This page explains the cockroach init command, which you use to perform a one-time initialization of a new multi-node cluster. For a full walk-through of the cluster startup and initialization process, see one of the Manual Deployment tutorials.
When starting a single-node cluster, you do not need to use the cockroach init command. You can simply run the cockroach start command without the --join flag to start and initialize the single-node cluster.
Synopsis
Perform a one-time initialization of a cluster:
$ cockroach init <flags>
View help:
$ cockroach init --help
Flags
The cockroach init command supports the following client connection and logging flags.
Client connection
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--host |
The server host and port number to connect to. This can be the address of any node in the cluster. Env Variable: COCKROACH_HOSTDefault: localhost:26257 |
--port-p |
The server port to connect to. Note: The port number can also be specified via --host. Env Variable: COCKROACH_PORTDefault: 26257 |
--user-u |
The SQL user that will own the client session. Env Variable: COCKROACH_USERDefault: root |
--insecure |
Use an insecure connection. Env Variable: COCKROACH_INSECUREDefault: false |
--certs-dir |
The path to the certificate directory containing the CA and client certificates and client key. Env Variable: COCKROACH_CERTS_DIRDefault: ${HOME}/.cockroach-certs/ |
--url |
A connection URL to use instead of the other arguments. Env Variable: COCKROACH_URLDefault: no URL |
See Client Connection Parameters for details.
Logging
By default, the init command logs errors to stderr.
If you need to troubleshoot this command's behavior, you can change its logging behavior.
Examples
These examples assume that nodes have already been started with cockroach start but are waiting to be initialized as a new cluster. For a more detailed walk-through, see one of the Manual Deployment tutorials.
Initialize a Cluster on a Node's Machine
SSH to the machine where the node has been started.
Make sure the
client.root.crtandclient.root.keyfiles for therootuser are on the machine.Run the
cockroach initcommand with the--certs-dirflag set to the directory containing theca.crtfile and the files for therootuser, and with the--hostflag set to the address of the current node:$ cockroach init --certs-dir=certs --host=<address of this node>At this point, all the nodes complete startup and print helpful details to the standard output, such as the CockroachDB version, the URL for the Admin UI, and the SQL URL for clients.
SSH to the machine where the node has been started.
Run the
cockroach initcommand with the--hostflag set to the address of the current node:$ cockroach init --insecure --host=<address of this node>At this point, all the nodes complete startup and print helpful details to the standard output, such as the CockroachDB version, the URL for the Admin UI, and the SQL URL for clients.
Initialize a cluster from another machine
Install the
cockroachbinary on a machine separate from the node.Create a
certsdirectory and copy the CA certificate and the client certificate and key for therootuser into the directory.Run the
cockroach initcommand with the--certs-dirflag set to the directory containing theca.crtfile and the files for therootuser, and with the--hostflag set to the address of any node:$ cockroach init --certs-dir=certs --host=<address of any node>At this point, all the nodes complete startup and print helpful details to the standard output, such as the CockroachDB version, the URL for the Admin UI, and the SQL URL for clients.
Install the
cockroachbinary on a machine separate from the node.Run the
cockroach initcommand with the--hostflag set to the address of any node:$ cockroach init --insecure --host=<address of any node>At this point, all the nodes complete startup and print helpful details to the standard output, such as the CockroachDB version, the URL for the Admin UI, and the SQL URL for clients.
