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

# Getting Started with the Console

> For existing Cake platform customers: sign up for the Cake Console, skip the free trial, and register a Kubernetes instance.

This guide is for existing Cake platform customers who want to run Cake Agents on their own Kubernetes cluster. It walks you through signing up for the Cake Console, skipping the free-trial welcome flow, and registering a Kubernetes instance.

<Tip>
  New to Cake? Go straight to [console.cake.ai](https://console.cake.ai) to start a free trial.
</Tip>

## What You Need

* A working Kubernetes cluster (1.27 or later)
* A public hostname for the instance, for example `agents.cake.example.com`, with a DNS record pointing at your cluster's ingress
* An ingress controller or gateway (Istio, NGINX, AWS ALB, etc.)

Cake Support runs the Helm install, database, and registry access for you. You only need to submit your AWS account ID and create the instance with the right hostname, then finish registration in the Console.

## The Roles: Console and Instance

* The **Console** (`console.cake.ai`) is Cake's management plane. It holds your organization, your instances, AWS account grants, and team members. You sign up here and register instances from here.
* An **instance** is a single Cake Agents deployment (the control plane) that runs in your cluster, identified by its public URL. That is where your team actually creates and uses sessions.

Signing up for the Console and registering an instance are two separate steps. You do the first in the Console and complete the second with a short handshake between the two.

## 1. Sign Up for the Console

1. Open [console.cake.ai/signup](https://console.cake.ai/signup). If a teammate invited you, open the link in the invitation email instead.
2. Enter your name and work email, and accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
3. Select **Email me the link**. Cake sends a sign-up link to your email (no password).
4. Open the link in the email. You land on the welcome flow.
5. Select **Complete signup** to finish creating your account.

You are now signed in to the Console.

## 2. Skip the Free-Trial Welcome Flow

The welcome flow offers two ways to get a first instance:

* **Hosted by Cake** — Cake runs a free trial instance for you.
* **In your AWS account** — Cake installs into your own AWS account.

You are registering your own Kubernetes instance, so pick the second option:

1. On **Choose your free trial**, select **In your AWS account**, then select **Start 14-day free trial**.
2. On **Here's what happens next**, select **Continue**.
3. On **What's your AWS account ID?**, enter the 12-digit account ID of the AWS account that runs your cluster. Find it with:

   ```bash theme={null}
   aws sts get-caller-identity --query Account --output text
   ```

   Then select **Continue**.

This authorizes your account to pull Cake's container images from our private ECR registry. The **Setting up access** step runs automatically, and the flow ends on **Setup complete**.

<Note>
  The **Skip setup for now** link on this step drops you to the Console dashboard instead. The dashboard then shows a "finish setup" nudge, and you can submit the account ID any time from the **AWS access** section.
</Note>

## 3. Create Your Instance

From the **Setup complete** step, select **Continue to install**. (You can also start here later from the **Add instance** button on the Console dashboard.)

1. On **Choose an install method**, select **Existing Kubernetes**, then select **Continue with Existing Kubernetes**.
2. On **Choose your hostname**, enter the public hostname you will route to this install, for example `agents.cake.example.com`, or a full URL with a path prefix if the instance lives under a shared host (for example `https://hosted.cake.ai/acme`). Cake-managed DNS is not used for Existing Kubernetes installs, so make sure your DNS record points at your cluster's ingress.
3. Select **Continue**.

Cake Support finishes the install from here — Helm, database, and registry access — so there's nothing more to run locally. Keep the instance's page open; it shows the install status.

## 4. Finish Registration in the Console

Once the install is done, open your instance URL in a browser. Because the instance isn't registered yet, it shows a **Register your instance** page instead of the app.

1. Select **Register in Console**.
2. The Console verifies the deployment and mints its credentials, then returns to a **Finish Setup** page.
3. Select **Log in to your instance**.

The instance uses the credentials to set itself up and creates an initial admin account from your Console profile. You are sent to a sign-in link for the instance's first administrator. Sign in, and Cake Agents is ready to use.

## What's Next

With a registered instance, configure the integrations your team needs:

* [Set Up GitHub](./github-setup)
* [Configure Model Providers](./model-providers)
* [Core Concepts](/core-concepts)

If you'd rather manage the cluster install end to end yourself, see [Getting Started with Kubernetes](./getting-started-kubernetes).


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