--- title: Getting Started description: How to deploy and install Istio in ambient mode. weight: 2 aliases: - /docs/ops/ambient/getting-started - /latest/docs/ops/ambient/getting-started owner: istio/wg-networking-maintainers skip_list: true test: yes --- This guide lets you quickly evaluate Istio's {{< gloss "ambient" >}}ambient mode{{< /gloss >}}. You'll need a Kubernetes cluster to proceed. If you don't have a cluster, you can use [kind](/docs/setup/platform-setup/kind) or any other [supported Kubernetes platform](/docs/setup/platform-setup). These steps require you to have a {{< gloss >}}cluster{{< /gloss >}} running a [supported version](/docs/releases/supported-releases#support-status-of-istio-releases) of Kubernetes ({{< supported_kubernetes_versions >}}). ## Download the Istio CLI Istio is configured using a command line tool called `istioctl`. Download it, and the Istio sample applications: {{< text syntax=bash snip_id=none >}} $ curl -L https://istio.io/downloadIstio | sh - $ cd istio-{{< istio_full_version >}} $ export PATH=$PWD/bin:$PATH {{< /text >}} Check that you are able to run `istioctl` by printing the version of the command. At this point, Istio is not installed in your cluster, so you will see that there are no pods ready. {{< text syntax=bash snip_id=none >}} $ istioctl version no ready Istio pods in "istio-system" {{< istio_full_version >}} {{< /text >}} ## Install Istio on to your cluster `istioctl` supports a number of [configuration profiles](/docs/setup/additional-setup/config-profiles/) that include different default options, and can be customized for your production needs. Support for ambient mode is included in the `ambient` profile. Install Istio with the following command: {{< text syntax=bash snip_id=install_ambient >}} $ istioctl install --set profile=ambient --skip-confirmation {{< /text >}} It might take a minute for the Istio components to be installed. Once the installation completes, you’ll get the following output that indicates all components have been installed successfully. {{< text syntax=plain snip_id=none >}} ✔ Istio core installed ✔ Istiod installed ✔ CNI installed ✔ Ztunnel installed ✔ Installation complete {{< /text >}} {{< tip >}} You can verify the installed components using the command `istioctl verify-install`. {{< /tip >}} ## Install the Kubernetes Gateway API CRDs {{< boilerplate gateway-api-install-crds >}} You will use the Kubernetes Gateway API to configure traffic routing. ## Next steps Congratulations! You've successfully installed Istio with support for ambient mode. Continue to the next step to [install the demo application and add it to the ambient mesh](/docs/ambient/getting-started/deploy-sample-app/).