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

# Installation on GCP

> Step-by-step path to deploy Arize AX on Google Kubernetes Engine: prepare GKE, install with Helm, expose ingress, validate, and use the platform.

## Overview

The diagram below depicts the target topology for GCP.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/arize-assets/assets/images/arize-docs-images/993bdd6d-image.jpeg)

Throughout this section, **distribution archive** means the **Arize AX release tarball** you download with your JWT (Helm chart, `arize.sh`, Terraform, examples, and offline HTML docs).

**Read the ordered steps below once** so you know the sequence (download → cluster → install → ingress → validate). Complete [Prerequisites](/ax/selfhosting/getting-started/prerequisites), including [deployment types](/ax/selfhosting/getting-started/deployment-types) for your network model, before you start. Then open each linked page below; you can return here anytime as the hub.

For the full Helm reference, use **Advanced → Helm** in the HTML documentation under **`docs/`** inside your extracted distribution archive.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Download the distribution">
    Obtain the distribution archive with your JWT, extract it, and review the Helm chart, scripts, Terraform, and example manifests included in the bundle.

    <CardGroup cols={1}>
      <Card title="Download and extract" href="/ax/selfhosting/getting-started/download-and-unpack-the-distribution" icon="download">
        JWT, `get_latest.sh`, folder layout, and what to open next.
      </Card>
    </CardGroup>
  </Step>

  <Step title="GKE cluster and infrastructure">
    Bring an existing GKE cluster and supporting GCP resources in line with Arize AX, or use the Terraform modules shipped in the distribution archive to provision them.

    <CardGroup cols={2}>
      <Card title="Existing cluster" href="/ax/selfhosting/installation/gcp/cluster-existing-gke" icon="server">
        Node pools, labels, GCS buckets, IAM, and Workload Identity.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Terraform" href="/ax/selfhosting/installation/gcp/cluster-terraform" icon="cloud">
        Use bundled modules and README; align static IPs and outputs with ingress.
      </Card>
    </CardGroup>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install Arize AX">
    Configure `values.yaml` for GCP and install the operator chart.

    <CardGroup cols={2}>
      <Card title="Quick start" href="/ax/selfhosting/installation/gcp/install-arize-quickstart" icon="zap">
        **Use when:** you want a complete example `values.yaml` and a single Helm command to get running fast.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Detailed walkthrough" href="/ax/selfhosting/installation/gcp/install-arize-detailed" icon="book">
        **Use when:** you need every field explained, base64 secrets, optional mirroring, and `./arize.sh` versus Helm called out step by step.
      </Card>
    </CardGroup>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create ingress">
    Expose the UI and APIs with a Google Cloud HTTP(S) load balancer and the GCP examples, or use NGINX, Istio, Kong, or another controller with the bundled example manifests.

    <CardGroup cols={2}>
      <Card title="GCP load balancer" href="/ax/selfhosting/installation/gcp/ingress-gcp-load-balancer" icon="cloud">
        Static IPs, `examples/endpoints/gcp`, and `appBaseUrl` / `expBaseUrl`.
      </Card>

      <Card title="NGINX, Istio, Kong, …" href="/ax/selfhosting/installation/ingress/other-controllers" icon="plug">
        Example paths under `examples/endpoints` and `ingressMode` guidance.
      </Card>
    </CardGroup>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Validate the deployment">
    Confirm pods are healthy, ingress and DNS resolve, and the UI is reachable before sending data.

    <CardGroup cols={1}>
      <Card title="Validation checklist" href="/ax/selfhosting/installation/validate-deployment" icon="check-circle">
        `kubectl` health checks, ingress inspection, login, and SDK testing.
      </Card>
    </CardGroup>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use Arize AX">
    Open the public Arize AX documentation for product guides and configure your application with the on-prem SDK documentation.

    <CardGroup cols={3}>
      <Card title="Arize AX documentation" href="https://docs.arize.com" icon="book-open">
        Product documentation, quickstarts, and observability guides on docs.arize.com.
      </Card>

      <Card title="SDK usage (self-hosted)" href="/ax/selfhosting/guides/sdk-usage" icon="code">
        Python SDK versions and endpoint configuration for self-hosted deployments.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Integrations" href="/ax/selfhosting/guides/integrations" icon="plug">
        Framework and provider integrations for tracing and monitoring.
      </Card>
    </CardGroup>
  </Step>
</Steps>