> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://smallestai-ff1e543d.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Hardware Requirements

> Cluster and hardware specifications for Kubernetes STT deployment

## Cluster Requirements

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Kubernetes Version" icon="dharmachakra">
    **v1.19 or higher**

    v1.24+ recommended
  </Card>

  <Card title="Node Count" icon="server">
    **Minimum 2 nodes**

    * 1 CPU node (control plane/general)
    * 1 GPU node (Lightning ASR)
  </Card>

  <Card title="Total Resources" icon="microchip">
    **Minimum cluster capacity**

    * 8 CPU cores
    * 32 GB RAM
    * 1 NVIDIA GPU
  </Card>

  <Card title="Storage" icon="hard-drive">
    **Persistent volume support**

    * Storage class available
    * 100 GB minimum capacity
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>
  We recommend using L4 or L40s GPUs for the best performance.
</Tip>

## Network Requirements

Ensure the following ports are accessible within the cluster:

| Port | Service       | Purpose                     |
| ---- | ------------- | --------------------------- |
| 7100 | API Server    | Client API requests         |
| 2269 | Lightning ASR | Internal ASR processing     |
| 3369 | License Proxy | Internal license validation |
| 6379 | Redis         | Internal caching            |

### External Access

The License Proxy requires outbound HTTPS access to:

* `api.smallest.ai` (port 443)

<Warning>
  Ensure your cluster's network policies and security groups allow outbound HTTPS traffic from pods.
</Warning>

## Storage Requirements

### Storage Class

Verify a storage class is available:

```bash theme={null}
kubectl get storageclass
```

You should see at least one storage class marked as `(default)` or available.

### For AWS Deployments

If deploying on AWS EKS, you'll need:

* **EBS CSI Driver** for block storage
* **EFS CSI Driver** for shared file storage (recommended for model storage)

<Tip>
  See the [AWS EKS Setup](/v4.0.0/content/on-prem/kubernetes/aws/eks-setup) guide for detailed setup instructions.
</Tip>