--- title: "Scaleway vs while: the alternative built for your AI agent" url: https://while.sh/en/comparisons/while-vs-scaleway/ author: "Grégoire Mougeolle, co-founder of Nextmap" updated: 2026-11-02 --- # Scaleway vs while: which one to choose when your AI agent deploys? Scaleway is a complete European cloud: containers, databases, a registry and networking, for you to put together yourself. while is built for your AI agent: it deploys over MCP, from the code to the database, and sensitive actions, like deleting a production database, wait for your approval. ## What changes between Scaleway and while | What matters | Scaleway | while | |---|---|---| | Who it's for | Teams that put their own building blocks together: containers, database, registry, networking (source 1) | People who build their apps with an AI agent, solo or as a team | | Your AI agent | An MCP server in the CLI, with every command open by default (source 2) | Connected over MCP, with OAuth: it deploys, creates the database, reads the logs and fixes things | | What protects production | Read-only mode, which you turn on yourself (source 2) | Sensitive actions, like deleting a production database, wait for a person | | The database | Managed PostgreSQL, one backup a day kept for 7 days (source 3) | PostgreSQL in while, backed up every day, with point-in-time recovery | | Who opens your app | Public, or closed with a technical key: no password or company account for a visitor (sources 1 and 4) | Everyone, a password, or the company account with the Pro plan | | In France | Yes, in its French region (source 1) | Yes, with Nextmap, a French company | | To get started | Pay-as-you-go containers, with a free allowance every month, and a database from about €11 per month (source 5) | A trial without an account. Then €0 to get started, and €13.75 per month for an app and its database | ## Scaleway, the European cloud you put together Scaleway is a complete European cloud: your containers scale from zero to 200 instances with demand, the database is managed, and everything can stay in France (source 1). Scaleway is ISO 27001 certified, and HDS certified for health data on some of its products (source 6). ## With while, your AI agent does the rest - **Your agent deploys, over MCP.** It writes while.yaml, creates the database, reads the logs and fixes things, with no command line to learn. - **Nothing serious happens without you.** Deleting a production database waits for your approval, before it runs, and every action is recorded in a signed activity log. - **Your keys stay secret.** Your app uses them, your agent never sees them. - **Your colleagues sign in with the company account.** Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, on the Pro plan, with no sign-in page to code. - **A mistake is quickly undone.** In the 30 minutes after a deployment, the previous version comes back in a second, and your database goes back to a precise moment. ## Moving from Scaleway to while ### Take over your app > You, to your agent: Move our Scaleway app to while. Your agent takes over your code, or your image as it is, writes while.yaml and deploys the app. ### Copy your PostgreSQL database > You, to your agent: Copy our Scaleway database to while. Your agent exports the database with `pg_dump`, then loads it into while. ### Carry over your variables > You, to your agent: Carry over our environment variables. Your agent carries your settings over to while. You enter your secret keys yourself: it never sees them. ## Which one to choose - **Choose Scaleway** if you want to put your cloud building blocks together yourself, and you have the team to run them. - **Choose while** if your AI agent is the one deploying, and you want the app, the database and access settings in one request, in France. ## Next steps - [Deploy a Docker container](/en/guides/deploy-docker-container/) ## Sources 1. [Scaleway, Serverless Containers](https://www.scaleway.com/en/serverless-containers/), 2026-11-02 2. [Scaleway, the CLI's MCP server](https://www.scaleway.com/en/developers/cli/mcp), 2026-11-02 3. [Scaleway, managed database backups](https://www.scaleway.com/en/docs/managed-databases-for-postgresql-and-mysql/how-to/manage-backups/), 2026-11-02 4. [Scaleway, making a container private](https://www.scaleway.com/en/docs/serverless-containers/how-to/secure-a-container/), 2026-11-02 5. [Scaleway, managed database pricing](https://www.scaleway.com/en/pricing/managed-databases/), 2026-11-02 6. [Scaleway, security and compliance](https://www.scaleway.com/en/security-and-compliance/), 2026-11-02 ## Questions ### Do I have to build the image myself? At Scaleway, yes: you push an image to a registry. On while, your agent sends the code, and the image is built, tests included. ### Can my agent break everything at Scaleway? Scaleway's MCP server opens every CLI command by default, deletions included, unless you set it to read-only (source 2). On while, a deletion in production waits for your approval. ### Can my agent move from Scaleway to while? Yes. It takes over your code or your image, copies the database with pg_dump and carries over your variables.