---
title: MAAS documentation
description: Canonical makes open source secure, reliable and easy to use, providing
  support for Ubuntu and a portfolio of enterprise-grade technologies. Founded in
  2004, Canonical operates globally with team members in over 80 countries.
url: https://canonical-com-2934.demos.haus/maas/docs?format=md
---

*Submit*

# MAAS documentation

**What is MAAS?** MAAS (Metal as a Service) is Canonical’s private cloud infrastructure management system. It enables physical servers to behave like cloud instances: deploy, manage, and scale your infrastructure through automated, repeatable processes.

**How does MAAS work?** MAAS discovers your hardware and allows you to configure and deploy operating systems with API-driven workflows. It integrates tightly with DNS, DHCP, and image management, and supports complex networking and storage scenarios.

**Who is MAAS for?** MAAS is built for DevOps teams, system administrators and data center architects — anyone provisioning bare-metal at scale.

**Where does MAAS fit?** Use MAAS to:

* Replace manual provisioning with repeatable, scriptable deployments.
* Build your own cloud foundation using Juju, Kubernetes, or OpenStack.
* Automate fast provisioning in telco, enterprise, and high-performance compute settings.
* Simplify testing pipelines with fast, disposable hardware labs.

## [In this documentation](https://canonical-com-2934.demos.haus/maas/docs?format=md#p-13920-in-this-documentation)

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| [Tutorial](https://canonical-com-2934.demos.haus/maas/docs/maas-in-thirty-minutes)  Hands-on introduction to MAAS features | [How-to guides](https://canonical-com-2934.demos.haus/maas/docs/how-to-guides)   Step-by-step guides covering key operations |
| [Explanation](https://canonical-com-2934.demos.haus/maas/docs/explanation)   Detailed theory on the inner workings of MAAS | [Reference](https://canonical-com-2934.demos.haus/maas/docs/reference)   Technical specifications |

## [Project and community](https://canonical-com-2934.demos.haus/maas/docs?format=md#p-13920-project-and-community)

MAAS is a member of the Ubuntu family. It is an open source project that warmly welcomes community projects, contributions, suggestions, fixes and constructive feedback.

* [Read our code of conduct](https://ubuntu.com/community/code-of-conduct)
* [Get support](https://ubuntu.com/pro)
* [Learn about MAAS performance](https://canonical-com-2934.demos.haus/maas/docs/about-maas-performance)
* [Join our forum](https://canonical-com-2934.demos.haus/maas/docs/how-to-engage-on-the-discourse-forum)
* [Contribute code](https://launchpad.net/maas)
* [Improve our documentation](https://canonical-com-2934.demos.haus/maas/docs/how-to-contribute-to-maas-documentation)
* [Request a feature](https://canonical-com-2934.demos.haus/maas/docs/how-to-request-features)
* [Report a bug](https://canonical-com-2934.demos.haus/maas/docs/how-to-report-and-review-bugs)

Considering MAAS for your next project? [Get in touch](https://canonical-com-2934.demos.haus/maas/docs/how-to-contact-us)

---

[Next

Tutorial](https://canonical-com-2934.demos.haus/maas/docs/maas-in-thirty-minutes)

Last updated 8 months ago. [Help improve this document in the forum](https://discourse.maas.io/t/maas-documentation/6662).