Dedicated Compute Cluster

A dedicated compute cluster reserves an isolated Nx Cloud compute environment for your organization, so your Nx Agents run in a cluster provisioned just for your org instead of on the shared multi-tenant pool.

The dedicated cluster lets agents run Docker-in-Docker (DinD) and unlocks additional Nx Cloud add-ons that require isolation in order to run with elevated capabilities.

Nx Cloud add-on

The dedicated compute cluster is an Nx Cloud add-on. Manage it under Settings > Add-ons for your organization. Nx Enterprise customers on single-tenant deployments already run in a dedicated environment and get these capabilities through their deployment.

What it unlocks

A dedicated compute cluster unlocks the following:

• Docker-in-Docker - build and push container images, run Testcontainers, and run any task that needs a Docker daemon, directly on Nx Agents.
• Sandboxing - confine each task to its declared inputs and outputs, and catch any read or write outside them.
• Docker layer caching - reuse Docker build layers across CI runs.
• Docker read-through cache - serve repeated image pulls from a cache close to your agents.
• npm read-through cache - serve repeated npm installs from a cache close to your agents.

DinD is available on every agent in the cluster automatically. The four add-ons are enabled individually once the cluster is active, and are cancelled if you cancel the dedicated compute cluster.

Docker-in-Docker on agents

Every agent in a dedicated compute cluster can run DinD. This lets your tasks build and push container images, run Testcontainers, and execute any workflow that needs a Docker daemon, directly on Nx Agents.

On the shared multi-tenant pool, agents run a fixed set of approved images and cannot run privileged containers. The dedicated cluster lifts that restriction for your organization, so you can run custom agent images and DinD workloads.

Enabling dedicated compute cluster

A dedicated compute cluster is provisioned through your organization settings:

1. Open Settings > Add-ons for your organization.
2. On the Dedicated compute cluster card, click Request add-on and confirm.
3. You will be notified via email when the cluster is ready to use.

Once the cluster is active, the dependent add-ons (sandboxing, Docker layer caching, and the read-through caches) become available to enable on the same page. If you request one of them before the cluster is ready, it is queued and activates automatically when the cluster comes online.