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This guide walks through installing Red Hat CodeReady Containers (CRC) to create a local single-node OpenShift cluster for development and testing. CRC runs a lightweight VM that exposes an OpenShift API and web console, similar in purpose to Docker Desktop or Minikube but tailored for OpenShift.

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Before you begin

  • You need a Red Hat account. Visit the OpenShift cluster creation UI at: https://console.redhat.com/openshift
  • Confirm your machine meets CRC prerequisites: virtualization support enabled, sufficient CPU, RAM, and disk space (CRC downloads ~10–15 GB of images and bundles).
Recommended minimums: For official CRC product information and supported backends, see the CodeReady Containers overview: https://developers.redhat.com/products/codeready-containers/overview

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1. Create a local cluster and download the installer

  1. Sign in to https://console.redhat.com/openshift.
  2. Click Create Cluster → Local.
  3. Choose Red Hat OpenShift Local and download the installer for your OS (Linux, macOS, or Windows).
  4. Run the installer and proceed through the installer dialogs.
A screenshot of the Red Hat Hybrid Cloud Console "Create an OpenShift cluster" page with a Windows File Explorer window open and the Red Hat OpenShift Local installer displaying an End-User License Agreement dialog. The installer shows the Apache License text with the "I accept" checkbox checked and the Next button highlighted.
After the installer finishes you will typically be prompted to restart your system. Reboot when requested to ensure virtualization components are initialized correctly.
On Windows, ensure Hyper-V is enabled and your user is a member of the Hyper-V-related groups. CRC configures Hyper-V components during setup. If you use a different virtualization backend, confirm CRC supports it for your OS: https://developers.redhat.com/products/codeready-containers/overview

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2. Run CRC setup

Open a terminal (PowerShell on Windows) and verify the crc CLI is available. A typical prompt on Windows looks like:
Run the setup command to install prerequisites and configure the virtualization backend:
What to expect during setup:
  • You may be asked about anonymous usage statistics — you can choose No.
  • The setup will configure virtualization components (Hyper-V on Windows), adjust user group membership if needed, and install the CRC VM bundle.
  • The required images and bundles are downloaded (this can be large — plan for 10–15 GB and several minutes).

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3. Start the cluster

After setup completes, start the CRC cluster:
The crc start command creates and boots the VM, initializes OpenShift components, and streams logs. The process may take 10–20 minutes depending on your machine and network. When startup finishes, CRC prints the web console URL and login credentials. Example output:
When running, the CRC VM is visible in your OS hypervisor. On Windows you’ll see a VM named “crc” in Hyper‑V Manager.
A screenshot of the Hyper-V Manager showing a running virtual machine named "crc" with CPU, assigned memory and uptime displayed. The Hyper-V window overlays a Red Hat OpenShift web interface sidebar (Clusters, Overview, Releases).

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4. Access the OpenShift console and CLI

Open the web console by either:
  • Right-clicking the CodeReady Containers taskbar icon and choosing “Open Console”, or
  • Visiting the web console URL printed by crc start (for example https://console-openshift-console.apps-crc.testing) in your browser.
To retrieve credentials later (without restarting the cluster), run:
Configure your shell to use the oc CLI and then log in as the developer user:
To log in as the kubeadmin administrator, use the kubeadmin password printed by CRC at startup.

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5. Useful CRC commands

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Troubleshooting tips

If the VM fails to start, check that virtualization is enabled in BIOS/UEFI and that no other hypervisor (e.g., VirtualBox) is conflicting with Hyper-V. On Windows, ensure Hyper-V is enabled and your account has the required permissions. Review crc start logs for operator errors and consult the CRC documentation if needed.
  • If oc commands fail, ensure you ran the crc oc-env step or that your kubeconfig context was updated.
  • If the console URL is inaccessible, verify DNS resolution for *.crc.testing (CRC sets up local DNS for the test domains).
  • Check CRC logs for details: crc logs (or see the VM/hypervisor logs for low-level errors).

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Next steps

With CRC running and oc configured, you have a local single-node OpenShift cluster ready for:
  • Deploying and testing containerized applications
  • Exploring OpenShift features (Projects, Routes, Operators)
  • Learning OpenShift administration and CI/CD workflows
Resources:

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