»HCP Consul Usage Overview
HCP Consul simplifies the process of creating Consul servers. To get started with HCP Consul, you first need to:
- Create a Consul cluster.
- Connect the cluster to your infrastructure environment.
- Deploy Consul clients.
»Create a Consul Cluster
In HCP, a cluster is a set of Consul server agents that perform process-heavy functions, such as responding to queries and managing access control lists (ACLs). All clusters exist in your HashiCorp virtual network (HVN), which is the parent entity for Consul’s resources.
To learn how to create clusters with HCP Consul, refer to Create Clusters.
»Connect the Cluster to Your Infrastructure Environment
After you create a Consul server cluster, you need to connect your HVN to your infrastructure environment. You can establish a connection with a peering connection or a transit gateway attachment, depending on the environment. You must also specify routes, which direct network traffic between the HVN and a target connection.
To learn how to connect the cluster to your infrastructure environment, refer to:
»Deploy Consul Clients
The final step is to deploy a Consul client. Consul servers and clients are necessary for discovering and connecting services. While servers are deployed in HCP and are fully managed by HashiCorp, Consul clients are deployed to the infrastructure environment where your services are located. To learn more, refer to Deploy Clients.
Tutorials: Complete one of the following tutorials for a hands-on experience deploying Consul clients: