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+# Creating and updating a cluster layout
+
+The cluster layout in Garage is a table that assigns to each node a role in
+the cluster. The role of a node in Garage can either be a storage node with
+a certain capacity, or a gateway node that does not store data and is only
+used as an API entry point for faster cluster access.
+An introduction to building cluster layouts can be found in the [production deployment](/cookbook/real_world.md) page.
+
+## How cluster layouts work in Garage
+
+In Garage, a cluster layout is composed of the following components:
+
+- a table of roles assigned to nodes
+- a version number
+
+Garage nodes will always use the cluster layout with the highest version number.
+
+Garage nodes also maintain and synchronize between them a set of proposed role
+changes that haven't yet been applied. These changes will be applied (or
+canceled) in the next version of the layout
+
+The following commands insert modifications to the set of proposed role changes
+for the next layout version (but they do not create the new layout immediately):
+
+```bash
+garage layout assign [...]
+garage layout remove [...]
+```
+
+The following command can be used to inspect the layout that is currently set in the cluster
+and the changes proposed for the next layout version, if any:
+
+```bash
+garage layout show
+```
+
+The following commands create a new layout with the specified version number,
+that either takes into account the proposed changes or cancels them:
+
+```bash
+garage layout apply --version <new_version_number>
+garage layout revert --version <new_version_number>
+```
+
+The version number of the new layout to create must be 1 + the version number
+of the previous layout that existed in the cluster.  The `apply` and `revert`
+commands will fail otherwise.
+
+## Warnings about Garage cluster layout management
+
+**Warning: never make several calls to `garage layout apply` or `garage layout
+revert` with the same value of the `--version` flag. Doing so can lead to the
+creation of several different layouts with the same version number, in which
+case your Garage cluster will become inconsistent until fixed.** If a call to
+`garage layout apply` or `garage layout revert` has failed and `garage layout
+show` indicates that a new layout with the given version number has not been
+set in the cluster, then it is fine to call the command again with the same
+version number.
+
+If you are using the `garage` CLI by typing individual commands in your
+shell, you shouldn't have much issues as long as you run commands one after
+the other and take care of checking the output of `garage layout show`
+before applying any changes.
+
+If you are using the `garage` CLI to script layout changes, follow the following recommendations:
+
+- Make all of your `garage` CLI calls to the same RPC host. Do not use the
+  `garage` CLI to connect to individual nodes to send them each a piece of the
+  layout changes you are making, as the changes propagate asynchronously
+  between nodes and might not all be taken into account at the time when the
+  new layout is applied.
+
+- **Only call `garage layout apply` once**, and call it **strictly after** all
+  of the `layout assign` and `layout remove` commands have returned.