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

# Create a Cluster

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You can create a cluster in a Cockroach Continuum organization by picking an edition, a cloud provider, regions, and a storage model.

## Choose an edition

Continuum offers the Standard and Mission Critical editions. The edition sets the cluster's infrastructure, availability, and feature boundaries, and it is permanent for the cluster. Refer to <InternalLink path="editions-and-add-ons#choose-an-edition">Editions and Add-Ons</InternalLink> for more information.

## Choose a storage model

The storage model is set when you create a cluster. Single-region Mission Critical clusters offer a choice of storage model: usage-based storage (in preview) or provisioned storage. Multi-region Mission Critical clusters use provisioned storage, and Standard clusters run on shared infrastructure with usage-based storage billing. Refer to <InternalLink path="plenum-overview">Cockroach Plenum</InternalLink> for information about usage-based storage.

Mission Critical clusters with usage-based storage must run CockroachDB v26.3 or later.

Plenum-backed Mission Critical clusters are available in the following AWS regions:

* `us-east-1`
* `us-west-2`
* `eu-central-1`
* `eu-west-1`

Standard clusters run on shared infrastructure with usage-based storage billing, separate from Plenum. For supported regions, refer to the Standard tab in <InternalLink version="cockroachcloud" path="regions">CockroachDB Cloud Regions</InternalLink>.

## Enable virtualization

To run <InternalLink path="virtual-clusters">virtual clusters</InternalLink>, enable virtualization when you create a Mission Critical cluster with provisioned storage at this time. This choice is available only at creation: an existing cluster cannot be converted into a host. For what a host provides and how virtual clusters share it, refer to the <InternalLink path="virtualization-overview">virtualization overview</InternalLink>. Requires the <InternalLink path="editions-and-add-ons#add-ons">Cluster Virtualization add-on</InternalLink>.

## Select add-ons

Add-ons that you select at creation are billed on the cluster while active; there is no separate enablement step. Refer to <InternalLink path="editions-and-add-ons#add-ons">Editions and Add-Ons</InternalLink> for more information.

After creation, refer to <InternalLink path="cluster-management">Cluster Management</InternalLink>, or continue with the <InternalLink path="tutorial-quickstart">Quickstart with CockroachDB</InternalLink> to connect to your cluster and run your first queries.