--- title: Scale url: https://docs.vultr.com/products/compute/kubernetes/management/node-pool/scale description: Learn how to increase or decrease the number of nodes in a Vultr Kubernetes Engine (VKE) cluster node pool to accommodate your workload requirements. publish_date: 2025-03-27T16:40:37.522827Z last_updated: 2026-05-26T19:00:37.198361Z --- # How to Scale Node Pools in a Vultr Kubernetes Engine Cluster Scaling a Vultr Kubernetes Engine (VKE) cluster involves adjusting the number of worker nodes to match fluctuating workload demands. This can be done by either adding new Node Pools to expand the cluster or resizing existing ones, ensuring the cluster can efficiently handle changing application requirements while maintaining optimal performance. Vultr Kubernetes Engine offers an intuitive process for scaling Node Pools based on the needs of your application. Follow this guide to scale a node pool in your Vultr Kubernetes Engine cluster on your Vultr account using the Vultr Console, API, CLI, or Terraform. === "Vultr Console" 1. Navigate to **Products** and click **Kubernetes**. 2. Click your target VKE cluster to open its management page. 3. Click **Nodes**. 4. To add a new Node Pool, click **Add Node Pool**. 5. Select a **Node Pool Type** and **Plan** from the drop-down. 6. Provide a **Label** and select **Number of Nodes** to attach to the cluster. 7. Click **Create Node Pool**. This will add a new Node Pool to the VKE cluster. 8. Click **Number of Nodes** to resize any existing Node Pool. 9. Choose a Scaling Type amongst **Autoscale** and **Manual**. * **For Autoscale:** set the **Minimum Nodes** and **Maximum Nodes**. * **For Manual:** set the number of **Nodes**. 12. Click **Apply** to resize the Node Pool. === "Vultr API" 1. Send a `GET` request to the [**List all Kubernetes Clusters** endpoint](https://www.vultr.com/api/#tag/kubernetes/operation/list-kubernetes-clusters) and note the target VKE cluster's ID. ```console $ curl "https://api.vultr.com/v2/kubernetes/clusters" \ -X GET \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $VULTR_API_KEY" ``` 1. Send a `POST` request to the [**Create NodePool** endpoint](https://www.vultr.com/api/#tag/kubernetes/operation/create-nodepools) to add a new Node Pool to the VKE Cluster. ```console $ curl "https://api.vultr.com/v2/kubernetes/clusters/{cluster-id}/node-pools" \ -X POST \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ${VULTR_API_KEY}" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "node_quantity": {number-of-nodes}, "min_nodes": {min-number-of-nodes}, "max_nodes": {max-number-of-nodes}, "auto_scaler": true, "tag": "{tag}", "label": "{node-label}", "plan": "{node-plan}" }' ``` Visit the [**Create NodePool** page](https://www.vultr.com/api/#tag/kubernetes/operation/create-nodepools) to view additional attributes you can apply while creating a new Node Pool for your VKE cluster. 1. Send a `GET` request to the [**List NodePools** endpoint](https://www.vultr.com/api/#tag/kubernetes/operation/get-nodepools) to view all Node Pools and note the target Node Pool's ID. ```console $ curl "https://api.vultr.com/v2/kubernetes/clusters/{cluster-id}/node-pools" \ -X GET \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ${VULTR_API_KEY}" ``` 1. Send a `PATCH` request to the [**Update NodePool** endpoint](https://www.vultr.com/api/#tag/kubernetes/operation/update-nodepool) to resize the target Node Pool. ```console $ curl "https://api.vultr.com/v2/kubernetes/clusters/{cluster-id}/node-pools/{node-pool-id}" \ -X PATCH \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ${VULTR_API_KEY}" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "node_quantity": {number-of-nodes}, "min_nodes": {min-number-of-nodes}, "max_nodes": {max-number-of-nodes}, "auto_scaler": true, "tag": "{tag}" }' ``` Visit the [**Update NodePool** page](https://www.vultr.com/api/#tag/kubernetes/operation/update-nodepool) to view additional attributes you can apply while resizing your Node Pool. === "Vultr CLI" 1. List the available VKE clusters in your Vultr account and note the target VKE cluster's ID. ```console $ vultr-cli kubernetes list --summarize ``` 1. Add another Node Pool to the target VKE cluster. ```console $ vultr-cli kubernetes node-pool create \ --label "" \ --plan "" \ --quantity \ --min-nodes \ --max-nodes \ --auto-scaler true \ --tag "" ``` Run `vultr-cli kubernetes node-pool create --help` to view additional options you can apply while creating a new Node Pool for your VKE cluster. 1. List all the available Node Pools in the VKE cluster and note the target Node Pool's ID. ```console $ vultr-cli kubernetes node-pool list --summarize ``` 1. Resize the target Node Pool. ```console $ vultr-cli kubernetes node-pool update \ --quantity \ --min-nodes \ --max-nodes \ --auto-scaler true \ --tag "" \ --node-labels "" ``` Run `vultr-cli kubernetes node-pool update --help` to view additional options you can apply while resizing your Node Pool. === "Terraform" 1. Open your Terraform configuration for the existing VKE cluster. 1. Add a new `node_pools` block or update an existing one to change size or autoscaler settings, then apply. ```terraform resource "vultr_kubernetes" "vke" { # ...existing fields (label, region, version) # resize an existing pool node_pools { node_quantity = 5 label = "pool-a" plan = "vc2-2c-4gb" min_nodes = 3 max_nodes = 8 auto_scaler = true } # optionally add another node pool node_pools { node_quantity = 2 label = "pool-b" plan = "vc2-2c-4gb" } } ``` 1. Apply the configuration and observe the following output: ``` Apply complete! Resources: 0 added, 1 changed, 0 destroyed. ```