> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.towbar.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Use cases

> See how familiar software and deployment patterns fit into Towbar.

Every application has different requirements, but the first questions are often the same: Should Towbar build the image or run one you already have? Which data needs persistent storage? How do the service and its database connect? These examples show how to express those choices in Towbar manifests.

Browse the navigation by what you want to deploy. **Open-source software** starts from each product's installation guidance. **Services** cover build modes and runtime settings. **Datastores** show engine configuration and recovery. **Stacks** bring the pieces together. Each page includes the manifest files, the setup that remains outside the manifest, and a check to make after deployment.

Use the examples as starting points. Replace the documentation server addresses, domains, repository paths, and secret selectors with your own. For software deployed through Compose, adapt and commit the upstream Compose file as well; the Towbar manifest describes how Towbar runs and routes that project. The [Service manifest](/docs/services/manifest), [Datastore manifest](/docs/datastores/manifest), and [Compose guide](/docs/services/modes/compose) define the supported fields.