# Control plane and runtime plane deployment options

*MuleSoft Platform Integration Architect Study Guide · Initiating integration solutions on the Anypoint Platform · Last updated November 13, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/mulesoft-platform-integration-architect/initiating-integration-solutions-on-the-anypoint-platform/control-plane-and-runtime-plane-deployment-options*

Choose a control plane (MuleSoft-managed clouds, Government Cloud, Private Cloud Edition) and a compatible runtime plane (CloudHub 2.0, CloudHub, Runtime Fabric, hybrid standalone), and know who operates each part, including Runtime Fabric's shared-responsibility model.

- Certification: Salesforce MuleSoft Platform Integration Architect
- Exam section: Initiating integration solutions on the Anypoint Platform
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/mulesoft-platform-integration-architect

**Official exam objective:**

> Select deployment options of the Anypoint Platform control plane and runtime plane.

## What the exam expects

- Choose a control plane from the MuleSoft-managed clouds, Government Cloud, Government Cloud Plus and Private Cloud Edition (PCE) given data-residency and compliance constraints.
- Confirm that a chosen runtime plane is supported from the chosen control plane.
- Select Runtime Fabric, hybrid standalone, CloudHub or CloudHub 2.0 from infrastructure, isolation, runtime-version and operations requirements.
- Assign responsibilities correctly: what MuleSoft provides and what the customer operates for Runtime Fabric and hybrid runtimes.

**Control plane**: the management layer where you design, deploy and manage APIs and Mule apps, holding the organization, identity and design-time metadata. **Runtime plane**: where APIs and Mule apps are deployed, including the Mule runtime engine and supporting services. **Cloud**: a regional MuleSoft-managed control plane, such as US Cloud. **Runtime Fabric**: a MuleSoft product for deploying Mule apps and API proxies to a Kubernetes cluster that you create, configure and manage. **Hybrid standalone runtime**: a Mule runtime on your infrastructure managed from the control plane ([Hosting overview](https://docs.mulesoft.com/hosting-home/), [Runtime Fabric](https://docs.mulesoft.com/runtime-fabric/latest/)).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Organization placement | Each organization lives in exactly one cloud. | [Hosting overview](https://docs.mulesoft.com/hosting-home/) |
| Government Cloud runtimes | CloudHub and hybrid standalone; not CloudHub 2.0 or Runtime Fabric. | [Hosting overview](https://docs.mulesoft.com/hosting-home/) |
| PCE runtimes | Hybrid standalone only. | [Hosting overview](https://docs.mulesoft.com/hosting-home/) |
| Regional clouds | Canada, Japan, India, Australia, UK: no CloudHub 1.0. | [Hosting overview](https://docs.mulesoft.com/hosting-home/) |
| Runtime Fabric isolation | One Mule runtime per app; several runtime versions on shared resources. | [Runtime Fabric](https://docs.mulesoft.com/runtime-fabric/latest/) |
| Agent connection | Outbound mTLS to the control plane, opened at startup. | [Runtime Fabric](https://docs.mulesoft.com/runtime-fabric/latest/) |
| Node OS | Linux required on nodes running Runtime Fabric components. | [Runtime Fabric](https://docs.mulesoft.com/runtime-fabric/latest/) |
| Core services | Do not multiply as applications or nodes increase. | [Runtime Fabric](https://docs.mulesoft.com/runtime-fabric/latest/) |
| Ingress | Customer provides the ingress controller and external load balancing. | [Runtime Fabric](https://docs.mulesoft.com/runtime-fabric/latest/) |
| Hybrid patching | Apply security updates for the runtime version manually. | [Deployment options](https://docs.mulesoft.com/runtime-manager/deployment-strategies) |

## Check yourself

- When does an on-premises Mule runtime become a hybrid standalone runtime?
- Which Runtime Fabric core service lets Mule applications discover their peers in the cluster?
- Why does the Runtime Fabric agent report application state without the control plane asking?
- Which Java versions do the CloudHub 2.0 and CloudHub deployment options list?

## Sources

- [Anypoint Platform Hosting Overview](https://docs.mulesoft.com/hosting-home/)
- [Deployment Options](https://docs.mulesoft.com/runtime-manager/deployment-strategies)
- [Anypoint Runtime Fabric Overview](https://docs.mulesoft.com/runtime-fabric/latest/)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 8 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the MuleSoft Platform Integration Architect pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams