> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tensor9.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Installing Tensor9

This guide explains how to install the `tensor9` CLI and use it to create a Tensor9 control plane in a dedicated AWS account you own.

## Prerequisites

Before you can use Tensor9, you need to ensure your environment meets the following requirements:

* **Tensor9 API Key**: You must have an API key to use the `tensor9` CLI. If you don't have one, please send an email to [hello@tensor9.com](mailto:hello@tensor9.com) to request one.
* **A dedicated AWS account**: This account should be used exclusively for Tensor9 to avoid conflicts with other resources.

## Install the Tensor9 CLI

Install the **tensor9** CLI via Homebrew (recommended):

```bash theme={null}
brew tap tensor9ine/tensor9
brew install tensor9
```

Alternatively, install via the install script:

```bash theme={null}
curl -sSL https://t9-artifacts-prod-1.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/install-latest.sh | sh
```

Then set your Tensor9 API key:

```bash theme={null}
export T9_API_KEY=<YOUR_API_KEY>
```

**Note:** An API key is required. If you do not have an API key, send email to [hello@tensor9.com](mailto:hello@tensor9.com) to request one.

## Set up your Tensor9 control plane

Your Tensor9 control plane is the engine that manages your customer appliances. It consists of a set of resources that are provisioned directly into your own dedicated Tensor9 AWS account. Your control plane is responsible for:

* Managing your **origin stacks**.
* Creating and managing **appliances**.
* Performing **deployments** to appliances.
* Synchronizing telemetry from appliances back to your **observability sink**.
* Creating **operations endpoints** so that you can remotely operate appliances.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/tensor9/-mcFeQRwipI8DLs5/images/diagrams/control-plane-dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=-mcFeQRwipI8DLs5&q=85&s=c72eb6b9ae40f492562b86510e30f7a6" className="block dark:hidden" width="3942" height="3386" data-path="images/diagrams/control-plane-dark.png" />

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/tensor9/-mcFeQRwipI8DLs5/images/diagrams/control-plane-light.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=-mcFeQRwipI8DLs5&q=85&s=471c2d8c1ea5cf95c40f1833307a67bb" className="hidden dark:block" width="3942" height="3384" data-path="images/diagrams/control-plane-light.png" />

To set up your Tensor9 control plane, run the following command. This process can take several minutes to complete.

```bash theme={null}
tensor9 vendor setup \
  -cloud aws \
  -region <YOUR-REGION> \
  -awsProfile <YOUR_AWS_CLI_PROFILE>
```

Replace `<YOUR-REGION>` with the AWS region you are using and `<YOUR_AWS_CLI_PROFILE>` with the name of your configured AWS CLI profile.

If your environment is AWS, setup automatically provisions an PrivateLink endpoint service that makes [AWS PrivateLink](/customer/security/security-model#no-inbound-network-access) available as a network path for the appliance-to-control-plane channel. Pass `-noAwsPrivateLinkRdv` on the setup command to suppress the endpoint service, which removes PrivateLink as a network-path option for your form factors.

### Verify your control plane

Once the setup command completes, you can verify that your control plane is up and running by using the `tensor9 report` command. This command provides a summary of your Tensor9 control plane, including its health status.

```bash theme={null}
tensor9 report
```

For a newly created control plane with no apps or appliances yet, the output will look like this:

```
Vendor: Acme Software [id: 000000000000003b]:
            Name: Acme Software

    Apps: (0)

    Customer Appliances: (0)

    Test Appliances: (0)
```

This confirms your control plane is running and ready to use. You can now proceed to create your first app and begin deploying to customer appliances.

## Next steps

Now that your control plane is installed and running, explore these topics to start using Tensor9:

* [**Quick Start: Terraform**](/getting-started/quick-start-terraform): Deploy your first application using Terraform
* [**How Tensor9 Works**](/fundamentals/how-tensor9-works): Understand the deployment workflow
* [**Origin Stacks**](/fundamentals/origin-stacks): Learn how to define your application infrastructure
* [**Key Concepts**](/fundamentals/key-concepts): Understand the core terminology and concepts