region, as well as their value in USD. The payments are made in your local currency.{{%/note%}} * If you selected *Pay-As-You-Go*, you will be redirected to your billing address details section directly. * If you selected one of the subscription plans, such as the Basic or Standard plan, you will be redirected to an *Add-Ons* section to confirm your subscription. Select any add-ons, if available. Click **Proceed** from this section. <br /> ### Billing Details Configuration Enter the billing details of your organization. These include your organization's name, contact details, and address. <br> If your account's region is India and your currency is INR, you will have the option to provide the information about your {{%link href="https://www.gst.gov.in/" %}}GSTIN registration{{%/link%}}. You can select **Yes** and configure your GSTIN details, if you are registered. Otherwise, select **No** and declare yourself as an *Individual* or a *Non-Registered Business*. <br> ### Payment Method Configuration Choose a payment method by clicking the available options for your account's region, such as the Credit Card or PayPal. * If you chooseIf you choose {{%italics%}}Credit Card{{%/italics%}}, enter your credit card details and the address, then click {{%bold%}}Add Payment Method{{%/bold%}}. <br /> * If you selected {{%italics%}}PayPal{{%/italics%}}, simply click {{%bold%}}Continue{{%/bold%}}. <br /> #### Non-recurring Payments For user accounts registered in the US region and for certain other regions, by default, the payment method you set up is recurring in nature. However, the payment guidelines and local laws in certain regions, such as the IN region, allow for a non-recurring payment option to be set up as well. If a non-recurring payment option is available for you, you can avail it if required. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} If you set up a non-recurring payment mode, you will need to provide your payment details and manually pay your bill each time the bill is due. {{%/note%}} <br /> {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} In certain regions or DCs, such as the IN DC, there are other payment modes that you can configure, such as your UPI account, debit card, or your bank's Net banking.{{%/note%}} #### Zoho Subscription Balance Catalyst also allows you to make payments via the Zoho subscription balance that you can manage at the Store. This essentially enables you to add money to a digital wallet in the Store that will be debited for your Zoho subscriptions when you configure that option for payments. You will need to have sufficient subscription balance to process a specific payment. <br /> #### Recurring Payments The recurring option in specific regions or DCs can also include other payment modes such as the UPI. <br /> Configure your preferred payment method and proceed to the next step. ### Payment Verification * If you added your credit card details, your credit card provider will authenticate your identity as per their norms, based on your region. * If you selected *PayPal*, login to your PayPal account to configure it for Catalyst, and follow further instructions. <br /> After your payment setup process is completed, your payment details will be saved in Catalyst. Your bill payment will be initiated using your credit card or PayPal automatically every month on the due bill date. After you authorize the payment, the amount will be debited. You can always access the Store to manage your Catalyst payments and billing, modify your payment details, access your transaction history, and more. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Billing Settings" description: "The Billing documentation covers information on the payment models and plans available in Catalyst, as well as steps to set up your payment method, access billing and transaction reports, configure budgets, and more." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.536Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/billing-settings/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Billing Settings in the Catalyst Console The Catalyst console enables you to keep track of your Catalyst usage, view billing information and reports, and manage your budgets. These features are available in different sections under *Billing* in the settings. ### Overview The {{%italics%}}Overview{{%/italics%}} section provides a brief summary of your Catalyst usage and your payment history. You can check your ongoing bill amount for the current month, in case you had opted for the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/pay-as-you-go-model/" %}}pay-as-you-go model{{%/link%}}, under the _{{%bold%}}Current Usage{{%/bold%}}_ tile. This value is automatically updated instantly, and the latest value based on your usage is displayed. In case of a {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/subscription-model/" %}}subscription plan{{%/link%}}, this tile displays the available amount from your plan, as well as if any plan benefit amount is remaining. <br /> You can view a detailed report of your usage in the graphical format by clicking {{%bold%}}View Report{{%/bold%}}. This will open the {{%bold%}}Report{{%/bold%}} section of _Billing_. _{{%bold%}}Forecast{{%/bold%}}_ analyzes the cost that could be incurred for the current month based on your usage information. A forecast can be fairly accurate with as little as two days of data. This usage prediction enables you to get an estimation of your expenditure in Catalyst, and allows you to plan your activities. If the data of the previous month is not available in Catalyst, Forecast will not be able to predict the current month's