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

# Bare metal compatibility

> How to think about Arize AX on bare-metal Kubernetes platforms, and which install guide to use.

Arize AX runs on Kubernetes. For bare-metal environments, start with an existing Kubernetes platform and then follow the Arize AX install guide for that platform.

This page is a compatibility reference, not a host provisioning guide. It does not cover racking hardware, installing an operating system, building a storage backend, provisioning load balancers, or installing Rancher or OpenShift itself.

## Compatible paths

| Environment                | Use this guide                                                                             | Notes                                                                                                                                  |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Rancher-managed Kubernetes | [Installation on Rancher](/ax/selfhosting/installation/installation-on-rancher-bare-metal) | Use when Rancher already manages the target Kubernetes cluster. Rancher can run on cloud, private cloud, or bare-metal infrastructure. |
| OpenShift on bare metal    | [Installation on OpenShift](/ax/selfhosting/installation/installation-on-openshift)        | Use when Red Hat OpenShift already provides the cluster, SCC policy, routes or ingress, storage classes, and object storage access.    |
| Single-host k3s            | [Single-host installation](/ax/selfhosting/installation/installation-on-single-host)       | Development and testing only. Do not use the single-host path for production.                                                          |

## What you still need

Before installing Arize AX, your platform team should already have:

* A working Kubernetes cluster and kubeconfig.
* Storage classes for Arize AX persistent volumes.
* Object storage for Gazette and ArizeDB data, such as cloud object storage, Ceph, or another S3-compatible service managed by your platform team.
* An ingress, load balancer, DNS, and TLS plan for the Arize AX UI and APIs.
* A sizing profile and release distribution from Arize AI.

After those pieces exist, continue with the install guide that matches your Kubernetes platform.