> ## 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.

# Quickstart

> A short guide on setting up a simple Talos Linux cluster locally with Docker.

export const k8s_release = '1.36.0';

export const release_v1_13 = 'v1.13.0';

export const VersionWarningBanner = () => {
  const latestVersion = "v1.13";
  const [latestUrl, setLatestUrl] = useState(null);
  const [currentVersion, setCurrentVersion] = useState(null);
  const [isBeta, setIsBeta] = useState(false);
  const parseVersion = v => v.replace("v", "").split(".").map(Number);
  const isGreaterVersion = (a, b) => {
    const [aMajor, aMinor] = parseVersion(a);
    const [bMajor, bMinor] = parseVersion(b);
    if (aMajor > bMajor) return true;
    if (aMajor === bMajor && aMinor > bMinor) return true;
    return false;
  };
  useEffect(() => {
    if (typeof window === "undefined") return;
    const {pathname, hash, search} = window.location;
    const match = pathname.match(/\/talos\/(v\d+\.\d+)\//);
    if (!match) return;
    const detectedVersion = match[1];
    if (detectedVersion === latestVersion) return;
    setCurrentVersion(detectedVersion);
    if (isGreaterVersion(detectedVersion, latestVersion)) {
      setIsBeta(true);
    }
    const newPath = pathname.replace(`/talos/${detectedVersion}/`, `/talos/${latestVersion}/`);
    setLatestUrl(`${newPath}${search}${hash}`);
  }, []);
  if (!latestUrl || !currentVersion) return null;
  return <div className="not-prose sticky top-6 z-50 my-6">
      <div className="border border-yellow-500/30 bg-yellow-500/10 px-4 py-3 rounded-xl">
        <div className="text-sm">
          {isBeta ? <>
              ⚠️ You are viewing a <strong>beta version</strong> of Talos ({currentVersion}).
              This version may be unstable.
              <a href={latestUrl} className="ml-2 underline text-yellow-400 hover:text-yellow-300 font-medium">
                View latest stable version {latestVersion} →
              </a>
            </> : <>
              ⚠️ You are viewing an older version of Talos ({currentVersion}).
              <a href={latestUrl} className="ml-2 underline text-yellow-400 hover:text-yellow-300 font-medium">
                View the latest version {latestVersion} →
              </a>
            </>}
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>;
};

<VersionWarningBanner />

The easiest way to run Talos is by using the CLI (`talosctl`) to create a cluster on a machine with `docker` installed.

<iframe
  width="560"
  height="315"
  src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IO2Yo3N46nk?si=Ry7mru1X7-oSzEx0"
  title="YouTube video player"
  frameborder="0"
  allow="accelerometer;
autoplay; clipboard-write;
encrypted-media; gyroscope;
picture-in-picture;
web-share"
  referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
  allowfullscreen
/>

### Prerequisites

#### `talosctl`

Download `talosctl` (macOS or Linux):

```bash theme={null}
brew install siderolabs/tap/talosctl
```

#### `kubectl`

Download `kubectl` via one of the methods outlined in the [documentation](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/install-kubectl/).

### Create the cluster

Now run the following:

```bash theme={null}
talosctl cluster create docker
```

<Note>
  If you are using Docker Desktop on a macOS computer, if you encounter the error: *Cannot connect to the Docker daemon at unix:///var/run/docker.sock. Is the docker daemon running?* you may need to manually create the link for the Docker socket:
  `sudo ln -s "$HOME/.docker/run/docker.sock" /var/run/docker.sock`
</Note>

You can explore using Talos API commands:

```bash theme={null}
talosctl dashboard --nodes 10.5.0.2
```

Verify that you can reach Kubernetes:

<CodeBlock lang="sh">
  {`
    kubectl get nodes -o wide

    NAME                           STATUS   ROLES    AGE    VERSION          INTERNAL-IP   EXTERNAL-IP   OS-IMAGE                 KERNEL-VERSION   CONTAINER-RUNTIME
    talos-default-controlplane-1   Ready    master   115s   v${k8s_release}   10.5.0.2      <none>        Talos ${release_v1_13}   <host kernel>    containerd://2.1.5
    talos-default-worker-1         Ready    <none>   115s   v${k8s_release}   10.5.0.3      <none>        Talos ${release_v1_13}   <host kernel>    containerd://2.1.5
    `}
</CodeBlock>

### Destroy the cluster

When you are all done, remove the cluster:

```bash theme={null}
talosctl cluster destroy
```