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

# Deploy the Datadog Agent

> Deploy the Datadog Agent on a Talos Linux Kubernetes cluster using Helm.

export const version = 'v1.13';

This guide walks you through deploying the Datadog Agent on a Talos-managed Kubernetes cluster using the official Datadog Helm chart.

## Prerequisites

Before you begin, you will need the following:

* A running Talos cluster. If you don't have one yet, see the <a href={`../../talos/${version}/getting-started/getting-started`}>Getting Started </a>guide.
* `kubectl` and `helm` installed locally.
* A [Datadog account](https://app.datadoghq.com) with an [API and application key](https://docs.datadoghq.com/account_management/api-app-keys/).
* Your Datadog site. This is visible in the URL when you are logged into Datadog, for example `us5.datadoghq.com`.

## Step 1: Create the variables

Define the variables that will be used throughout this guide. Replace each placeholder with your actual values:

```bash theme={null}
DATADOG_API_KEY=<YOUR_DATADOG_API_KEY>
DATADOG_APP_KEY=<YOUR_DATADOG_APP_KEY>
CLUSTER_NAME=<YOUR_CLUSTER_NAME>
DATADOG_SITE=<YOUR_DATADOG_SITE>
```

## Step 2: Add the Datadog Helm repository

Add the official Datadog Helm repository and update your local cache:

```bash theme={null}
helm repo add datadog https://helm.datadoghq.com
helm repo update
```

## Step 3: Create the namespace and store your credentials

Create a dedicated namespace for the Datadog Agent, then store your API key and application key as a Kubernetes secret.

```bash theme={null}
kubectl create namespace datadog
 
kubectl create secret generic datadog-secret \
  --from-literal api-key=$DATADOG_API_KEY \
  --from-literal app-key=$DATADOG_APP_KEY \
  --namespace datadog
```

## Step 4: Create the values file

Create a file named `values.yaml` with the following contents. The `providers.talos.enabled` flag activates all Talos-specific configuration adjustments in the chart. The `kubelet.tlsVerify` flag is set to `false` because Talos uses self-signed kubelet certificates.

```bash theme={null}
cat << EOF > values.yaml
datadog:
  apiKeyExistingSecret: datadog-secret
  appKeyExistingSecret: datadog-secret
  clusterName: $CLUSTER_NAME
  site: $DATADOG_SITE
  kubelet:
    tlsVerify: false
 
providers:
  talos:
    enabled: true
EOF
```

## Step 5: Install the Datadog Agent

Install the Datadog Agent using the Helm chart and the values file you created:

```bash theme={null}
helm upgrade --install datadog-agent datadog/datadog \
  --namespace datadog \
  --values values.yaml
```

## Step 6: Verify the deployment

Check that all Datadog pods have started successfully:

```bash theme={null}
kubectl get pods -n datadog
```

Wait for all pods to reach `Running` status with 0 restarts. You should see output similar to the following:

```
NAME                                          READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
datadog-agent-xxxxx                           2/2     Running   0          2m
datadog-agent-cluster-agent-xxxxxxxxx-xxxxx   1/1     Running   0          2m
datadog-agent-operator-xxxxxxxxx-xxxxx        1/1     Running   0          2m
```

Once the agent pod shows `2/2 Running`, navigate to **Infrastructure** in the Datadog UI. Your Talos node should appear in the host list with a status of **Active**.