Cloud Connectors

Deployments Cloud

What are cloud connectors?

Cloud connectors are managed, hosted connector instances that run in nara’s cloud infrastructure. They provide the same tool execution capabilities as self-hosted edge connectors, but without the need to install and maintain software on your own machines.

Use cloud connectors when you need a connector that is always available, managed by the platform, and does not require access to on-premise resources.

Note

Cloud connectors are best suited for tools that interact with cloud-accessible APIs and services. If your tools need access to local network resources, file systems, or on-premise infrastructure, use a self-hosted Edge Connector instead.

Lifecycle

A cloud connector moves through a defined set of states:

provision --> start --> running --> stop --> stopped --> delete

State	Description
Provisioning	The cloud infrastructure is being allocated for the connector instance. This may take a few moments.
Stopped	The connector instance exists but is not running. No tool executions are possible in this state.
Starting	The connector is booting up and establishing its WebSocket connection to the platform.
Running	The connector is active, connected, and ready to execute tool calls.
Stopping	The connector is gracefully shutting down. In-progress tool calls will complete before the connection closes.

Provisioning a cloud connector

1. Navigate to Admin > Deployments and select the deployment that should host the cloud connector.

2. Click Provision Cloud Connector.

3. The platform allocates a cloud instance for the connector. This typically completes within 30 to 60 seconds.

4. Once provisioning is complete, the connector appears in the deployment’s connector list with a Stopped status.

5. Click Start to bring the connector online. It will establish a WebSocket connection and begin accepting tool calls.

Tip

You can provision multiple cloud connectors per deployment for redundancy or load distribution. Tool calls are routed to any available connector in the deployment.

Starting and stopping

Starting

To start a stopped cloud connector:

1. Open the deployment containing the connector.
2. Locate the cloud connector in the connector list.
3. Click Start.
4. The connector transitions to Starting and then Running once its WebSocket connection is established.

A running cloud connector will appear in the deployment’s active connector count and can receive tool execution requests.

Stopping

To stop a running cloud connector:

1. Open the deployment containing the connector.
2. Locate the cloud connector in the connector list.
3. Click Stop.
4. The connector gracefully shuts down, completing any in-progress tool calls before closing its connection.

Stopped connectors retain their configuration and can be restarted at any time without reprovisioning.

Checking status

You can check the status of a cloud connector at any time:

• Via the UI — open the deployment and view the connector list. Each cloud connector shows its current state (provisioning, running, stopped) alongside its last heartbeat timestamp.
• Via the CLI — run edge-connector cloud status to retrieve the current state from the command line.

Force-completing stuck operations

In rare cases, a provisioning, start, or stop operation may become stuck due to infrastructure issues. If a cloud connector remains in a transitional state (provisioning, starting, or stopping) for an extended period:

1. Open the deployment containing the stuck connector.

2. Click the Force Complete action on the stuck connector.

3. The platform marks the operation as complete and moves the connector to its next logical state (stopped after a failed provision or start, stopped after a stuck stop).

4. You can then retry the operation or delete the connector and provision a new one.

Caution

Force-completing an operation does not guarantee the underlying infrastructure action succeeded. If the connector fails to start after a force-complete, delete it and provision a fresh instance.

Deleting cloud connectors

To permanently remove a cloud connector:

1. Stop the connector if it is currently running.
2. Click Delete on the connector entry.
3. Confirm the deletion.

Deleting a cloud connector releases the underlying cloud infrastructure and removes it from the deployment. This action cannot be undone.

CLI equivalent

If you use the edge connector CLI, the following subcommands provide equivalent functionality:

edge-connector cloud provision --deployment <deployment-id>
edge-connector cloud start --deployment <deployment-id>
edge-connector cloud stop --deployment <deployment-id>
edge-connector cloud status --deployment <deployment-id>
edge-connector cloud delete --deployment <deployment-id>

Next steps

Managing Deployments Configure deployments that host your cloud and self-hosted connectors.

Target Versions Pin deployments to specific tool bundle versions.

Edge Connector Install a self-hosted edge connector for on-premise tool execution.