---
title: 5-minute quickstart | Tiger Data Docs
description: Get up and running with Tiger Cloud in 5 minutes
---

In this tutorial, you will create a Tiger Cloud service, connect to it, create your first hypertable, and run a query. By the end you’ll have a working time-series table and see query results, all in under 5 minutes.

For a more extensive lesson on what hypertables are and why they matter, see [Your first hypertable](/docs/build/how-to/your-first-hypertable/index.md).

## Prerequisites for this tutorial

To follow the procedure on this page, you'll need:

- A [Tiger Cloud account](https://console.cloud.tigerdata.com/)

## Step 1: Create a service

1. **Create a service**

   In [Tiger Console](https://console.cloud.tigerdata.com/), click `New service` > `Real-time analytics`. Choose any provider, region, and compute size. Select a development environment with no replicas and no power-ups.

2. **Wait for the service to be ready**

   Click `Create service`. The service is ready in a few seconds.

3. **Download the database config**

   Download the database config and store it somewhere safe, you’ll need the connection string to connect to your service.

For more detail, see [Create a Tiger Cloud service](/docs/get-started/quickstart/create-service/index.md).

## Step 2: Connect to your service

Pick one way to run SQL:

- **Tiger Console (easiest):** In Tiger Console, open your service, then use `Data view` at the top or `SQL Editor` at the bottom. You’re connected as soon as you see the query panel.
- **psql:** From your terminal, run `psql "<your-service-url>"` using the connection string from the config file you downloaded.

Run this to confirm you’re connected:

```
SELECT CURRENT_DATE;
```

You should see today’s date. If you do, you’re ready for the next step. For connection options, including other clients, see [Connect your app](/docs/get-started/quickstart/connect-your-app/index.md).

## Step 3: Create your first hypertable and run a query

We’ll create a small **hypertable** (a table optimized for time-series data), insert a few rows, and query them. You’ll use standard SQL; the database handles partitioning automatically.

1. **Create the hypertable**

   Run this in Tiger Console or your SQL client:

   ```
   CREATE TABLE conditions (
      time        TIMESTAMPTZ       NOT NULL,
      location    TEXT              NOT NULL,
      device      TEXT              NOT NULL,
      temperature DOUBLE PRECISION  NULL,
      humidity    DOUBLE PRECISION  NULL
   ) WITH (
      tsdb.hypertable,
      tsdb.segmentby = 'device',
      tsdb.orderby = 'time DESC'
   );
   ```

   You should see a confirmation that the table was created. The `tsdb.hypertable` option makes this a hypertable partitioned by time.

2. **Insert sample data**

   ```
   INSERT INTO conditions (time, location, device, temperature, humidity)
   VALUES
      (NOW() - INTERVAL '2 hours', 'office', 'sensor-1', 22.1, 45.0),
      (NOW() - INTERVAL '1 hour',  'office', 'sensor-1', 22.3, 44.8),
      (NOW(),                      'office', 'sensor-1', 22.2, 45.1);
   ```

3. **Query the data**

   ```
   SELECT * FROM conditions ORDER BY time DESC;
   ```

   You should see your three rows with the most recent first. You’ve just created a hypertable, inserted time-series data, and queried it, all with standard SQL.

Tips

**What just happened?** The table is partitioned by time into **chunks** behind the scenes. You didn’t have to manage chunks; you just used the table. For the full picture, see [Your first hypertable](/docs/build/how-to/your-first-hypertable/index.md).

## Next steps

- **[Integrate Tiger Cloud with your AI assistant](/docs/get-started/quickstart/mcp-cli/index.md)**: Set up Tiger MCP and manage your service from Claude, Cursor, and other AI assistants.
- **[Your first hypertable](/docs/build/how-to/your-first-hypertable/index.md)**: Go deeper with hypertables, chunks, and time-series queries.
- **[Write and query data](/docs/build/data-management/index.md)**: Learn how to write, query, and manage your time-series data.
- **[Deploy](/docs/deploy/index.md)**: Configure, secure, and manage your Tiger Cloud deployment.