---
title: "Get started with Netdata Cloud"
description: >- 
    "Ready to get real-time visibility into your entire infrastructure? This guide will help you get started on
    Netdata Cloud."
image: "/img/seo/cloud_get-started.png"
custom_edit_url: "https://github.com/netdata/learn/blob/master/docs/cloud/get-started.mdx"
---

import Link from '@docusaurus/Link'
import Callout from '@site/src/components/Callout'

Ready to get real-time visibility into your entire infrastructure with Netdata Cloud? This guide will walk you through
the onboarding process, such as setting up your Space and War Room and connecting your first nodes.

## Before you start

Before you get started with Netdata Cloud, you should have the open-source Netdata monitoring agent installed. See our
[installation guide](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/get-started.mdx) for details.

If you already have the Netdata agent running on your node(s), make sure to update it to v1.32 or higher. Read the
[updating documentation](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/packaging/installer/UPDATE.md) for information
on how to update based on the method you used to install Netdata on that node.

## Begin the onboarding process

Get started by signing in to Netdata. Read
the [sign in](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/cloud/manage/sign-in.mdx) doc for details on the
authentication methods we use.

<Link to="https://app.netdata.cloud" className="group">
    <button className="relative text-text bg-gray-200 px-4 py-2 rounded">
        <span className="z-10 relative font-semibold group-hover:text-gray-100">Sign in to Netdata</span>
        <div className="opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-100 transition absolute z-0 inset-0 bg-gradient-to-r from-green to-green-lighter rounded"></div>
    </button>
</Link>

Once signed in with your preferred method, a
General [War Room](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/cloud/war-rooms.md) and
a [Space](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/cloud/spaces.md)
named for your login email are automatically created. You can configure more Spaces and War Rooms to help you you
organize your team
and the many systems that make up your infrastructure. For example, you can put product and infrastructure SRE teams in
separate
Spaces, and then use War Rooms to group nodes by their service (`nginx`), purpose (`webservers`), or physical
location (`IAD`).

Don't worry! You can always add more Spaces and War Rooms later if you decide to reorganize how you use Netdata Cloud.

## Connect your nodes

From within the created War Rooms, Netdata Cloud prompts you
to [connect](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/claim/README.md) your nodes to Netdata Cloud. Non-admin
users can users can select from existing nodes already connected to the space or select an admin from a provided list to
connect node.
You can connect any node running Netdata, whether it's a physical or virtual machine, a Docker container, IoT device,
and more.

The connection process securely connects any node to Netdata Cloud using
the [Agent-Cloud link](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/aclk/README.md). By
connecting a node, you prove you have write and administrative access to that node. Connecting to Cloud also prevents
any third party
from connecting a node that you control. Keep in mind:

- _You can only connect any given node in a single Space_. You can, however, add that connected node to multiple War
  Rooms
  within that one Space.
- You must repeat the connection process on every node you want to add to Netdata Cloud.

<Callout type="notice">

**Netdata Cloud ensures your data privacy by not storing metrics data from your nodes**. See our statement on Netdata
Cloud [data privacy](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/aclk/README.md/#data-privacy) for details on the
data that's streamed from your nodes and the
[connecting to cloud](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/claim/README.md) doc for details about why we
implemented the connection process and the encryption methods we use to secure your data in transit.

</Callout>

To connect a node, select which War Rooms you want to add this node to with the dropdown, then copy the script given by
Netdata Cloud into your node's terminal.

Hit **Enter**. The script should return `Agent was successfully claimed.`. If the claiming script returns errors, or if
you don't see the node in your Space after 60 seconds, see 
the [troubleshooting information](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/claim/README.md#troubleshooting).

Repeat this process with every node you want to add to Netdata Cloud during onboarding. You can also add more nodes once
you've finished onboarding by clicking the **Connect Nodes** button in 
the [Space management area](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/cloud/spaces.md/#manage-spaces).

### Alternatives and other operating systems

**Docker**: You can execute the claiming script Netdata running as a Docker container, or attach the claiming script
when creating the container for the first time, such as when you're spinning up ephemeral containers. See
the [connect an agent running in Docker](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/claim/README.md#connect-an-agent-running-in-docker)
documentation for details.

**Without root privileges**: If you want to connect an agent without using root privileges, see our [connect
documentation](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/claim/README.md#connect-an-agent-without-root-privileges).

**With a proxy**: If your node uses a proxy to connect to the internet, you need to configure the node's proxy settings.
See
our [connect through a proxy](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/claim/README.md#connect-through-a-proxy)
doc for details.

## Add bookmarks to essential resources

When an anomaly or outage strikes, your team needs to access other essential resources quickly. You can use Netdata
Cloud's bookmarks to put these tools in one accessible place. Bookmarks are shared between all War Rooms in a Space, so
any users in your Space will be able to see and use them.

Bookmarks can link to both internal and external resources. You can bookmark your app's status page for quick updates
during an outage, a messaging system on your organization's intranet, or other tools your team uses to respond to
changes in your infrastructure.

To add a new bookmark, click on the **Add bookmark** link. In the panel, name the bookmark, include its URL, and write a
short description for your team's reference.

## What's next?

You finish onboarding
by [inviting members of your team](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/cloud/manage/invite-your-team.md)
to your Space. You
can also invite them later. At this point, you're ready to use Cloud.

Next, learn about the organization and interfaces
behind [Spaces](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/cloud/spaces.md)
and [War
Rooms](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/cloud/war-rooms.md).

If you're ready to explore, check out how to use
the [Overview dashboard](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/cloud/visualize/overview.md), which is the
default view for each new War Room you create.