usage. _{{%bold%}}Last Billing's Usage{{%/bold%}}_ displays the usage information of the previous billing cycle. In case you are a new user, this will be unavailable. The _{{%bold%}}Cost Trends{{%/bold%}}_ graph displays the cost information incurred during various time periods in the form of a bar graph. The graph shows the usage for each month of the time period. The usage data shown here also includes the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/pay-as-you-go-model/#free-tier-usage-allowance" %}}free tier{{%/link%}} allowance in the pay-as-you-go model, or the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/subscription-model/#subscription-plan-benefits" %}}plan benefits{{%/link%}} of the subscription model. This graph is auto-updated every 30 minutes. <br /> ### Breakdown The billing calculations for a project will commence after you explore atleast one resource in a project and from the beginning of every bill cycle. The breakdown will include the calculations of each resource usage, both at the project level and the component level. You can select the Project Usage Stats from the dropdown and select the time for which you need to access the information as well. This displays the usage and cost breakdown for each of your Catalyst projects individually You can click on a project name to open its detailed breakdown. <br /> Depending on the component or feature, you will be priced in terms of various units such as *amount/request*, *amount/execution*, or *amount/search*. You can check the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/pricing-calculations/" %}}Pricing Calculations{{%/link%}} section to learn more about this, and the {{%link href="https://catalyst.zoho.com/pricing1.html" %}}Pricing page{{%/link%}} for the pricing details of Catalyst resources. The Breakdown will display the Gross Amount for all usage, including the usage from the free tier allowance or plan benefits, in case of pay-as-you-go or subscription models respectively. In the pay-as-you-go model, the final Net Amount due is calculated after subtracting the free tier allowance from the total usage of resources for all projects overall during billing. Similarly, if you want to view the cumulative component level breakdown of all the projects, you can switch to Component Usage Stats from the drop-down menu. It provides detailed information on the usage of each Catalyst service, the usage of each component or feature in a service, the calls made in each of them, the price of single instance, the total count of usage, and the Gross Amount incurred for each component usage, service, in every project. ### Report The _Report_ section provides detailed insight into your Catalyst usage in a graphical format based on various criteria that you select. You can access information about your usage and expenditure based on the services, individual projects, and time periods that you select, and group them by different categories. <br /> You can select the individual projects for which you need to access the report, using the_Projects_ filter. <br /> You can also filter the services to generate the report for. <br /> The Group By filter enables you to view the graph grouped by the projects you selected, or the services, or none. <br /> To view the graph for a time period between specific dates, select {{%bold%}}Daywise{{%/bold%}} from the _Time Period_ filter. <br /> Now, select the dates for which you need to access information from the calender and click {{%bold%}}Apply{{%/bold%}}. <br /> To view the graph for a time period between specific months, select {{%bold%}}Monthwise{{%/bold%}} from the dropdown list and select the months. Click {{%bold%}}Apply{{%/bold%}}.<br /> <br /> After you apply all the filters, click {{%bold%}}Apply Filter{{%/bold%}}. The graph displays the report based on these filters. <br /> You can view the report in the form of an area graph or a bar graph. <br /> <br> ### Budgets You can create budgets in Catalyst to set usage limits of the amount you spend and configure email alerts when your usage crosses a particular threshold value. Budgets help you monitor your activities in Catalyst and allow you to plan your expenses. Catalyst also enables you to automate the disabling of the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/environments/production-environment" %}}production environment{{%/link%}} of an application when its usage hits a particular threshold value. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} The maximum number of budgets that can be created for an individual project is 50.{{%/note%}} #### Points to remember: * When you enable the _Disable Production_ option while setting a threshold value for a budget, Catalyst will automatically disable the production environment of the selected project when the threshold is reached, and will alert you of it through an email. * You can re-enable the production environment of a project that was disabled upon reaching a specified threshold. It will not get re-enabled automatically. * Catalyst runs a scheduler once every 30 minutes to obtain the current charges of a project. Therefore, the checks for crossing a specified threshold are made only once every 30 minutes. If your project reaches a configured threshold in between these checks, Catalyst will not detect it until the scheduler's next run. * If you re-enable the production environment after it has automatically been disabled because of threshold limits, it will not get disabled again in the next 30 minutes during the next scheduler check. It will only get disabled again after the end of the current month, provided you have not modified the threshold limits. * In case you modify the threshold value after the production gets disabled, the next scheduler check will check for threshold limits and will disable the production again in case it is reached. * If you have multiple budgets configured for a single project, Catalyst will disable the production environment for all the budgets the _Disable Production_ has been enabled for, after reaching each specified threshold limit. #### Create a Budget To create a budget: 1. Click {{%bold%}}Create Budget{{%/bold%}} from the {{%bold%}}Budget{{%/bold%}} section under _Billing_ in settings.