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There are three ways to get a cluster into Ankra. If you already run one - EKS, GKE, AKS, k3s, on-premises, even minikube on your laptop - import it in a couple of minutes with one helm command. If you need a new one, Ankra can build it on your own cloud account, or create a cluster your cloud provider runs for you. Whichever you choose, the cluster and its servers stay yours: they keep running if you ever disconnect from Ankra.

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Which path is mine?

Already running EKS, GKE or AKS? You can import it either way. The helm import below needs no cloud credential. A managed import uses your cloud credential instead: Ankra fetches the kubeconfig, installs the agent for you, and the cluster gains the same node-pool and upgrade operations as clusters Ankra created.

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Import an existing cluster

Importing installs the Ankra agent in your cluster. The agent only makes outbound connections to Ankra, so the cluster can sit behind a firewall, NAT or a private network. You need: helm and a kubeconfig for the cluster with permission to create a namespace and cluster-wide RBAC. The agent’s permissions are described in Agent compliance and can be narrowed with agent hardening.
1

Create the cluster in Ankra

Go to Clusters, click Import, give the cluster a name, and click Import cluster. The Git repository and add-on fields are optional - you can connect a repository and add Stacks later.
2

Run the install command

Ankra shows a helm command for this cluster. Copy it exactly as shown - it carries the cluster’s own token and pins the agent version - and run it with your kubeconfig pointing at the cluster:
3

Check it is connected

The cluster’s status changes from Awaiting Connection to Healthy, usually within a minute. Open the cluster to browse its workloads, events and logs.If it stays on Awaiting Connection, check the agent pod:
The most common causes are egress to platform.ankra.app on port 443 being blocked, or a token copied from a different cluster. See Ankra Agent for more.
Watch an existing cluster being connected and its first Stack deployed: Running Kubernetes on your laptop? Run Kubernetes locally sets up minikube and imports it.

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Build a new cluster

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Ankra Managed

Ankra creates the servers, private network and bastion on your own account, installs Kubernetes (kubeadm with Cilium by default, or k3s), and then operates it for you: upgrades, node groups, stop and start. The provider bills you directly.

Hetzner

Hetzner Cloud servers in your Hetzner project.

OVHcloud

Public Cloud instances in your OVHcloud project.

UpCloud

Cloud servers in your UpCloud account.

DigitalOcean

Droplets in your DigitalOcean team.

Scaleway (Closed Beta)

Scaleway Instances in your Scaleway project.

AWS EC2

Self-managed Kubernetes on EC2 instances in your AWS account.

Proxmox VE

Virtual machines in your own Proxmox datacenter.

HPE Morpheus (Closed Beta)

Virtual machines through your Morpheus appliance.

Ankra Cloud (Closed Beta)

Servers Ankra runs for you, with no cloud account of your own.

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Cloud Managed

Your cloud provider runs the Kubernetes control plane; Ankra creates the cluster and its node pools through your cloud credential, connects the agent, and manages what runs on it. Start with Managed Kubernetes, which compares the options, or go straight to EKS, GKE, AKS, DOKS, OVHcloud MKS, UKS or Ankra Cloud Kubernetes (closed beta).

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Next: deploy your first Stack

With the cluster showing Healthy, give it something to run. Step 2 of the Quickstart deploys a first Stack in a few minutes, and Stacks explains the model behind it.