# Setting Up Local Cluster > Downloads and starts a local CockroachDB cluster for development using the official binary. Use when a developer needs a local CockroachDB instance, when no cluster is available, or when setting up a new development environment. - Skill: `cockroachdb/setting-up-local-cluster` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cockroachdb/setting-up-local-cluster` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cockroachdb/setting-up-local-cluster/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: cockroachdb (https://skillmd.com/u/cockroachdb) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cockroachdb/setting-up-local-cluster --- # Setting Up a Local CockroachDB Cluster Guides you through downloading, installing, and starting a local CockroachDB cluster for development. Uses the official binary -- no Docker or external runtime dependencies required. ## When to Use This Skill - Developer asks to "set up CockroachDB" or "start a local database" - No CockroachDB cluster is reachable - Developer wants to build an app with CockroachDB from scratch - Setting up a new development environment ## Prerequisites - macOS (Intel or Apple Silicon), Linux (Intel or ARM), or Windows (Intel) - `curl` or `wget` available for downloading the binary - ~500 MB disk space per node - Ports 26257-26259 (SQL), 26357-26359 (RPC), and 8080-8082 (DB Console) available for a 3-node cluster ## Step 1: Detect Platform and Download Detect the OS and architecture, then download the appropriate binary. ### Download URLs Base URL: `https://binaries.cockroachdb.com/` | OS | Architecture | Filename Pattern | |----|-------------|-----------------| | Linux | Intel (amd64) | `cockroach-v{VERSION}.linux-amd64.tgz` | | Linux | ARM (arm64) | `cockroach-v{VERSION}.linux-arm64.tgz` | | macOS | Intel (amd64) | `cockroach-v{VERSION}.darwin-10.9-amd64.tgz` | | macOS | Apple Silicon (arm64) | `cockroach-v{VERSION}.darwin-11.0-arm64.tgz` | | Windows | Intel (amd64) | `cockroach-v{VERSION}.windows-6.2-amd64.zip` | Replace `{VERSION}` with the desired release (e.g., `25.4.9`). See [CockroachDB Releases](https://www.cockroachlabs.com/docs/releases/) for the latest GA version. ### Installation ```bash # Example: macOS Apple Silicon, v25.4.9 curl -fsSL https://binaries.cockroachdb.com/cockroach-v25.4.9.darwin-11.0-arm64.tgz | tar xz mkdir -p ~/.cockroachdb/bin cp cockroach-v25.4.9.darwin-11.0-arm64/cockroach ~/.cockroachdb/bin/ export PATH="$HOME/.cockroachdb/bin:$PATH" ``` If `cockroach` is already on PATH, skip the download. ## Step 2: Start the Cluster A 3-node cluster is recommended for development because it exercises replication, range distribution, leaseholder balancing, and survival goals -- core CockroachDB capabilities that a single node cannot demonstrate. ### 3-Node Cluster (Recommended) ```bash # Start 3 nodes with separate SQL, RPC, and HTTP ports. # Use $HOME instead of ~ in --store / --log-dir / --pid-file: tilde does not # expand inside --flag=~/... in bash or zsh. cockroach start --insecure --listen-addr=localhost:26357 --sql-addr=localhost:26257 \ --http-addr=localhost:8080 --store=$HOME/.cockroachdb/data/node1 \ --log-dir=$HOME/.cockroachdb/logs/node1 \ --pid-file=$HOME/.cockroachdb/data/node1/cockroach.pid \ --join=localhost:26357,localhost:26358,localhost:26359 --background cockroach start --insecure --listen-addr=localhost:26358 --sql-addr=localhost:26258 \ --http-addr=localhost:8081 --store=$HOME/.cockroachdb/data/node2 \ --log-dir=$HOME/.cockroachdb/logs/node2 \ --pid-file=$HOME/.cockroachdb/data/node2/cockroach.pid \ --join=localhost:26357,localhost:26358,localhost:26359 --background cockroach start --insecure --listen-addr=localhost:26359 --sql-addr=localhost:26259 \ --http-addr=localhost:8082 --store=$HOME/.cockroachdb/data/node3 \ --log-dir=$HOME/.cockroachdb/logs/node3 \ --pid-file=$HOME/.cockroachdb/data/node3/cockroach.pid \ --join=localhost:26357,localhost:26358,localhost:26359 --background # Initialize the cluster (only needed on first start) cockroach init --insecure --host=localhost:26357 ``` ### Single-Node (Lightweight) For minimal resource usage when full cluster capabilities are not needed: ```bash cockroach start-single-node --insecure --listen-addr=localhost:26257 \ --http-addr=localhost:8080 --store=$HOME/.cockroachdb/data/node1 \ --log-dir=$HOME/.cockroachdb/logs/node1 \ --pid-file=$HOME/.cockroachdb/data/node1/cockroach.pid --background ``` ## Step 3: Verify the Cluster ```bash # Check SQL connectivity cockroach sql --insecure --host=localhost:26257 -e "SELECT version();" # Verify all nodes joined (3-node cluster) cockroach node status --insecure --host=localhost:26257 # Check replication factor (should show num_replicas = 3) cockroach sql --insecure --host=localhost:26257 \ -e "SHOW ZONE CONFIGURATION FOR RANGE default;" ``` ## Connection Details | Property | Value | |----------|-------| | SQL URL | `postgresql://root@localhost:26257/defaultdb?sslmode=disable` | | DB Console | `http://localhost:8080` | | User | `root` (no password in insecure mode) | | Database | `defaultdb` | ### Environment Variables for MCP Toolbox ```bash export COCKROACHDB_HOST=localhost export COCKROACHDB_PORT=26257 export COCKROACHDB_USER=root export COCKROACHDB_PASSWORD= export COCKROACHDB_DATABASE=defaultdb export COCKROACHDB_SSLMODE=disable ``` ## Stopping the Cluster ```bash # Graceful shutdown via PID files kill $(cat $HOME/.cockroachdb/data/node1/cockroach.pid) 2>/dev/null kill $(cat $HOME/.cockroachdb/data/node2/cockroach.pid) 2>/dev/null kill $(cat $HOME/.cockroachdb/data/node3/cockroach.pid) 2>/dev/null ``` ## Destroying All Data ```bash rm -rf $HOME/.cockroachdb/data $HOME/.cockroachdb/logs ``` ## Air-Gapped / Restricted Environments For environments without internet access: 1. Pre-download the binary on an allowed machine 2. Transfer to the target machine via approved channels 3. Place at `~/.cockroachdb/bin/cockroach` or any PATH location ## What a 3-Node Cluster Enables | Capability | Single Node | 3-Node | |-----------|-------------|--------| | SQL execution | Yes | Yes | | Replication (num_replicas=3) | No | Yes | | Range distribution | No | Yes | | Leaseholder balancing | No | Yes | | Node failure simulation | No | Yes | | `SHOW RANGES` with real distribution | No | Yes | | Survival goals (`SURVIVE ZONE FAILURE`) | No | Yes | | Contention between nodes | No | Yes | ## Safety Considerations - The cluster runs in **insecure mode** (no TLS, no authentication) -- suitable for local development only. - Data persists in `$HOME/.cockroachdb/data` across restarts. - The binary and data are user-local (`~/.cockroachdb/`) -- no `sudo` or system modifications. - A 3-node cluster uses approximately 750 MB of RAM total. ## References - [Install CockroachDB](https://www.cockroachlabs.com/docs/stable/install-cockroachdb.html) - [Start a Local Cluster](https://www.cockroachlabs.com/docs/stable/start-a-local-cluster.html) - [CockroachDB Releases](https://www.cockroachlabs.com/docs/releases/) - [cockroach start](https://www.cockroachlabs.com/docs/stable/cockroach-start.html) - [cockroach init](https://www.cockroachlabs.com/docs/stable/cockroach-init.html)