---
reviewers:
- brendandburns
- erictune
- mikedanese
no_issue: true
title: Getting started
main_menu: true
weight: 20
content_type: concept
card:
  name: setup
  weight: 20
  anchors:
  - anchor: "#learning-environment"
    title: Learning environment
  - anchor: "#production-environment"
    title: Production environment  
---

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This section lists the different ways to set up and run Kubernetes.
When you install Kubernetes, choose an installation type based on: ease of maintenance, security,
control, available resources, and expertise required to operate and manage a cluster.

You can deploy a Kubernetes cluster on a local machine, cloud, on-prem datacenter, or choose a managed Kubernetes cluster. There are also custom solutions across a wide range of cloud providers, or bare metal environments.

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## Learning environment

If you're learning Kubernetes, use the tools supported by the Kubernetes community, or tools in the ecosystem to set up a Kubernetes cluster on a local machine.

## Production environment

When evaluating a solution for a production environment, consider which aspects of operating a Kubernetes cluster (or _abstractions_) you want to manage yourself or offload to a provider.

[Kubernetes Partners](https://kubernetes.io/partners/#conformance) includes a list of [Certified Kubernetes](https://github.com/cncf/k8s-conformance/#certified-kubernetes) providers.