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What Is an Instance?

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In this lesson, you will learn:

  • What an instance really is and what’s inside it
  • How to read an instance web address
  • Why every company gets its own separate instance
  • Where instances live and how they stay safe

1 Quick look back

In Lesson 1.1, you learned that an instance is a company’s own copy of ServiceNow. You also got your own free one, your PDI.

In this chapter, we look at instances more closely. First question: what exactly is inside one? 🤔

2 What is an instance?

Key term: Instance

One complete, running copy of ServiceNow for one company. It has its own web address, its own data, and its own settings.

Every instance has 4 main parts:

  • ⚙️ Applicationthe ServiceNow software itself
  • 🗄️ Databaseall the tables and records
  • 🛠️ Settingsevery change the admins made
  • 👥 Usersthe people who can log in
  • 🌐 Web addresshow people reach it
  • ☁️ Cloud homeServiceNow’s data centers
Inside one instance at snwr.service-now.com. The instance box holds four parts: the application (the ServiceNow software), the database with tables such as Incident, User, and Group, the settings admins changed such as forms, lists, and flows, and the users who can log in. Users reach it through a web browser. It runs in a ServiceNow data center with a live copy in a second data center.
Figure 1. An instance is the software, the data, the settings, and the users, all together at one web address.

⭐ Remember: When an admin changes something, the change is saved in that instance only. Other instances don’t see it.

3 Reading an instance address

Every instance has a web address (URL). It always looks like this:

https://snwr.service-now.com

Part What it means
https:// A safe, locked connection. Your data is scrambled while it travels. 🔒
snwr The instance name. This part is different for every instance.
.service-now.com Shows that ServiceNow hosts it. This part is the same for everyone.

Some examples:

  • https://snwr.service-now.com SNWR’s real instance
  • https://snwrdev.service-now.com SNWR’s instance for building changes
  • https://dev12345.service-now.com a PDI, like yours

📝 Note: Some companies also set up a friendly address, like help.snwr.com. It still opens the same instance behind the scenes.

4 Every company gets its own instance

Many online apps put all their customers in one shared system. ServiceNow does it differently. Let’s compare:

  • 🏢 Apartment building (shared)
    Everyone lives in one building. They share walls, pipes, and the lift. If the lift breaks, everyone waits. This is called multi-tenant.
  • 🏡 Row of houses (ServiceNow)
    Each family has its own house. They can paint it, fix it, and change it without bothering the neighbours. This is called multi-instance.
Two ways to host customers. On the left, multi-tenant: three companies share one application and one database. On the right, multi-instance, the ServiceNow way: SNWR, Company B, and Company C each have their own instance with their own application and their own database.
Figure 2. ServiceNow gives each company its own house, not a room in a shared building.

Key term: Multi-instance

Each customer gets its own instance with its own database. This is how ServiceNow works.

Key term: Multi-tenant

Many customers share one system and one database. ServiceNow does not work this way.

Why does ServiceNow do it this way?

  • Your data stays yours. It is never mixed with another company’s data.
  • You can change it. Your settings don’t affect anyone else.
  • You pick when to upgrade. Each company upgrades its own instance on its own plan.

⚠️ Exam alert: A common trick question says “ServiceNow is a single-instance, multi-tenant platform.” That’s false. ServiceNow uses a multi-instance design.

5 Where does an instance live?

Your instance lives in the cloud. That means it runs on ServiceNow’s computers in big buildings called data centers, not on your laptop.

  1. ServiceNow runs data centers in many parts of the world.
  2. A company’s instance usually lives in a data center in its own part of the world.
  3. ServiceNow keeps a live copy of each production instance in a second data center.
  4. If one data center has a problem, the instance keeps running from the other one. ✅

💡 Good to know: Because ServiceNow runs the computers, admins don’t install software, buy servers, or apply security patches. ServiceNow does that part. Admins focus on setting up the instance for their company.

6 One company, many instances

Most companies have more than one instance. In Lesson 1.1, you met Dev, Test, and Prod. Each one is a separate instance with its own address and its own database.

📝 Note: Because they are separate, a change made in Dev does not show up in Prod by itself. Admins have to move it on purpose. You’ll learn how in the Advanced track (Update Sets). You’ll learn more about instance types in Lesson 2.3.

7 Let’s try it: look at your instance

  1. Log in to your PDI.
  2. Look at the address bar in your browser. Find your instance name (the part before .service-now.com, like dev12345). Write it down. ✍️
  3. Now change the address to https://your-instance-name.service-now.com/stats.do and press Enter.
  4. A plain page opens with facts about your instance. Look for Build name. This is the ServiceNow version your instance runs.
  5. Press your browser’s back button to return to your instance.

📝 Note: The stats.do page is meant for admins. In your PDI, you’re the admin, so it opens. You’ll learn what the version names mean in Lesson 2.3.

8 Fun facts

  • 🗄️ So many databases
    Because every instance has its own database, ServiceNow looks after a huge number of databases for its customers. Many tens of thousands!
  • 🧪 Your PDI is a real instance
    Your free PDI works just like a company’s instance. It has the same parts, only with fewer apps and no real company data.

9 Quick recap

  • An instance is one complete copy of ServiceNow: the software, the database, the settings, and the users
  • Its web address looks like https://name.service-now.com. The middle part is the instance name
  • ServiceNow is multi-instance: every company gets its own instance and its own database
  • Instances live in ServiceNow’s cloud data centers, with a live copy in a second data center
  • A change in one instance doesn’t appear in another by itself

10 Check yourself

Think of your answer first. Then tap to check.

1 In https://snwrtest.service-now.com, what is the instance name? Show answer

snwrtest

2 True or false: ServiceNow puts all its customers into one shared database. Show answer

False. ServiceNow is multi-instance. Each customer has its own instance and its own database.

3 In the house example, which one is like ServiceNow: the apartment building or the row of houses? Show answer

The row of houses. Each company has its own instance.

4 You add a field to a form in Dev. Will users in Prod see it right away? Show answer

No. Dev and Prod are separate instances. The change must be moved to Prod on purpose.

5 What happens if the data center running a production instance has a problem? Show answer

The instance keeps running from the live copy in a second data center.

Nice work! You finished this lesson. 🎉

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