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

# Creating Your First Cluster

> Step-by-step workflow to onboard, validate, and prepare a cluster

## What You'll Build

In this walkthrough, you will:

1. Register a new or existing cluster.
2. Validate health and node readiness.
3. Review running deployments on the cluster.
4. Configure default storage settings.

## Prerequisites

* Access to Bud Admin with cluster management permissions.
* Kubernetes cluster details (provider context, kube config, and ingress URL as needed).
* Network path from Bud control plane to cluster APIs.

## Step 1: Start Cluster Onboarding

1. Go to **Clusters**.
2. Click **+ Cluster**.
3. Select **Create New Cluster** or **Connect to Existing Cluster**.

## Step 2: Enter Core Configuration

1. Set cluster name and icon/identifier.
2. Choose provider or upload existing cluster configuration.
3. Provide ingress URL and required connection details.
4. Continue to submit onboarding.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/budecosystem-b7b14df4/VWVW0RGNFnJu1JHC/images/image-33.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=VWVW0RGNFnJu1JHC&q=85&s=9f17273e7e0aa58e7add3395d2354b52" alt="Image" width="1920" height="874" data-path="images/image-33.png" />

## Step 3: Confirm in Cluster Listing

1. Return to cluster list view.
2. Verify the new cluster appears.
3. Review endpoint and hardware indicators.

## Step 4: Validate General Health

1. Open the cluster details page.
2. In **General**, check available nodes and resource summaries.
3. Use time filters to compare recent utilization.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/budecosystem-b7b14df4/VWVW0RGNFnJu1JHC/images/image-34.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=VWVW0RGNFnJu1JHC&q=85&s=d7e6e45339e62c9148dd4e4c08af49d3" alt="Image" width="1920" height="1727" data-path="images/image-34.png" />

## Step 5: Inspect Nodes and Events

1. Open **Nodes** tab.
2. Validate ready status and request-vs-allocatable signals.
3. Use **See More** on a node to inspect event details.

## Step 6: Configure Storage Defaults

1. Open **Settings** tab.
2. Select default storage class from discovered options.
3. Apply recommended access mode where appropriate.
4. Save and verify persistence.

## End-to-End Workflow

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart LR
    A[Create or Connect Cluster] --> B[Save Configuration]
    B --> C[Cluster Appears in List]
    C --> D[General Health Check]
    D --> E[Node Event Validation]
    E --> F[Set Storage Defaults]
    F --> G[Cluster Ready for Deployments]
```

## Operational Checklist

<Check>
  Cluster appears in list and is selectable.
</Check>

<Check>
  General tab shows healthy resource indicators.
</Check>

<Check>
  Nodes tab has no unresolved critical events.
</Check>

<Check>
  Settings are saved with expected storage defaults.
</Check>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card icon="screwdriver-wrench" href="/clusters/guides/cluster-operations" title="Cluster Operations Guide">
    Learn day-2 management patterns
  </Card>

  <Card icon="triangle-exclamation" href="/clusters/troubleshooting" title="Troubleshooting">
    Handle onboarding and runtime issues quickly
  </Card>
</CardGroup>