# Cloud Documentation > Layer5 Cloud provides a powerful platform for managing and deploying your cloud infrastructure with flexibility and ease.
5-light-bg Layer5 Cloud is an identity provider and global console for Kanvas and Meshery deployments with an extensible and highly flexible authorization framework, tenant entitlement services, service provider-grade organizational hierarchy, team workspace management and a content catalog for public and private hosting of cloud native architectures. Layer5 Cloud is available as a service or self-hosted. Kanvas logo Kanvas delivers a collaborative experience similar to how Google Workplace transforms the digital work environment and how Figma democratizes UX design tooling. Kanvas simplifies the complexity of Kubernetes and multi-cloud infrastructure management accessible to all. Kanvas provides a visual, multi-player experience that allows you to create, configure, deploy, and manage modern infrastructure with confidence.
## What is Layer5 Cloud? Layer5 Cloud is the centralized management console and identity provider for the Layer5 ecosystem — specifically for **Kanvas** and **Meshery** deployments. It provides an extensible, highly flexible authorization framework that enables organizations to govern complex, multi-cloud infrastructure with confidence. Think of it as the command center where your teams, workspaces, and cloud-native assets come together under a single, unified platform. Layer5 Cloud is available both as a fully managed service and as a [self-hosted](/cloud/guides/self-hosted/) deployment, giving organizations the flexibility to meet their own security and compliance requirements. ## Why use Layer5 Cloud? - **Unified Identity and Access Management**: Define and enforce granular Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) across your organizations, teams, and users — all from one place. - **Collaborative Infrastructure Design**: Like Google Workspace for teams or Figma for designers, Layer5 Cloud enables real-time, multi-player collaboration on infrastructure patterns and deployments. - **Content Catalog**: Publish, discover, and reuse cloud-native architectures and patterns — either publicly or privately within your organization. - **Multi-Tenancy and Organizational Hierarchy**: Support service provider-grade structures with tenant entitlement services and a flexible organizational model that scales with your business. - **Flexible Deployment**: Run Layer5 Cloud as a SaaS product or bring it on-premises — your infrastructure, your rules.