<br /> <br /> This will open the budget creation page. 2. Enter a name and a description for the budget. Select a project that the budget should apply to. You can apply this budget for all projects as well.<br /> <br /> 3. Enter a threshold value for it. This is the maximum value set for your budget. <br /> You can enable the _Disable Production_ option to have the production environment automatically disabled upon reaching this threshold. This will open a pop-up. Enter "{{%bold%}}DISABLE{{%/bold%}}" and click {{%bold%}}Confirm{{%/bold%}} to confirm the action.<br /> <br /> {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} The {{%italics%}}Disable Production{{%/italics%}} option will be available only if you select a single project from the Projects drop-down, and not if you choose all projects. You can enable this option for multiple projects by creating individual budgets for each.{{%/note%}} <br /> <br /> 4. You can now create rules that enable you to configure email alerts to be sent when your usage reaches a certain percentage of the threshold value. Enter a percentage for the threshold amount in the text box. The amount value of that percentage is calculated automatically and displayed. <br /> For example, if you require an email alert to be sent when your usage reaches 50% of the threshold limit value of $50, enter "50" under percentage. You will then receive an email alert when you use up $25. You can create a maximum of five rules. To create another rule, click the (**+**) icon. To delete a rule, click the (**-**) icon. Now, enter the recipient email address that the email alerts should be sent to. You can configure a maximum of three recipients. <br /> 5. Click {{%bold%}}Create{{%/bold%}}. The budget will be created and listed in the _Budgets_ page along with its details. A unique ID is also created for the budget. <br /> You will now receive email alerts based on the rules that you set in the budget. You can view a budget's configuration by clicking the budget's name. To edit the budget, click {{%bold%}}Edit{{%/bold%}} from the budget view's page. Modify the details and save the changes. <br /> #### Delete a Budget 1. You can delete a budget by clicking the ellipsis icon and clicking {{%bold%}}Delete{{%/bold%}} from the _Budget_ page. <br /> 2. Click {{%bold%}}Yes, Proceed{{%/bold%}} in the confirmation window. <br /> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Manage Billing" description: "The Billing documentation covers information on the payment models and plans available in Catalyst, as well as steps to set up your payment method, access billing and transaction reports, configure budgets, and more." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.537Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/manage-billing/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Manage Billing When you click {{%bold%}}Manage Billing{{%/bold%}} under _Billing_ in the settings, it redirects to the Zoho Catalyst Payments portal in a new tab. As mentioned earlier, you can manage your payment settings and view your payment history from the Payments portal. <br /> ### Transaction History You can view your payment history by clicking the {{%bold%}}Payment History{{%/bold%}} link in the _Last Transaction Date_ column. This will redirect you to the _Transaction History_ page. <br /> You can view the various transactions that were processed using your credit card or your PayPal account from this page, along with their details. You can also download invoices for each transaction by clicking the {{%bold%}}PDF file icon{{%/bold%}} for it and search for a transaction by its ID using the search box. You can view transactions of specific types alone by clicking on the dropdown box and selecting the transaction type. <br /> You can also filter the transactions based on their time period by clicking {{%bold%}}Filter by Period...{{%/bold%}} and setting the start and end dates. Click {{%bold%}}Apply Filter{{%/bold%}} to apply them. <br /> ### Modifying and Deleting the Payment Method To change your payment method or your credit card, click {{%bold%}}Credit Card{{%/bold%}} from the _Payments_ page. <br /> Alternatively, you can also click the dropdown list in the top-right corner of the _Payments_ page and click {{%bold%}}Payment Method{{%/bold%}}. <br /> This will open the _Payment Method_ section. Click {{%bold%}}Change{{%/bold%}} to change your credit card. <br /> Follow the same steps as described in the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/setting-up-payment" %}}Payment Setup{{%/link%}} section of this help documentation. You can view the list of your Zoho subscriptions by clicking on {{%bold%}}View Subscriptions{{%/bold%}}.To delete your payment method, click {{%bold%}}Delete{{%/bold%}}. <br /> You can also delete the payment method by clicking {{%bold%}}Deactivate Payment Method{{%/bold%}} in the _Payments_ page. <br /> However, as mentioned in the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/introduction" %}}Introduction,{{%/link%}} you must disable the production environment of all your