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

# Create a Kubernetes cluster

> Launch a managed Kubernetes cluster from the dashboard in 10–20 minutes

<sub>Updated August 24, 2026</sub>

Create a cluster with one or more worker pools. Provisioning takes 10–20 minutes; you can watch every step in the cluster's Activity feed.

## Before you start

* An account with billing enabled and a project to put the cluster in
* A rough idea of the workload size — you can [scale pools](/products/build/kubernetes/quickstart-guides/scale-a-node-pool) any time

## Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Kubernetes and click New cluster">
    In the dashboard, go to **Kubernetes** and click **New cluster**.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/rafftechnologiesllc/pydLUQqixwIwkrCw/images/products/compute/kubernetes/create-start.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=pydLUQqixwIwkrCw&q=85&s=927f36edce76413f9a1eee0b20884ab8" alt="Kubernetes page in the Raff dashboard with the New cluster button" width="1915" height="846" data-path="images/products/compute/kubernetes/create-start.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name the cluster and pick a version">
    Names are 1–63 lowercase letters, digits or hyphens, unique in your account. Leave the version on the default unless you need a specific one.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the control plane">
    The standard control plane (1 node) is free. Pick **High availability · 3 masters** for \$30/month — recommended for production. See [Control plane & HA](/products/build/kubernetes/concepts/control-plane-and-ha).

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/rafftechnologiesllc/pydLUQqixwIwkrCw/images/products/compute/kubernetes/create-ha.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=pydLUQqixwIwkrCw&q=85&s=68848af97bff99458da0d7bd16bfb094" alt="Control plane step with single master and high availability options" width="1662" height="734" data-path="images/products/compute/kubernetes/create-ha.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure node pools">
    Pick a worker plan and node count (2–20) for the first pool. Add more pools for mixed workloads, set labels and taints per pool, and enable **autoscaling** with min/max bounds if you want the cluster to size itself.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/rafftechnologiesllc/pydLUQqixwIwkrCw/images/products/compute/kubernetes/create-pools.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=pydLUQqixwIwkrCw&q=85&s=73eefec964be618f474480d6667e9e01" alt="Node pools step with worker plans, node count, autoscale, labels and taints" width="1657" height="971" data-path="images/products/compute/kubernetes/create-pools.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick add-ons">
    Cilium CNI is always included. Optionally enable **persistent storage** (Longhorn on dedicated storage nodes, sized here), **Traefik** (ingress) and **MetalLB** (LoadBalancer services). Defaults are fine for a first cluster.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/rafftechnologiesllc/pydLUQqixwIwkrCw/images/products/compute/kubernetes/create-addons.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=pydLUQqixwIwkrCw&q=85&s=abba4bf4a293862169dbff4ee62bbdef" alt="Add-ons step with Cilium, persistent storage sizing, Traefik and MetalLB" width="1653" height="988" data-path="images/products/compute/kubernetes/create-addons.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the network and firewall">
    The cluster gets its own VPC automatically, or pick an existing one. The **managed firewall** applies a security group to the cluster's public entry point — the baseline `raff-default-secure` opens 80, 443 and 6443 only. You can change it any time in **Settings → Firewall**.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/rafftechnologiesllc/pydLUQqixwIwkrCw/images/products/compute/kubernetes/create-network.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=pydLUQqixwIwkrCw&q=85&s=f1365486dff7749705653d2c3b949889" alt="Network step with VPC selection and managed firewall" width="1661" height="944" data-path="images/products/compute/kubernetes/create-network.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review and create">
    The summary shows every choice and the exact monthly price before you confirm.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/rafftechnologiesllc/pydLUQqixwIwkrCw/images/products/compute/kubernetes/create-review.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=pydLUQqixwIwkrCw&q=85&s=14e1df011e0b1b32b1e5d4bb7f1b6938" alt="Review step with configuration summary and monthly cost" width="1656" height="979" data-path="images/products/compute/kubernetes/create-review.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Verify

The cluster page shows live provisioning events. When the status badge turns **Running** and every pool shows **running**, the cluster is ready — download the kubeconfig and [connect with kubectl](/products/build/kubernetes/quickstart-guides/connect-with-kubectl).

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Connect with kubectl" icon="terminal" href="/products/build/kubernetes/quickstart-guides/connect-with-kubectl">
    Download the kubeconfig and deploy
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create via API" icon="code" href="/api-reference/kubernetes/create-cluster">
    Automate cluster creation with the REST API
  </Card>
</CardGroup>