Before you start
Confirm the access, project context, and basic terms you need before creating tenant resources.
Use this checklist before you create your first VM, publish an app, or start using Terraform.
Registration and permissions
You cannot register by opening Skyline directly. New users receive an invite link.
Use the invite link to complete registration with GitHub through auth.mustelinet.com, then wait for the mustelinet team to configure the right group permissions for your OpenStack project. See Invites and project access for the full flow.
🔐 Access is a two-step process
Completing GitHub registration does not automatically grant project access. Wait for the mustelinet team to configure group permissions before creating resources.
What you need
Before using mustelinet as a tenant, make sure you have:
- A mustelinet invite link.
- Completed GitHub registration through
auth.mustelinet.com. - Group permissions configured for the OpenStack project you plan to use.
- The Skyline dashboard URL:
https://skyline.openstack.mustelinet.com. - Enough project quota for the resources you want to create.
- A browser for Skyline and mustelinet SSH sign-in.
- OpenSSH on your workstation if you need external VM shell access through mustelinet SSH.
- Terraform and an application credential if you want repeatable automation.
If you completed registration but cannot access Skyline or do not see the expected project, wait for the project group permissions to be configured before creating resources.
Invite and project access
Use this when login works but the expected project or permissions are missing.
First VM network
Build the project network, subnet, router, and external gateway before launching a VM.
mustelinet SSH
Check the tenant SSH route and requirements before troubleshooting shell access.
Terraform
Use application credentials and local-only secrets for repeatable environments.
Basic terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tenant | A user or team consuming the cloud through an OpenStack project. These docs are written for tenants, not platform operators. |
| Project | The OpenStack scope that owns instances, networks, volumes, floating IPs, application credentials, and quotas. |
| Skyline | The web dashboard for creating, inspecting, and troubleshooting tenant resources. |
| Instance | A virtual machine in your project. |
| Image | The operating system template used to boot an instance. |
| Flavor | The vCPU, RAM, and disk size selected for an instance. |
| Project network | The private network your instances attach to. |
| Router | The network resource that connects a project network to the provider or external gateway. |
| Security group | Project firewall rules applied to instance or load balancer ports. |
| Floating IP | An address from the tenant floating IP range. On mustelinet, this range is used by the edge model and is not a public internet IP range to connect to directly. |
| Generated DNS name | A mustelinet DNS name under apps.mustelinet.com generated from floating IP ownership. VM names use the <vm_id>.<project_id>.apps.mustelinet.com convention. |
| Skyline console | Dashboard VM access through the instance console. It can be used with a VM password without floating IP exposure. |
| mustelinet SSH | The Pomerium-backed tenant SSH path. It authenticates users through GitHub SSO at auth.mustelinet.com instead of direct internet SSH to a floating IP. |
| Application credential | A project-scoped OpenStack credential for Terraform, CI, and API automation. |
First resource path
For a first VM, build the path in this order:
- Confirm the project in Skyline.
- Create a project network, subnet, router, and external gateway.
- Launch the VM on that network.
- Choose Login Type
Passwordfor Skyline console access, or plan mustelinet SSH exposure. - For console-only access, open the VM Console after the VM is active.
- For external SSH or public apps, add the required security group rule, associate a floating IP, find the generated DNS name, and use the mustelinet route.
The result is a VM you can reach through Skyline console access, or through mustelinet access routes when you intentionally expose it.
When to use Skyline or Terraform
Use Skyline when you are learning the platform, creating a small number of resources, inspecting state, or troubleshooting.
Use Terraform when the resources should be repeatable, reviewed by a team, rebuilt later, or kept consistent across environments.