applications before deleting the payment method. You can share the reason for your deactivation in the pop-up window and click {{%bold%}}Deactivate Payment Method{{%/bold%}} to confirm. <br /> ### Modifying and Deleting the Billing Details To modify or delete your billing details, click the dropdown list from the _Payments_ page and click {{%bold%}}Billing Address & Other Info{{%/bold%}} tab. Alternatively, you can click {{%bold%}}Billing Address{{%/bold%}} in the _Payment Method_ column from that page. <br /> To modify the address, click {{%bold%}}Change{{%/bold%}} and enter the new billing address in the pop-up window and click {{%bold%}}Update{{%/bold%}} to confirm. To delete the billing address, click {{%bold%}}Delete{{%/bold%}}. Similarly to the payment method, you must disable the production environment of all your applications before deleting the billing address. This section also displays the billing addresses that are currently inactive. Click {{%bold%}}Inactive Billing Address{{%/bold%}} to view them. ### Email Recipients You can add email recipients to send the invoices, subscriptions, and other payment related emails to by clicking on the {{%bold%}}Email Recipients{{%/bold%}} tab. The Catalyst account's user is listed as an email recipient by default. You cannot delete the Catalyst account user from the recipients. However, you can modify their details after you add an additional recipient. <br /> To add a new recipient, click {{%bold%}}Add Recipient{{%/bold%}}. Enter the recipient's name and email address. You can select the types of email alerts that can be sent to them for Zoho Catalyst alone or for all Zoho products. <br /> You can also add multiple recipients by clicking the (**+**) icon and remove recipients that were added by clicking the (**-**) icon. Check the confirmation box and click {{%bold%}}Confirm{{%/bold%}}. <br /> The recipient will be added and listed in the section. <br /> You can edit the details of a recipient by clicking the {{%bold%}}edit icon{{%/bold%}}. Modify the details and click {{%bold%}}Update{{%/bold%}}. <br /> Likewise, you can delete an additional recipient by clicking the delete icon and clicking {{%bold%}}Delete{{%/bold%}} in the confirmation window. <br /> ### Credits Information The {{%bold%}}Credits Info{{%/bold%}} section displays information about the credits available in your Catalyst account for use. <br /> The dropdown list in the _Payments_ page also contains links to _Tag Your Partner_ and _Refer and Earn_. You can refer to the {{%link href="https://www.zoho.com/partnerstore/help/" %}}Partner Store{{%/link%}} and {{%link href="https://www.zoho.com/affiliate/refer-a-friend.html" %}}Refer a Friend{{%/link%}} help links for more information. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Deprecated Pricing System" description: "The Billing documentation covers information on the payment models and plans available in Catalyst, as well as steps to set up your payment method, access billing and transaction reports, configure budgets, and more." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.538Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/old-pricing-model/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Deprecated Pricing System From **1 April 2024**, the new pricing system with the pay-as-you-go and subscription pricing models has become applicable for all Catalyst users. This section contains details of the now deprecated pricing system. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} The pricing system discussed in this section is no longer applicable. This is only a reference to the deprecated pricing system.{{%/note%}} ### Key Features of the Deprecated Pricing Model #### Free and Paid Tiers * Catalyst offered the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/environments/development-environment/" %}}development environment{{%/link%}} as a free tier and the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/environments/production-environment/" %}}production environment{{%/link%}} as a paid tier. This allowed you to work in the development environment in all Catalyst applications, make API calls, and use most Catalyst features and components without setting up your payment method. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} The development environment continues to have usage and feature limitations, and must therefore be used only for development and testing purposes.{{%/note%}} * The deprecated pricing system only billed you if you used the production environment. After deploying your Catalyst application to production, you would be priced for the API calls that were made to the components of your live Catalyst application. <br /> #### Payment Units * The two units of payment followed in the deprecated pricing method were {{%bold%}}Amount{{%/bold%}} and {{%bold%}}Credits{{%/bold%}}. {{%italics%}}Amount{{%/italics%}} referred to the money in USD that you paid after a bill was generated. {{%italics%}}Credits{{%/italics%}} referred to the value points that each Catalyst operation was charged with. * Each time you used a Catalyst resource, the operation consumed a certain number of credits. Based on the total number of credits used, your bill amount was calculated. <br /> #### Pricing Plans * Catalyst offered two pricing plans in the deprecated model: * Light User * Heavy User * These pricing plans were project-specific. That is, the pricing plan of one project could be 'Heavy User' and another project could be 'Light User' for the same user account. * Based on your usage of Catalyst components and services in a particular project, Catalyst's cost optimization software automatically