2. System Requirements

# Overview

CloudNexus provides infrastructure services that run entirely on our managed cloud platform. As a customer, you need to meet the requirements for the tools and clients you use to interact with our platform. Below are the requirements broken down by category.

Requirement Categories

• Web Dashboard — Browser requirements for accessing the CloudNexus control panel
• CLI & SDKs — Requirements for the command-line tool and programming language SDKs
• API Clients — Requirements for making direct API calls to our REST API
• Container & Kubernetes — Requirements for managing containers and K8s clusters
• Database Clients — Requirements for connecting to managed databases
• Network & Firewall — Network configuration and firewall rules

# Web Dashboard

The CloudNexus Dashboard is a modern web application used to manage your infrastructure, view metrics, configure services, and monitor deployments.

# CLI & SDKs

The CloudNexus CLI (cnx) and SDKs allow programmatic management of your infrastructure from the command line or within your applications.

CLI Requirements

Installation

# Install via npm (Node.js)
npm install -g @cloudnexus/cli

# Install via pip (Python)
pip install cloudnexus-cli

# Install via Homebrew (macOS)
brew install cloudnexus/tap/cnx

# Install via apt (Ubuntu/Debian)
curl -fsSL https://repo.cloudnexus.io/gpg.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/cloudnexus.gpg
sudo apt-get install -y apt-transport-https
sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/cloudnexus.gpg] https://repo.cloudnexus.io/apt stable main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/cloudnexus.list'
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install cnx

# Initialize
 cnx auth login

SDK Requirements by Language

# API Client Requirements

The CloudNexus REST API is accessible from any HTTP client. Below are the requirements for interacting with our API endpoints.

Example API Request

curl -X POST https://api.cloudnexus.io/v2/instances \  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CNX_API_TOKEN" \  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \  -H "Idempotency-Key: unique-request-id-123" \  -d '{
    "name": "production-web-01",
    "plan": "professional",
    "region": "us-east-1",
    "image": "ubuntu-22.04",
    "tags": ["production", "web"]
  }'

# Container & Kubernetes

CloudNexus supports container deployments via Docker and managed Kubernetes clusters. Below are the requirements for each.

Docker Containers

Kubernetes Clusters

# Managed Database Clients

CloudNexus offers fully managed database services. Your application or client must meet the following requirements to connect.

# Network & Firewall

Ensure your network environment is properly configured to communicate with CloudNexus services.

Required Outbound Connections

For your applications or tools to communicate with CloudNexus, ensure the following outbound connections are allowed:

Firewall Rules

CloudNexus provides built-in firewall rules for all instances. Configure rules through the Dashboard, CLI, or API:

# Add a firewall rule via CLI
cnx firewall create \  --name "allow-https" \  --protocol tcp \  --ports 443 \  --source "0.0.0.0/0" \  --direction inbound

# Add a firewall rule via API
curl -X POST https://api.cloudnexus.io/v2/firewalls \  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CNX_API_TOKEN" \  -d '{
    "name": "allow-ssh",
    "protocol": "tcp",
    "ports": [22],
    "source": ["203.0.113.0/24"],
    "direction": "inbound"
  }'

# Compute Instance Requirements

While CloudNexus manages the underlying hardware, here are the specifications for the compute instances you can deploy, and what your workloads should expect.

Instance Specifications by Plan

Operating System Images

CloudNexus provides pre-configured images for the following operating systems:

• Ubuntu — 22.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS
• Debian — 12 (Bookworm)
• CentOS Stream — 9
• RHEL — 9 (BYOL)
• Rocky Linux — 9
• AlmaLinux — 9
• Fedora — 40
• Amazon Linux 2023

# Supported Development Platforms

CloudNexus is designed to work seamlessly with popular development platforms, CI/CD pipelines, and IaC tools.

CI/CD Integration

Infrastructure as Code

Terraform Example

terraform {
  required_providers {
    cloudnexus = {
      source  = "cloudnexus/cloudnexus"
      version = "~> 3.4"
    }
  }
}

provider "cloudnexus" {
  api_token = var.cnx_api_token
  region    = "us-east-1"
}

resource "cloudnexus_instance" "web" {
  name   = "production-web"
  plan   = "professional"
  image  = "ubuntu-22.04"
  region = "us-east-1"

  tags = {
    environment = "production"
    team        = "platform"
  }
}

# Security & Compliance Requirements

CloudNexus meets the following security and compliance standards. Additional requirements apply for enterprise customers.

# Required Environment Variables

The following environment variables are used by the CloudNexus CLI and SDKs:

# Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use CloudNexus on Windows without WSL?

Yes, the CLI and SDKs support native Windows (Windows 10 and later). However, WSL2 is recommended for development workflows, especially when working with containers and Kubernetes.

What happens if my browser doesn't support WebSockets?

The Dashboard will fall back to polling for real-time metrics. Some features like live terminal access and real-time logs require WebSocket support.

Are there any firewall ports I need to open on my local machine?

No inbound ports need to be opened. All communication is outbound HTTPS (port 443) from your machine to CloudNexus endpoints. For database connections, the managed database endpoints are also outbound-only from your perspective.

Can I bring my own license (BYOL) for operating systems?

Yes, CloudNexus supports BYOL for RHEL, Windows Server, and other commercial operating systems. Contact our sales team for pricing details.

How do I check if my system meets the requirements?

Run the following command after installing the CLI:

cnx system check

This will verify your Node.js/Python version, disk space, network connectivity, and provide a compatibility report.