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--- title: Add a Node Array description: Learn how to add node arrays to an Azure CycleCloud cluster to define how nodes of a given type are created, scaled, and deleted. author: dpwatrous ms.date: 06/19/2026 ms.topic: how-to ms.update-cycle: 3650-days ms.author: dawatrou ms.custom: compute-evergreen --- # Add a node array to a cluster Use node arrays to define how the cluster creates and deletes nodes of a certain type as it scales up and down. Each node array has a name, a set of attributes that you apply to each node in the array, and optional attributes that describe how the array scales, such as limits, placement groups, and scale set configuration. This article shows you how to add a node array to an existing cluster by using a template file. [Read more about node arrays.](../concepts/clusters.md#nodes-and-node-arrays) ## Edit the cluster template To add a node array, you need a [template file](~/articles/cyclecloud/how-to/cluster-templates.md) for your cluster. Edit this file and add a new `[[nodearray]]` section under the `[cluster]` section. Give the node array a unique name within the cluster. For example, the following template contains a node array named `highmem` that uses Standard_M64 VMs instead of the value specified in the node defaults (Standard_D4_v2): ```ini # hpc-template.txt [cluster hpc] [[node defaults]] Credentials = $Credentials ImageName = cycle.image.centos7 SubnetId = my-subnet Region = USEast2 MachineType = Standard_D4_v2 [[node scheduler]] [[nodearray highmem]] MachineType = Standard_M64 [parameters Cluster Parameters] [[parameter Credentials]] ParameterType = Cloud.Credentials Label = Credentials [[parameter Region]] ParameterType = Cloud.Region Label = Region DefaultValue = westus2 [[[parameter SubnetId]]] ParameterType = Azure.Subnet Label = Subnet Required = true ``` ## Reimport the modified cluster template To apply the cluster template changes and create the new node array, use the [CycleCloud CLI](../cli.md) to import the template. You must specify the name of the cluster to modify and include the `--force` flag to tell the CLI to overwrite values in the existing cluster. The following command applies the changes to a cluster named `example-cluster`: ```CycleCloud CLI cyclecloud import_cluster example-cluster -f hpc-template.txt -c hpc --force ``` To test your new node array, go to the web UI and select **Add node**. Select the `highmem` array and select **Add** to create a new node. To make further changes, edit the template file and run the import command again.  ## Further reading * [Node and Node Array Reference](../cluster-references/node-nodearray-reference.md)