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

# Evaluation setup

> Smallest viable hardware to install and try Chainstack Self-Hosted before going to production: CPU, RAM, disk, and Kubernetes pod resource requirements.

This page covers the smallest hardware that lets you install the Chainstack Self-Hosted Control Panel end-to-end and click around. It is not "laptop-tier" — the Control Panel runs \~22 pods on Kubernetes, and the cumulative pod resource requests set a real floor.

## What you need

The Control Panel is the management interface where you deploy, monitor, and manage blockchain nodes. The minimum that lets a fresh `cpctl install` reach `Healthy` status:

| Resource | Minimum |
| -------- | ------- |
| CPU      | 5 cores |
| RAM      | 6 GiB   |
| Storage  | 15 GB   |

These requirements are for the Control Panel only. Blockchain nodes require additional resources — see [Optional — deploy a testnet node](#optional-deploy-a-testnet-node) below or [System requirements](/docs/self-hosted/requirements) for the full picture.

Any of these environments will work for the Control Panel:

* A small dedicated server
* A virtual machine with at least 5 vCPUs and 6 GiB RAM
* A cloud instance such as DigitalOcean `s-8vcpu-16gb` or equivalent on AWS/GCP/Azure

## Software

| Component        | Requirement                  |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------- |
| Operating system | Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS    |
| Kubernetes       | k3s (installed during setup) |

<Note>
  The [quick start guide](/docs/self-hosted/quick-start) walks you through installing k3s and all other required tools. No prior Kubernetes experience is needed.
</Note>

## What you can evaluate

With just the Control Panel running, you can:

* Explore the Chainstack Self-Hosted web interface and deployment workflow
* See the available protocols and node configurations
* Understand how Chainstack Self-Hosted manages infrastructure
* Plan your production deployment based on hands-on experience with the product

## Get started

1. [Download the installer](/docs/self-hosted/download-installer) — get the cpctl installer for your operating system
2. [Quick start](/docs/self-hosted/quick-start) — end-to-end walkthrough from a fresh Ubuntu server to a running Control Panel
3. [System requirements](/docs/self-hosted/requirements) — full hardware specifications for production planning

## Optional — deploy a testnet node

If you want to go a step further and deploy an actual blockchain node, the Ethereum Hoodi testnet is the lightest option available. The Light preset uses half the CPU and RAM of the standard preset but the same storage.

| Resource                | Control Panel + Hoodi node (Light preset) |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| CPU                     | 9 cores                                   |
| RAM                     | 22 GiB                                    |
| Storage (steady state)  | 265 GB NVMe SSD                           |
| Storage (during deploy) | 515 GB NVMe SSD                           |

The numbers above sum the Control Panel minimum (5 cores / 6 GiB / 15 GB) and the Hoodi Light preset (4 cores / 16 GiB / 250 GB steady state, 500 GB during deploy).

<Warning>
  Snapshot bootstrap temporarily requires **2× the node storage**: the snapshot archive and the extracted chain data coexist on disk until extraction completes. Provision the node's persistent volume at the during-deploy figure.
</Warning>

<Note>
  Hoodi is an Ethereum testnet that uses test ETH with no real value, making it ideal for evaluation. Initial bootstrap from the snapshot completes in minutes to hours depending on network conditions; the node then catches up to the chain head in the background.
</Note>