---
sidebar_position: 2
---

# Getting Started with Mycelium Cloud

Deploy your first Kubernetes cluster on the ThreeFold Grid in just a few steps.

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

- ✅ **Mycelium installed** - Easy app for iOS, Android, macOS, Windows ([Install guide](/mycelium-network/install))
- ✅ **SSH key pair** - For node access
- ✅ **kubectl installed** - For managing your cluster ([Install kubectl](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/))
- ✅ **Credits** - To fund your deployment

<div className="info-box">

### 💡 Installing Mycelium is Easy!

Most users can install the Mycelium app from their App Store or download the desktop app - no command-line needed!

</div>

## Step 1: Create Your Account

### Sign Up

1. Go to [vdc.grid.tf/sign-up](https://vdc.grid.tf/sign-up)
2. Fill in your details:
   - Email address
   - Password
   - Confirm password
3. Click **Sign Up**

### Verify Email

1. Check your email inbox
2. Click the verification link
3. Your account is now active

## Step 2: Set Up Your Account

### Add Credits

1. Log in to your dashboard
2. Navigate to **Credits** or **Billing** section
3. Add funds to your account
   - Choose payment method
   - Enter amount
   - Complete payment

Your credits will be used to pay for cluster resources (CPU, RAM, storage, time).

### Add SSH Key

1. Navigate to **SSH Keys** section (or **Add SSH** card)
2. Click **Add SSH Key**
3. Paste your **public key** (usually `~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub`)
4. Give it a name
5. Save

<div className="info-box">

### 🔐 Need an SSH Key?

If you don't have one:

```bash
# Generate a new SSH key pair
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"

# View your public key
cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
```

Copy the output and paste it into the dashboard.

</div>

## Step 3: Deploy Your First Cluster

### Access Deployment Page

1. From your dashboard, click **Deploy Cluster** or **New Cluster**
2. You'll see the cluster configuration wizard

### Configure Your Cluster

#### Basic Settings

- **Cluster Name**: Give your cluster a unique name
- **Description**: Optional description of the cluster purpose

#### Master Nodes

Configure your control plane nodes:

- **Count**: Number of master nodes
  - 1 for development/testing
  - 3 for production (high availability)
- **CPU**: Number of cores per master (2-4 recommended)
- **RAM**: Memory per master (4-8GB recommended)
- **Storage**: Disk space per master (20-50GB)

#### Worker Nodes

Configure your workload nodes:

- **Count**: Number of worker nodes (1-10+)
- **CPU**: Cores per worker (based on workload)
- **RAM**: Memory per worker (based on workload)
- **Storage**: Disk space per worker (based on workload)

**Example Configuration (Starter):**
```
Masters: 1 node (2 CPU, 4GB RAM, 25GB storage)
Workers: 2 nodes (2 CPU, 4GB RAM, 50GB storage each)
```

### Select Nodes

1. The system will show available ThreeFold Grid nodes
2. Select nodes for your deployment
   - Choose based on location, specs, and availability
   - System may auto-select optimal nodes
3. Review your selections

### Review & Deploy

1. Review your configuration:
   - Node counts and specs
   - Selected grid nodes
   - Estimated cost
2. Confirm you have sufficient credits
3. Click **Deploy**

The deployment process will begin. This typically takes 5-15 minutes.

## Step 4: Access Your Cluster

Once deployed, you can access your cluster in two ways: kubectl and SSH.

### Method 1: kubectl Access

#### Download kubeconfig

1. Go to **Dashboard** → **Clusters**
2. Find your cluster
3. Click the download icon (⬇️) or **Get Config**
4. Save the file (e.g., `mycluster-config.yaml`)

#### Configure kubectl

```bash
# Set kubeconfig for this session
export KUBECONFIG=/path/to/mycluster-config.yaml

# Or copy to default location
mkdir -p ~/.kube
cp mycluster-config.yaml ~/.kube/config

# Test connection
kubectl get nodes
```

You should see your cluster nodes listed!

```
NAME          STATUS   ROLES                  AGE   VERSION
master-1      Ready    control-plane,master   10m   v1.26.0+k3s1
worker-1      Ready    <none>                 9m    v1.26.0+k3s1
worker-2      Ready    <none>                 9m    v1.26.0+k3s1
```

