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If the [recommended three-tier
architecture](/manage/operational-guidelines/#three-tier-architecture)
is infeasible or unnecessary due to low volume or a **non**-production setup, a
two-tier architecture may suffice. A two-tier architecture consists of:

![Image of the 2-cluster architecture: Source cluster, Compute/Transform +
Serving cluster](/images/2-tier-architecture.svg)

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Benefits of a two-tier architecture include:

- Support for [blue/green
  deployments](/manage/dbt/blue-green-deployments/)

- More cost effective than a three-tier architecture.

However, with a two-tier architecture:

- Compute/transform operations and queries compete for the same cluster
resources.

- Cluster restarts require rehydration of the indexes on views.