How to Check if ClickHouse Is Cloud Hosted

How do I know if my ClickHouse instance is cloud hosted?

Run lightweight SQL and connection checks to confirm whether a ClickHouse instance is managed by ClickHouse Cloud or self-hosted.

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Description

Is my ClickHouse instance running in ClickHouse Cloud?

Run SELECT hostName() to reveal the server’s fully-qualified domain name. ClickHouse Cloud endpoints contain “.clickhouse.cloud”. If the substring is present, you are connected to a managed cloud cluster.

Which system tables expose deployment details?

Query system.build_options and system.settings. Entries such as cloud_environment or cloud_storage indicate a cloud deployment. On self-hosted servers those rows are empty or absent.

How can the connection string help?

Managed clusters use HTTPS or Native protocol endpoints like https://{org}-{region}.clickhouse.cloud.Self-hosted nodes usually expose IP addresses or custom domains.

Can I still run standard SQL queries?

Yes. Cloud and self-hosted instances share the same SQL dialect, so e-commerce analytics queries against Customers, Orders, and OrderItems run identically.

Best practices for identifying cloud instances

Always store endpoint URLs in environment variables, document deployment type in runbooks, and restrict credentials based on environment to avoid accidental cross-environment queries.

When should I choose ClickHouse Cloud?

Use the hosted option when you prefer hands-off maintenance, automatic scaling, and predictable pricing.Keep self-hosting for custom networking or on-prem compliance.

Why How to Check if ClickHouse Is Cloud Hosted is important

How to Check if ClickHouse Is Cloud Hosted Example Usage


-- Run an analytics query on a cloud cluster
SELECT c.name,
       COUNT(o.id)     AS total_orders,
       SUM(o.total_amount) AS lifetime_value
FROM Customers c
JOIN Orders o ON o.customer_id = c.id
GROUP BY c.name
ORDER BY lifetime_value DESC
LIMIT 10;

How to Check if ClickHouse Is Cloud Hosted Syntax


-- Check hostname for cloud domain
SELECT hostName();
-- Inspect build options for cloud markers
SELECT name, value
FROM system.build_options
WHERE name LIKE '%cloud%';
-- Verify endpoint in client config
clickhouse-client --host=https://org-us-east.clickhouse.cloud --secure

Common Mistakes

Relying solely on version() output. The version string doesn’t disclose hosting type. Always combine hostname checks and system table inspection.
Ignoring the connection URL. Developers often copy connection strings without noticing the “.clickhouse.cloud” domain, leading to misclassified environments.