analyzed and assigned the project to a pricing plan. The software always ensured that you were assigned to the most cost-optimized solution. * The differences in both the pricing plans lay in the fixed fee and usage fee. <br /> #### Pricing Calculations * The operations you performed in your Catalyst application for a component were called component calls. For example, {{%link href="/en/api/code-reference/cloud-scale/data-store/insert-new-row/#InsertNewRow" %}}inserting{{%/link%}}, {{%link href="/en/api/code-reference/cloud-scale/data-store/update-row/#UpdateRow" %}}updating{{%/link%}}, {{%link href="/en/api/code-reference/cloud-scale/data-store/delete-row/#DeleteRow" %}}deleting{{%/link%}} rows in a table in the Data Store using the APIs, or {{%link href="/en/api/code-reference/cloud-scale/cache/insert-key-value-in-segment/#InsertKey-ValueinCacheSegment" %}}putting{{%/link%}} and {{%link href="/en/api/code-reference/cloud-scale/cache/get-cache-value/#GetCacheValue" %}}getting{{%/link%}} key values in a cache. These operations were priced in terms of credits, and the final amount was calculated based on the credits consumed. For example, 1 Data Store Insert operation used to cost 2 credits. Therefore, if you performed 1000 Data Store insert operations, you would use 2000 credits. * Each operation type in a Catalyst component used to cost a different amount of credits. Additionally, some components charged for storage that exceeded the free limits. They were priced in terms of credits as well. * The overall bill amount was calculated based on the total number of credits consumed in your Catalyst account in all your projects, the operational or storage cost of each operation in a component, and the pricing plan of each project. <br> The pricing system discussed in this page is now deprecated, and the new pricing system enables you to choose between a {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/pay-as-you-go-model/" %}}pay-as-you-go pricing model{{%/link%}} or a {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/subscription-model/" %}}subscription model{{%/link%}}. You can refer to their individual help pages to learn about the updated methods of calculating billing in both models, as well as the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/free-tier/" %}}Free Tier help page{{%/link%}} for the free tier usage allowance available in both models. ## Environments -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Introduction" description: "Catalyst offers a fully-functional, free development sandbox and a live production environment that you can deploy your applications and microservices to." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.538Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/environments/introduction/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Environments ### Introduction Catalyst provides two work environments in the Catalyst web console for your applications: 1. {{%bold%}}Development:{{%/bold%}} The development environment enables you to create, configure, test, and host Catalyst features and components in a local sandbox. When your Catalyst application is still in the development phase, you can use the development environment to build it and perform iterative testing on it. 2. {{%bold%}}Production:{{%/bold%}} The production environment is the live mode that is accessible to the end users of your application. When you complete the development and testing of your Catalyst application and it is ready to be made live, you can easily deploy your application from the development to the production environment from the web console. The deployment process migrates the data and configurations of one environment to the other. After your application has been deployed, you will be able to switch between the development and production environments in the Catalyst console easily. Catalyst offers the development environment permanently, at no cost. You can work in the development environment of all your Catalyst applications and use most Catalyst features for free. However, the development environment comes with certain limitations in the features and components, that are specified in each component help page. Once you have deployed your Catalyst application to the production environment, you will be billed for the API calls that you make in your live Catalyst application. You can learn more about this from the {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/introduction" %}}Billing help page{{%/link%}}. This document explains the deployment process, as well as how to use Catalyst in both environments. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Development Environment" description: "Catalyst offers a fully-functional, free development sandbox and a live production environment that you can deploy your applications and microservices to." