Scenarios suitable for domain mode
A single server installation gains nothing from domain mode, so standalone mode is a better choice. For multi-server production environments, the choice of domain mode versus standalone mode comes down to whether the user wants to use the centralized management capability domain mode provides. Some enterprises have developed their own sophisticated multi-server management capabilities and are comfortable coordinating changes across a number of independent JBoss AS instances. For these enterprises, a multi-server architecture comprised of individual standalone mode AS instances is a good option. Standalone mode is better suited for most development scenarios. In particular, there is no "domain mode" for embedding JBoss AS; e.g. in an Arquillian-based testsuite. Any individual server configuration that can be achieved in domain mode can also be achieved in standalone mode, so even if the application being developed will eventually run in production on a domain mode installation, much (probably most) development can be done using standalone mode. Domain mode can be helpful in some advanced development scenarios; i.e. those involving interaction between multiple AS instances. Developers may find that setting up various servers as members of a domain is an efficient way to launch a multi-server cluster.