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You can create a Weaviate cluster using the API or from the Control Panel.

We currently support Weaviate version 1.37.4. To view available plans and regions for new clusters, use the List plans endpoint.

Create a Cluster Using the Control Panel

The steps below walk through creating a cluster in the Control Panel on the Vector Databases page.

Create a Vector Database Cluster Using the Control Panel

To create a vector database cluster, go to the Vector Databases page, and then click Create Vector Database. Or click Create at the top of any page and choose Vector Database from the Data Services section of the menu.

Choose a Database Engine

On the Create a Vector Database page, under the Choose a database engine section, select Weaviate. The database engine can’t be changed after creation.

Choose a Database Plan

In the Choose a database plan section, select one of the following options:

Each option shows its combined monthly cost and included resources, such as vCPUs and memory.

After creation, you can increase your cluster’s compute size at any time.

Choose a Datacenter Region

In the Choose a datacenter region section, select a datacenter for your cluster.

Finalize and Create

In the Finalize and Create section, enter a unique name for the cluster and select a project to add it to. After creation, you can move the cluster to another project, but its name can’t be changed.

Managed Weaviate clusters are labeled Public Preview. Review the disclaimer and Managed Weaviate public preview terms before you create the cluster.

Optionally, add tags to organize your cluster for billing and reporting.

When finished, click Create Vector Database.

Clusters typically take five minutes or more to provision. After provisioning, you can connect to your cluster.

Create a Cluster Using the API

The examples below use https://api.digitalocean.com/v2/vector-databases. Authenticate each request with a DigitalOcean API token in the request headers.

Set environment variables before you run the examples:

export DIGITALOCEAN_TOKEN="<your-do-api-token>"
export PROJECT_ID="<your-project-uuid>"

List Available Plans

Send a GET request to the plans endpoint to confirm sizing options and the regions enabled for your account:

curl -X GET "https://api.digitalocean.com/v2/vector-databases/plans" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DIGITALOCEAN_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

The response lists each plan along with its vcpu, usable_memory_mib, disk_mib, pricing, and enabled_regions array.

{
  "plans": [
    {
      "size": "small",
      "vcpu": 1,
      "disk_mib": 3072,
      "usable_memory_mib": 2048,
      "deprecated": false,
      "enabled_regions": ["ams3", "atl1", "ric1", "tor1"]
    }
  ]
}

Create a Cluster

Send a POST request with the cluster name, region, plan size, and project ID:

curl -X POST "https://api.digitalocean.com/v2/vector-databases" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DIGITALOCEAN_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "my-vector-db",
    "region": "tor1",
    "size": "small",
    "project_id": "'"$PROJECT_ID"'",
    "tags": ["production", "ml-team"]
  }'

A successful response returns the cluster object with status: "pending" and a null endpoints field. Provisioning typically completes in about 5 minutes.

{
  "vector_db": {
    "id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    "name": "my-vector-db",
    "region": "tor1",
    "status": "pending",
    "size": "small",
    "config": {
      "default_quantization": "rq",
      "enable_auto_schema": true
    },
    "endpoints": null,
    "tags": ["production", "ml-team"]
  }
}

The status field moves through this lifecycle:

Wait for the Cluster to Become Active

Poll the cluster until status is active and endpoints contains the HTTP and gRPC hosts.

curl -X GET "https://api.digitalocean.com/v2/vector-databases/$CLUSTER_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DIGITALOCEAN_TOKEN"

{
  "vector_db": {
    "id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    "status": "active",
    "endpoints": {
      "http": "https://my-vector-db-abc123.weaviate.digitalocean.com",
      "grpc": "my-vector-db-abc123-grpc.weaviate.digitalocean.com:443"
    }
  }
}

Always read the hostname from the endpoints object instead of constructing it. Hostnames are not stable across cluster recreation.

After the cluster is active, retrieve credentials and connect. See How to Connect to Weaviate Clusters.

For the full API reference, see Vector Databases API.