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.538Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/environments/development-environment/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # The Development Environment ### Introduction When you create a project in Catalyst, it is created in the development environment by default. All actions that you perform in Catalyst, such as creating a table, configuring an Event Listener, integrating your GitHub account, and hosting a mobile app are only reflected in the application's development environment. The actions performed from the {{%link href="/en/cli/v1/cli-command-reference/" %}}Catalyst CLI{{%/link%}} such as creating a function or deploying a web client are also only reflected in the development environment. Similarly, when you perform actions using the {{%link href="/en/api/introduction/overview-and-prerequisites/#OverviewandPrerequisites" %}}APIs{{%/link%}}, they will be reflected only in the development environment. After you deploy your application to production, you can switch to the development environment any time to work on your application without affecting the live production mode. All feature creations, changes, deployments, testing that you perform in the development environment, and data that you create will not be reflected in your live application until you deploy them. #### Limitations The development environment is provided as a sandbox where you can perform iterative testing and bug fixes on your application. You must therefore use this environment only during the development phase, and not use it permanently as an alternative to production. Catalyst will not be able to guarantee a permanent uptime for this environment. As mentioned earlier, the development environment also comes with several storage, feature, and API limitations in various components. Certain components are unavailable in the development environment and can be accessed only from the production. These limitations are mentioned in each component help page. The API limits in the development environment apply to all components and features of your project. Catalyst currently enables you to make upto 200k API calls for a single application in the developer environment. These limits will be applied to each application you create in a phased manner, based on your usage pattern. If you require a raise in the API limits for an application, you can contact Catalyst support at {{%link href="mailto:support@zohocatalyst.com" %}}{{%bold%}}support@zohocatalyst.com{{%/bold%}}{{%/link%}} with your request. We will evaluate your application and its usage pattern, and take up your request on a case-by-case basis. You must use the development environment keeping these limitations in mind. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} When you deploy your first project to the production environment, Catalyst will offer {{%bold%}}$250 as complimentary wallet credits{{%/bold%}}. You can use this credit amount for your Catalyst payments. This roughly equates to {{%bold%}}125 million free invocations{{%/bold%}}, depending on your usage and considering single credit operations like Select Query in Data Store. These credits are free for the first year upon deploying your first project to production, or until you exhaust them, whichever occurs first. You can contact support if you have any queries regarding the free credits.{{%/note%}} ### Function URL and Web App URL in the Development Environment When you host a web app in the development environment, the web app URL that is generated for the web app will be of the format: {{%bold%}}https://<span></span>project_domain_name.development.zohocatalyst.com{{%/bold%}} The invocation URL of {{%link href="/en/serverless/help/functions/basic-io" %}}Basic I/O functions{{%/link%}} will be of the format: {{%bold%}}https://<span></span>project_domain_name.development.zohocatalyst.com/baas/v1/project/project_ID/function/function_name/execute{{%/bold%}} Similarly, the invocation URL of {{%link href="/en/serverless/help/functions/advanced-io" %}}Advanced I/O functions{{%/link%}} will be of the format:{{%bold%}}https://<span></span>project_domain_name.development.zohocatalyst.com/server/function_name/{{%/bold%}} You can obtain the development web app URL from the {{%link href="/en/cloud-scale/help/web-client-hosting/introduction" %}}Web Client Hosting{{%/link%}} component, and the function URLs from the respective function's page. After you deploy your application to the production environment, the production URL endpoints for all of your Basic I/O and Advanced I/O functions, and the web client, will be generated. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Deployment Types" description: "Catalyst offers a fully-functional, free development sandbox and a live production environment that you can deploy your applications and microservices to." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.538Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/environments/deployment-types/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Deployment Types ### Overview There are two deployment types available in Catalyst: 1. Development to Production 2. Production to Development When you are deploying your application for the first time in Catalyst, you can only deploy it from the development to the production environment. In the subsequent deployments, you can deploy features from development to production, or from production to development. There are certain actions that you can perform in the production environment. These changes can be migrated to the development environment using the _Production to Development_ deployment. You will learn about the features available in the production environment later on in this document. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Initial Deployment" description: "Catalyst offers a fully-functional, free development sandbox and a live production environment that you can deploy your applications and microservices to." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.539Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/environments/initial-deployment/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Deploying your Project to Production for the First Time ### Steps to Deploy As mentioned earlier, you can only deploy your application from the development to production environment during the first deployment. You will also not be able to select the features to deploy during the first deployment. All features, components, and data available in your Catalyst application will be deployed automatically. {{%note%}}Note: Before you deploy your application to the production environment, you must have your {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/setting-up-payment" %}}Payment method set-up in Catalyst{{%/link%}}. {{%/note%}} To deploy your project for the first time in Catalyst: 1. Click the {{%bold%}}Deploy to Production{{%/bold%}} button in the Catalyst web console.<br /> <br /> This will redirect you to the _Environment_ settings. You can also directly open {{%bold%}}Settings{{%/bold%}} and click {{%bold%}}Environments{{%/bold%}} under _Project Settings_.<br /> <br /> You can select a different project from the dropdown list, if required.<br /> <br /> 2. Click the {{%bold%}}Deployments{{%/bold%}} tab and click {{%bold%}}Deploy{{%/bold%}}.<br /> <br /> 3. Click {{%bold%}}Yes, Proceed{{%/bold%}} in the confirmation window.<br /> <br /> If you have not set up your Payment method in Catalyst yet, you will receive a prompt to add your card in Catalyst.<br /> <br /> Upon clicking {{%bold%}}Add Card{{%/bold%}}, you will be redirected to the Catalyst Payments portal. You can {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/billing/setting-up-payment" %}}configure your payment method{{%/link%}} there and provide the required information. Once you set up your payment, you can retry the deployment process. <br /> The deployment process will now be initiated.<br /> <br /> Once the deployment is completed, you will receive a notification alerting you of its success or failure. The deployment will also be listed in the _Deployments_ section, along with details. <br /> The commit message is auto-generated by Catalyst for the first deployment. You can view the details of the deployment by opening it. <br /> {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} The first deployment does not create a diff generation, which is a report of differences between the source environment and the migrated environment. You will learn more about this {{%link href="/en/deployment-and-billing/environments/subsequent-deployment" %}}later on{{%/link%}}.{{%/note%}} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Production Environment" description: "Catalyst offers a fully-functional, free development sandbox and a live production environment that you can deploy your applications and microservices to." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.539Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/environments/production-environment/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # The Production Environment ### Introduction The production environment will now be available for your Catalyst application, and in your project in the console. A banner alerting you that you are using the Production environment will constantly be displayed on top. <br /> You can switch between the development and production environments in the console by clicking the environment in the dropdown box on top. Clicking {{%bold%}}Manage Environments{{%/bold%}} will redirect you to the _Environment_ settings. <br /> As mentioned earlier, the actions that you can perform in the production environment are restricted to avoid accidental modifications or deletions of data and features that could affect your live application. In general, you will not be able to create a new resource or add new data in the production environment. For example, you cannot create a function or configure an Event Listener. However, certain actions can be performed. The following features and actions are available in the production environment for each component: * {{%bold%}}User Management:{{%/bold%}} Inviting a new user * {{%bold%}}Cache:{{%/bold%}} Renaming, deleting, and creating a new Cache Item in the Default segment * {{%bold%}}Push Notifications:{{%/bold%}} Configuring iOS push notifications, testing Web and iOS push notifications from the console * {{%bold%}}Zia:{{%/bold%}} Testing Object Character Recognition and Object Recognition in the console * {{%bold%}}ZCQL:{{%/bold%}} Executing ZCQL test queries in the console * {{%bold%}}Domain Mapping:{{%/bold%}} Adding a new domain * {{%bold%}}Device Management:{{%/bold%}} Uploading an Android, iOS, or Flutter app * {{%bold%}}Collaborators:{{%/bold%}} Creating a collaborator, editing collaborator details * {{%bold%}}Billing:{{%/bold%}} Creating a budget, modifying payment details The features and actions that are not available in the production environment will be disabled in the Catalyst console. <br /> However, you can still view the features and data that were made available in Production during the last migration. <br /> You can also view statistics and reports from Logs, Metrics, Audit, and other components, and access code templates for Search integration, Zia, and Sign-In Method. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} Only the features and data that were migrated to production in the last deployment will be displayed. Any changes made in the development environment after the last deployment will not be available in production until they are deployed again.