### Method 2: SSH Access

#### Start Mycelium

If not already running, start Mycelium on your local machine:

**Using the App (Easy):**
1. Open the Mycelium app
2. Click **Start**
3. That's it!

**Using Command-Line (Linux):**
```bash
sudo mycelium --peers \
  tcp://188.40.132.242:9651 \
  tcp://185.69.166.8:9651
```

#### Get Node IPs

From your dashboard:
1. Go to your cluster details
2. Find the **Mycelium IPs** for each node
3. Note them down (e.g., `400:1234:5678:abcd::1`)

#### SSH to Nodes

```bash
# SSH to master node
ssh root@400:1234:5678:abcd::1

# SSH to worker node
ssh root@400:1234:5678:abcd::2
```

You're now connected to your cluster node!

## Step 5: Deploy Your First Application

Let's deploy a simple web application to test your cluster.

### Create a Deployment

```bash
# Create an nginx deployment
kubectl create deployment hello-web --image=nginx:latest

# Check deployment status
kubectl get deployments
kubectl get pods
```

### Expose the Service

```bash
# Expose as a service
kubectl expose deployment hello-web --port=80 --type=ClusterIP

# Check service
kubectl get services
```

### Access the Service

```bash
# Port forward to your local machine
kubectl port-forward service/hello-web 8080:80
```

Open `http://localhost:8080` in your browser. You should see the nginx welcome page!

## Step 6: Monitor Your Cluster

### Using Dashboard

Your Mycelium Cloud dashboard shows:
- Cluster status (running, stopped, etc.)
- Resource usage
- Cost tracking
- Node health

### Using kubectl

```bash
# View cluster info
kubectl cluster-info

# Check node status
kubectl get nodes

# View all resources
kubectl get all --all-namespaces

# Check cluster events
kubectl get events
```

## Managing Your Cluster

### Scale Workers

Add more worker nodes:
1. Go to cluster details in dashboard
2. Click **Scale** or **Add Nodes**
3. Configure new worker nodes
4. Deploy

### Delete Resources

```bash
# Delete the test deployment
kubectl delete deployment hello-web
kubectl delete service hello-web
```

### Stop/Start Cluster

From the dashboard:
- **Stop**: Pause cluster (saves costs)
- **Start**: Resume cluster
- **Delete**: Permanently remove (frees all resources)

## Troubleshooting

### Can't Connect with kubectl

1. **Check kubeconfig**: Ensure KUBECONFIG is set correctly
2. **Verify Mycelium**: Make sure Mycelium is running
3. **Check cluster status**: Ensure cluster is running in dashboard
4. **Test network**: Try pinging cluster nodes via Mycelium IPs

```bash
# Test Mycelium connectivity
ping6 <cluster-node-mycelium-ip>
```

### Can't SSH to Nodes

1. **Mycelium running**: Ensure Mycelium daemon is active
2. **SSH key added**: Verify your public key is in dashboard
3. **Correct IP**: Double-check Mycelium IP from dashboard
4. **Network access**: Test with `ping6` first

### Pods Not Starting

```bash
# Check pod status
kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

# Check node resources
kubectl top nodes

# Check events
kubectl get events --sort-by='.lastTimestamp'
```

## What's Next?

Now that you have a cluster running, explore more:

- **[Tutorial](/mycelium-cloud/tutorial)** - Deploy real applications
- **[Kubernetes Concepts](https://codescalers.github.io/www_kubecloud/kubernetes-concepts)** - Learn K8s fundamentals
- **[FAQ](https://codescalers.github.io/www_kubecloud/faq)** - Common questions

## Resources

- **Dashboard**: [vdc.grid.tf](https://vdc.grid.tf)
- **Kubernetes Docs**: [kubernetes.io/docs](https://kubernetes.io/docs/)
- **kubectl Cheat Sheet**: [kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/cheatsheet](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/cheatsheet/)
- **Community**: [Telegram](https://t.me/threefold/1)

---

:::tip Cluster Running Successfully?
Great! Now try the **[Tutorial](/mycelium-cloud/tutorial)** to deploy more complex applications.
:::