Creating your First Cloudant NoSQL Database in Just 5 Minutes
Tags: cloud, database, beginners, howto
Published: 2021-06-04 18:27:55

Over the last month, I have been hosting webinars that has walked developers through the basics of Cloudant NoSQL DB and how you can use them with React and NodeJS. In an effort to make another resource devs can refer to when developing with Cloudant NoSQL DB, I will be creating a series of blogs that touch on various aspects of creating, configuring and connecting to Cloudant NoSQL DB.

In this short blog, I will show you step-by-step how to create your first Cloudant NoSQL Database.

The only thing you will need to follow along with these steps is a 🔥FREE🔥 IBM Cloud Lite Account. [Click Here](https://cloud.ibm.com/registration) to quickly sign-up.

So without further ado, **Let's Do this!**


### Step 1: Login to IBM Cloud Account

Navigate to the [IBM Cloud Login page](https://cloud.ibm.com/login) and sign-in. Once signed in, you should be presented with IBM Cloud Dashboard Page:

![1-Dashboard](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/yqj8sxu9o0qur12epr1q.png)

![Blank Spacer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3pwabyxv7p1h5mr1zae.png)

### Step 2: Select "Create Resource button"

Once on the Dashboard Page, Select the "Create Resource" button (in the upper right hand corner):

![1-Dashboard-Create-Service-Button](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/6uadylwnqlod7l1ai4pi.png)

![Blank Spacer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3pwabyxv7p1h5mr1zae.png)

### Step 3: Search "Cloudant" on Create Service Page
 
Once you have selected the "Create Resource" button, you will be navigated to the IBM Cloud service page which holds all services in the IBM Cloud catalog. In the Search bar on the page, enter the word "Cloudant":
 
![3-Search_Cloudant](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/adyo74v612y0u954sosl.png)

![Blank Spacer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3pwabyxv7p1h5mr1zae.png)

### Step 4: Select "Cloudant" Service

Once you have searched "Cloudant", select the service named "Cloudant" that should appear in the auto-search dropdown:

![4-Search_Cloudant_Selected-Highlight](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/w9ud9bqgny256bgoud81.png) 

![Blank Spacer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3pwabyxv7p1h5mr1zae.png)

### Step 5: Configure Cloudant Service for Use

Once we select the Cloudant Service option we should be presented with the Cloudant Service Configuration page, that looks like this:

![5-Creating_Cloudant_Service](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/0iimgtgz4th8cxczg4gy.png)

![Blank Spacer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3pwabyxv7p1h5mr1zae.png)

On this page we will be doing a few quick things.

First, we ensure that the "Multitenant" environment option is highlighted (ensures free instance of Cloudant) and select the location nearest to us in from the Region select drop-down:

![6-Select-Region-Crop](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ctvyhj2qlexumrnm8rmv.png)
 
![Blank Spacer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3pwabyxv7p1h5mr1zae.png)

Once we've done that, we will give our instance of this Cloudant service a name (whatever you'd like), select a Resource group ("Default" is fine), and add a searchable tag for the future, if we so desire:

![9-Add_Tag-Crop](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/qn15dd9iwao9vt7f81hd.png)
 
![Blank Spacer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3pwabyxv7p1h5mr1zae.png)

Finally, we will select the method that we would like to authenticate to our Cloudant service. If you are just learning Cloudant, I recommend selecting the "IAM and Legacy Credentials" options as it gives you more flexibility in the future. Also, ensure that the "Lite" plan is selected as it is the **Free** version of Cloudant:

![10a-Select-IAM_and_Legacy-Crop](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/5gzzrnxpw5msu9bocmzs.png)

![11a-Select_Lite_Plan-Crop](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/g0ipmjx0osfu42ftshyv.png)
 

![Blank Spacer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3pwabyxv7p1h5mr1zae.png)