{{%/note%}} ### Function URL and Web App URL in the Production Environment After you deploy your application to the production environment, the web app URL for the production environment will be created in the format:{{%bold%}}https://<span></span>project_domain_name.catalystserverless.com{{%/bold%}}. The invocation URL of {{%link href="/en/serverless/help/functions/basic-io" %}}Basic I/O functions{{%/link%}} will be of the format:{{%bold%}}https://<span></span>project_domain_name.catalystserverless.com/baas/v1/project/project_ID/function/function_name/execute{{%/bold%}} Similarly, the invocation URL of {{%link href="/en/serverless/help/functions/advanced-io" %}}Advanced I/O functions{{%/link%}} will be of the format:{{%bold%}}https://<span></span>project_domain_name.catalystserverless.com/server/function_name/{{%/bold%}} You can view the web app URL in the {{%link href="/en/getting-started/set-up-a-catalyst-project/environment-settings" %}}Environments settings page{{%/link%}} or from {{%link href="/en/cloud-scale/help/web-client-hosting/introduction" %}}{{%italics%}}Web Client Hosting{{%/italics%}}{{%/link%}}, and the function URLs from the respective function's page. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} The value of {{%link href="/en/getting-started/set-up-a-catalyst-project/environment-settings" %}}ZAID{{%/link%}} is different in the development and production environments for a project. The value of {{%link href="/en/cloud-scale/help/api-gateway/key-concepts/#api-key" %}}API Key{{%/link%}} is common for the development environment of all your projects, but different for the production environments of each project.{{%/note%}} ### Disabling and Re-enabling the Production Environment You can disable the production environment any time, and instead only use the development environment of your Catalyst application. You can disable it if you no longer need to provide access to your live application. {{%note%}}{{%bold%}}Note:{{%/bold%}} Disabling the production environment will remove the live application. The production URL endpoints generated for accessing the web client or any of the functions will not work. Therefore, ensure that your application users will not be accessing the live application any longer, before disabling the production.{{%/note%}} To disable the production environment for your Catalyst application: 1. Navigate to {{%bold%}}Settings{{%/bold%}} and then {{%bold%}}Environments{{%/bold%}}. 2. Click {{%bold%}}Disable{{%/bold%}} in the _Production Environment_ box.<br /> <br /> 3. Type "DISABLE" in the confirmation pop-up window and click {{%bold%}}Confirm{{%/bold%}}.<br /> <br /> The production environment will be disabled, and a confirmation will be displayed. <br /> You can open the development environment to continue working on your project. You can click {{%bold%}}Enable Again{{%/bold%}} in this confirmation or from the _Environments_ settings to enable production again. The last instance of the production environment will be available when you enable it again. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- title: "Subsequent Deployment" description: "Catalyst offers a fully-functional, free development sandbox and a live production environment that you can deploy your applications and microservices to." last_updated: "2026-03-18T07:41:08.539Z" source: "https://docs.catalyst.zoho.com/en/deployment-and-billing/environments/subsequent-deployment/" service: "All Services" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Deploying Features after the First Time ### Steps to Deploy As mentioned earlier, after the first deployment you will be able to customize the deployment type, select the features and data to be migrated, and provide a commit message. Once you select the features to be deployed, Catalyst will be able to process the diff generation. The {{%bold%}}diff generation{{%/bold%}} analyzes and displays a report of differences in features between the source environment and the migrated environment. When the diff is generated, Catalyst will show the count of the following activities for the features that you deploy: * {{%bold%}}Added:{{%/bold%}} Number of instances of the feature that were added since the last deployment * {{%bold%}}Updated:{{%/bold%}} Number of instances of the feature that were updated since the last deployment * {{%bold%}}Deleted:{{%/bold%}} Number of instances of the feature that were deleted since the last deployment * {{%bold%}}Total Changes:{{%/bold%}} Total number of changes made in the feature To deploy features and data from one environment to the other in Catalyst: 1. Navigate to {{%bold%}}Settings{{%/bold%}} and then {{%bold%}}Environments{{%/bold%}}. 2. Click the {{%bold%}}Deployments{{%/bold%}} tab and click {{%bold%}}Create Deployment{{%/bold%}}.<br /> <br /> 3. Enter a commit message and select the deployment type in the pop-up window, and click {{%bold%}}Create{{%/bold%}}.<br /> <br /> 4. Select the features to be deployed.<br /> All features are selected by default. Unselect any features that you don't wish to deploy.<br /> <br /> 5. Click {{%bold%}}Save and Next{{%/bold%}}.<br /> <br /> Catalyst will begin the diff generation.<br /> <br /> 6. Once the diff is generated, verify the number of changes in each feature that will be deployed. <br /> <br /> After you verify, click {{%bold%}}Begin Deployment{{%/bold%}} to proceed. To cancel the deployment process, click {{%bold%}}Abort{{%/bold%}}. To edit the features selected, click {{%bold%}}Back{{%/bold%}}.<br /> 7. A confirmation window will open to begin the deployment. {{%bold%}}Click Yes, Proceed{{%/bold%}}.<br /> <br /> The console will display the progress.<br /> <br /> If the deployment is successful, the console will display a success message. <br /> <br /> You will also receive a notification alert. You can click on {{%bold%}}View Details{{%/bold%}} to view the summary of your deployment process. <br /> You can access these details any time by opening the deployment from the _Deployment_ section. <br /> If you abort the process, the status will say "Aborted". You can resume the deployment process any time after you abort it.