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

# Demo Creating our First GKE cluster

> This tutorial teaches how to launch a zonal Google Kubernetes Engine cluster using Google Cloud Shell.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to launch a zonal Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) cluster using Google Cloud Shell. By following these steps, you will:

* Open and configure **Cloud Shell**
* Set a default compute zone to simplify future commands
* Provision a GKE cluster with a custom boot disk
* Validate the cluster creation via CLI and Console

This walkthrough is perfect for DevOps engineers and cloud practitioners who want to get started with GKE on Google Cloud.

## Prerequisites

* A Google Cloud project with billing enabled
* The **Kubernetes Engine Admin** or **Owner** IAM role
* Access to [Cloud Shell](https://cloud.google.com/shell/docs/overview)

***

## 1. Activate Cloud Shell

1. Sign in to the [Google Cloud Console](https://console.cloud.google.com/).
2. Click the **Activate Cloud Shell** button in the top-right toolbar.
3. Wait for the shell to initialize; you should see a prompt like:

```plaintext theme={null}
Welcome to Cloud Shell! Type "help" to get started.
Your Cloud Platform project in this session is set to clgcporg8-015.
Use "gcloud config set project [PROJECT_ID]" to change to a different project.
odl_user_1038285@cloudshell:~  $
```

***

## 2. Set the Default Compute Zone

Rather than appending `--zone` to every `gcloud` command, define a default zone for this session. In this lesson, we’ll use `us-west1-a`:

```bash theme={null}
gcloud config set compute/zone us-west1-a
```

Expected output:

```plaintext theme={null}
Updated property [compute/zone].
```

<Callout icon="lightbulb" color="#1CB2FE">
  Defining a default zone streamlines your workflow by removing the need to specify it repeatedly, reducing the risk of mistakes.
</Callout>

***

## 3. Provision the GKE Cluster

We’ll create a cluster named `gke-deep-dive` with one node and a custom HDD boot disk. You can adjust these parameters to suit your needs.

| Setting      | Description                | Flag                      |
| ------------ | -------------------------- | ------------------------- |
| Cluster name | Human-readable identifier  | `--cluster=gke-deep-dive` |
| Node count   | Number of worker nodes     | `--num-nodes=1`           |
| Disk type    | Standard HDD (pd-standard) | `--disk-type=pd-standard` |
| Disk size    | 10 GiB                     | `--disk-size=10`          |

Execute:

```bash theme={null}
gcloud container clusters create gke-deep-dive \
  --num-nodes=1 \
  --disk-type=pd-standard \
  --disk-size=10
```

You’ll see output similar to:

```plaintext theme={null}
Creating cluster gke-deep-dive in us-west1-a...
Cluster is being configured...working...
```

<Callout icon="triangle-alert" color="#FF6B6B">
  Cluster creation typically takes **10–15 minutes**. Do not interrupt the process.\
  Monitor progress via the Cloud Shell output or the GKE Console.
</Callout>

***

## 4. Verify Cluster Creation

### a) Using the CLI

List all GKE clusters in your project:

```bash theme={null}
gcloud container clusters list
```

You should see:

```plaintext theme={null}
NAME            LOCATION     MASTER_VERSION  NODE_VERSION   NODE_COUNT
gke-deep-dive   us-west1-a   1.24.8-gke.100  1.24.8-gke.100  1
```

### b) Using the Cloud Console

1. In the Google Cloud Console, navigate to **Kubernetes Engine** ▶ **Clusters**.
2. Confirm that **gke-deep-dive** appears under **us-west1-a**.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully created and verified your first GKE cluster.

***

## References

* [Google Kubernetes Engine Documentation](https://cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs)
* [gcloud container clusters create](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/container/clusters/create)
* [Cloud Shell Overview](https://cloud.google.com/shell/docs/overview)

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</CardGroup>