### Step 6: Creating Your Cloudant Service

Once you have finished configuring your Cloudant service, just click the "Create" Button in the bottom right-hand section of the page. It will be begin creating the service and you may receive a dialog informing you it is provisioning. The Provisioning process usually takes around 2-3 minutes to complete:

![11b-Select_Lite_Plan-Create-Button](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/zucoolxslx2f3x30pti1.png)
 
![12a-Creating_Service-Corp](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/lmbmp7urmg1tu7l8fw3i.png)

![12b-Creating_Service-Crop](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/1pifsdg1je7u9jpi2ih1.png)

![Blank Spacer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3pwabyxv7p1h5mr1zae.png)

### Step 7: Open Your Newly Create Cloudant Service

After you create your Cloudant service, you should be automatically navigated to IBM Cloud Resource page, if not, [click here](https://cloud.ibm.com/resources) to navigate there. Once there, wait until your newly created service (under the "Service") changes from "Provision in Progress" to "Active":

![13-Cloudant_Service_Provisioning-Crop](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/il7cfiswuy5yuj43jx00.png) 
 
![14-Cloudant_Service_Active-Crop](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/g1kp9z35dai57fjy0n97.png) 

![Blank Spacer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3pwabyxv7p1h5mr1zae.png)

Once the service is "Active", Open the service by selecting it's name:

![15a-Select_Created_Service-Crop](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/88z10pvk3y9yn6ugqjvy.png)
 

![Blank Spacer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3pwabyxv7p1h5mr1zae.png)

You should then be presented with your Cloudant services "Service Overview" page (which holds general information about your service):


![16-Cloudant-Service-Overview](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/uj24dvsltvugia8tend9.png)

![Blank Spacer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3pwabyxv7p1h5mr1zae.png)

### Step 8: Open/Launch Your Cloudant NoSQL DB Environment

Now that you have successfully created your service and navigated to its overview page, let's launch your Cloudant NoSQL DB Environment. In the top right corner of the page, Select the "Launch" button:

![17-Launch-Dashboard-Button-Crop](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/jd0bdu6ckrwbsiiadxcz.png)

![Blank Spacer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3pwabyxv7p1h5mr1zae.png)

And just like that you should be presented with your brand-new Cloudant NoSQL DB, ready to be leveraged in any way you so like: 

![18-Cloudant-Dashboard](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ee0knbqxnjpst24yhzl0.png)

![Blank Spacer](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q3pwabyxv7p1h5mr1zae.png)

---

Viola! You've done it! You have created your first Cloudant NoSQL Database service. And look how quick that was!

I encourage you to explore the Cloudant NoSQL DB environment and get accustomed to the space and some of it's features.

In my next blogs, I will cover some of the basics of the Cloudant NoSQL DB and it's environment. 

And if you are looking to learn more, check out the replays of some of my past webinars where I talk about the nitty-gritty of the basics of Cloudant NoSQL DB and how they relate to React and NodeJS.

**React and Databasing: Basics of Cloudant NoSQL DB**
https://www.crowdcast.io/e/react-and-basics-of-ibm

**NodeJS and Databasing: Basics of Cloudant NoSQL DB**
https://www.crowdcast.io/e/nodejs-and-databasing


Thanks for checking out this blog and until next time!

----

LOOKING TO LEARN A THING? Check out some of my previous blogs and tutorials:

[Dockers and Dad Jokes: How to Containerize a ReactJS Application](https://dev.to/ibmdeveloper/dockers-and-dad-jokes-how-to-containerize-a-reactjs-application-5no)

[Deploying your first ReactJS application into the Cloud](https://dev.to/ibmdeveloper/deploying-your-first-reactjs-application-into-the-cloud-31je)

Creating Your Own Chat Room with React, Node, and Socket.io in the Cloud [Part 1](https://dev.to/ibmdeveloper/creating-your-own-chat-room-with-react-node-and-socket-io-in-the-cloud-part-1-13dg) [Part 2](https://dev.to/ibmdeveloper/creating-your-own-chat-room-with-react-node-socket-io-and-the-cloud-part-2-4l12)

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