> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ankra.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Sandbox Cluster
> Explore Ankra with a pre-populated demo cluster, no real Kubernetes cluster required.
## What Is a Sandbox Cluster?
A sandbox cluster is a read-only demo environment that lets you explore Ankra's features without connecting a real Kubernetes cluster. It comes pre-populated with realistic Kubernetes resources, stacks, and synthetic metrics so you can see exactly how the platform works before importing your own infrastructure.
Each organisation can have one sandbox cluster. It is always online, requires no agent installation, and is completely read-only.
***
## Key Characteristics
All write operations are disabled. You can browse resources, view metrics, and explore stacks, but you cannot apply, patch, or delete anything.
Unlike imported clusters, sandbox clusters don't need the Ankra Agent. There's nothing to install. Everything runs inside the platform.
Sandbox clusters are always shown as online. There are no connectivity issues since there is no real cluster behind them.
Comes with demo nodes, workloads, services, storage, config, and events so you can explore the full Kubernetes resource experience.
***
## Creating a Sandbox Cluster
Go to the Clusters section from the main dashboard.
Click Create Sandbox to spin up the demo cluster. The sandbox is created instantly with no waiting for an agent to connect.
Once created, the sandbox cluster appears in your cluster list as sandbox-demo. Click into it to start exploring Kubernetes resources, stacks, and metrics.
Creating a sandbox cluster also marks the "Create a cluster" step as complete in your getting started checklist.
***
## What's Included
When you create a sandbox cluster, it is seeded with a realistic set of Kubernetes resources and infrastructure stacks.
### Kubernetes Resources
| Resource Type | Description |
| ---------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| **Nodes** | 3 nodes: 1 control plane and 2 workers |
| **Namespaces** | Multiple demo namespaces |
| **Deployments** | Sample application deployments |
| **StatefulSets** | Stateful workloads (e.g. databases) |
| **DaemonSets** | Cluster-wide daemons |
| **ReplicaSets** | Managed replica sets |
| **Jobs & CronJobs** | Batch and scheduled workloads |
| **Pods** | Pods in various states |
| **Services** | ClusterIP, NodePort, and LoadBalancer services |
| **Ingresses** | Demo ingress resources |
| **PersistentVolumes/Claims** | Storage resources |
| **ConfigMaps & Secrets** | Configuration and secret data |
| **Events** | Kubernetes cluster events |
### Infrastructure Stacks
The sandbox comes with two pre-configured stacks:
* **Monitoring Stack** - A demo monitoring stack with associated manifests, similar to what you'd deploy with Prometheus and Grafana.
* **Ingress Stack** - A demo ingress stack with manifests for ingress controller setup.
### Synthetic Metrics
The sandbox generates realistic metrics so you can explore the cluster metrics dashboard:
| Metric | Simulated Range |
| ---------------- | ----------------- |
| CPU usage | 2.5 – 3.5 cores |
| CPU capacity | 8 cores |
| Memory usage | 6,000 – 7,000 MiB |
| Memory capacity | 16,384 MiB |
| Network receive | 2 – 8 MB/s |
| Network transmit | 1 – 5 MB/s |
| Disk IOPS | 50 – 200 |
| Pod restarts | 2 – 5 |
Metrics are randomly generated within these ranges on each request, giving a realistic feel when browsing the dashboard.
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## What You Can Do
You can use the sandbox cluster to explore most of Ankra's read-only features:
* **Browse Kubernetes resources** - Navigate nodes, workloads, networking, storage, config, and events.
* **View cluster overview** - See the cluster dashboard with status, node info, and resource summary.
* **Explore stacks** - View the pre-deployed monitoring and ingress stacks and their manifests.
* **View metrics** - Check the cluster metrics dashboard with CPU, memory, network, and disk data.
* **Test the AI assistant** - Use the AI features to ask questions about the sandbox resources.
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## What's Not Available
Since the sandbox is read-only, the following operations return a **sandbox mode** notice prompting you to import a real cluster:
| Operation | Message |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Apply / Patch / Delete | Write operations are not available in sandbox mode. Import a real cluster to make changes. |
| Terminal exec | Terminal access is not available in sandbox mode. Import a real cluster to exec into pods. |
| Pod log streaming | Log streaming is not available in sandbox mode. |
| Git connect / disconnect | Git operations require a real cluster. |
| Agent token generation | Sandbox clusters do not require an agent token. |
| Stack deployment | Stack deployment requires a real cluster. |
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## Sandbox vs. Imported Cluster
| Feature | Sandbox Cluster | Imported Cluster |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------- |
| Ankra Agent | Not required | Required |
| Cluster state | Always online | Online/Offline based on agent connection |
| Kubernetes resources | Pre-generated demo data | Live data from your cluster |
| Metrics | Synthetic (randomly generated) | Real metrics from Prometheus |
| Write operations | Blocked (read-only) | Fully supported |
| Terminal access | Not available | Available |
| Pod logs | Not available | Available |
| Git integration | Not available | Supported |
| Stacks & add-ons | View-only (pre-configured) | Full deploy, update, and remove |
| Limit per organisation | One | Unlimited |
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## Ready for the Real Thing?
Once you've explored the sandbox, import a real Kubernetes cluster to unlock the full power of Ankra: live resources, deployments, terminal access, GitOps, and more.
Follow the step-by-step guide to connect your real Kubernetes cluster.
Learn how to install and configure the Ankra Agent.
***
Still have questions? [Join our Slack community](https://join.slack.com/t/ankra-community/shared_invite/zt-3a5rem8f8-cUho4epX2MoLT83bFf~VSA) and we'll help out.