> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.akua.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Installations
> Install, version-control, and customize applications on your clusters
Installations cover how applications land on your clusters: the per-installation git repositories that make every install auditable, the inputs editor, and the package model that ties it all together.
Every installation gets its own private git repository, whether a customer purchased your product or you installed a tool directly. That repository is the source of truth for the install: the customer's wizard inputs, the composition logic, and the rendered Kubernetes resources your cluster applies.
The git-backed model behind every installation: what it stores and how to use it.
Author package.k, inputs, dependencies, and UI metadata.
Wizard editor, per-install overrides, and staged rollouts.
Check health, stream logs, review changes, and roll back.
Versioned install definitions and input schemas.
How commit history maps to installations and how to roll back.
## Two ways to install
### Product-based installations
Product-based installations are created when customers purchase through the marketplace or an Offer, or when you install a Product manually from your dashboard. Each installation is customer-scoped and points back to the Product and Package version that created it.
Use product-based installations when you are selling software to customers, need marketplace distribution, or want customer installs to inherit product defaults.
### Direct installations
Direct installations let you install applications without a Product or Offer. They are ideal for supporting systems (shared databases, monitoring stacks, API gateways) that your products depend on but that are not sold individually.
Use direct installations when you are setting up infrastructure, internal tools, or services that do not need per-customer billing.
Both installation types follow the same underlying model: a Package version is selected, an installation repository is provisioned, the cluster syncs the rendered manifests, and Akua monitors the [installation lifecycle](/installs/lifecycle).
Direct installations do not point back to a Product. In API responses, `product_id` is present only for product-based installations; every installation still includes its selected Package version.
Most sensitive edits land through [repository change requests](/installs/repository-change-requests): an agent's fix, a partner's update, an automated version bump, or any change that needs review before it reaches the installation. Routine dashboard edits and accepted change requests both resolve to the same repository-backed lifecycle.
## Launch readiness
An installation is ready to launch when the package contract, destination cluster, customer inputs, access path, and operations path are all defined. Check these pieces before you send a customer to an Offer or create a production direct installation:
| Area | What to confirm |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Package version** | The selected Package version is immutable, has the expected defaults, and exposes only the inputs customers should edit. |
| **Cluster and compute** | The target workspace has a healthy cluster with enough compute capacity for the install. |
| **Inputs** | Required inputs have defaults, locked Offer values, or a clear customer-owned value path. |
| **External access** | Web ports that should be reachable have an access path defined in [Networking](/networking). |
| **Operations** | Your team knows where to check status, logs, render history, and rollback options in [Operate an installation](/installs/operations). |
Git pushes and pull requests do not update an installation by themselves. Treat the Package version as the release unit. Create a new Package version or repository change request when you want a reviewed change to reach an installation.
## API
Create product-based installations or direct installations, read their live status, and stream logs over the REST API. Per-endpoint parameters and response shapes live in the auto-generated reference.
Create, read, and delete installations and inspect their lifecycle.
States, renders, status, pods, and logs for a live install.
The git repository behind every installation.
Mint API tokens for programmatic access.
## Related topics
Turn Packages into sellable catalog items.
Set up infrastructure for your installations.
How customers start guided installs from private offer links.
The open-source substrate behind every Akua installation.