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

# Scale a Kubernetes Cluster

> Scale Xloud K8SaaS cluster node counts up or down — resize the default node group, monitor scale progress, and apply best practices for safe scale-down.

## Overview

Scaling a Kubernetes cluster adjusts the worker node count in the default node group.
Scale up to handle increased workload demand; scale down to reduce infrastructure cost
during low-utilization periods. Node scaling is non-disruptive for scale-up operations.
Scale-down operations drain and remove nodes — ensure workloads are properly distributed
before reducing node count.

<Note>
  **Prerequisites**

  * A running cluster in `CREATE_COMPLETE` or `UPDATE_COMPLETE` status
  * Sufficient compute quota for the new node count (scale-up only)
</Note>

***

## Scale Up (Add Nodes)

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dashboard" icon="gauge">
    <Steps titleSize="h3">
      <Step title="Navigate to the cluster" icon="compass">
        Navigate to
        **Container > Clusters**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Resize the cluster" icon="sliders">
        Click **Actions → Resize Cluster** next to your cluster.
        Enter the new total node count in the **Node Count** field.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Confirm" icon="circle-check">
        Click **Resize**. The cluster enters `UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS` status while new
        nodes are provisioned and join the cluster.

        <Check>Cluster returns to `UPDATE_COMPLETE` once nodes are ready.</Check>
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CLI" icon="terminal">
    ```bash title="Scale cluster up" theme={null}
    openstack coe cluster resize prod-cluster-01 \
      --node-count 6
    ```

    ```bash title="Monitor progress" theme={null}
    openstack coe cluster show prod-cluster-01 \
      -f value -c status -c node_count
    ```

    Wait for `status` to return to `UPDATE_COMPLETE`.

    ```bash title="Verify new nodes" theme={null}
    kubectl get nodes
    ```

    <Check>All new nodes show `STATUS: Ready` in kubectl output.</Check>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Scale Down (Remove Nodes)

<Warning>
  Scaling down removes nodes from the cluster. Pods running on removed nodes are
  evicted before the node is deleted. Ensure Pod Disruption Budgets (PDBs) and
  workload replicas are configured to tolerate node removal without service interruption.
</Warning>

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dashboard" icon="gauge">
    <Steps titleSize="h3">
      <Step title="Prepare workloads" icon="shield-check">
        Before scaling down, verify that no stateful or single-replica workloads are
        running on the nodes that will be removed. Use the Kubernetes Dashboard or
        `kubectl` to inspect current pod placement.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Resize the cluster" icon="sliders">
        Navigate to **Container > Clusters** → **Actions → Resize Cluster**.
        Enter the reduced node count and click **Resize**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Verify" icon="circle-check">
        Wait for the cluster to reach `UPDATE_COMPLETE`. Confirm remaining nodes
        are healthy and workloads have been rescheduled.

        <Check>Cluster is `UPDATE_COMPLETE` and all pods are running on remaining nodes.</Check>
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CLI" icon="terminal">
    <Steps titleSize="h3">
      <Step title="Identify nodes to remove" icon="search">
        ```bash title="List nodes and their workloads" theme={null}
        kubectl get pods -A -o wide | grep <node-name>
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Drain the target node (optional)" icon="arrow-right">
        If you want to control which nodes are removed, cordon and drain them first:

        ```bash title="Cordon node to prevent new scheduling" theme={null}
        kubectl cordon <node-name>
        ```

        ```bash title="Drain node" theme={null}
        kubectl drain <node-name> \
          --ignore-daemonsets \
          --delete-emptydir-data
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Scale down" icon="minus">
        ```bash title="Scale cluster down" theme={null}
        openstack coe cluster resize prod-cluster-01 \
          --node-count 3
        ```

        ```bash title="Monitor scale-down" theme={null}
        openstack coe cluster show prod-cluster-01 \
          -f value -c status -c node_count
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Verify" icon="circle-check">
        ```bash title="Check remaining nodes" theme={null}
        kubectl get nodes
        ```

        <Check>Node count matches the new target and all remaining nodes are `Ready`.</Check>
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Best Practices

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Maintain Minimum Replicas" icon="layers" color="#197560">
    Configure `PodDisruptionBudget` resources for stateful workloads to ensure a
    minimum number of replicas remain available during node removal.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Use Node Groups for Fine-Grained Scaling" icon="sliders" color="#197560">
    Use separate node groups for different workload types to scale them independently
    without affecting other workloads on the cluster.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Scale During Low-Traffic Windows" icon="clock" color="#197560">
    Perform scale-down operations during low-traffic periods when evicted pods have
    minimal user impact.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Check Compute Quota Before Scale-Up" icon="gauge" color="#197560">
    Verify sufficient compute quota before adding nodes to avoid partial scale-up failures.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Node Groups" href="/services/kubernetes/user-guide/node-groups" color="#197560">
    Create and manage separate node pools for specialized workloads.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Access Cluster" href="/services/kubernetes/user-guide/access-cluster" color="#197560">
    Verify cluster access after scaling via kubectl.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cluster Upgrades" href="/services/kubernetes/user-guide/cluster-upgrades" color="#197560">
    Upgrade your cluster to a newer Kubernetes version.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting" href="/services/kubernetes/user-guide/troubleshooting" color="#197560">
    Resolve scaling failures and node health issues.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>