# Introduction to `TiUP`

__*TiUP function*__
__*zz-BGL*__
__*zz-Jeff*__

+ What is `TiUP`?
  + `TiUP` is a cluster administration and operation utility
  + Deploy `TiDB` clusters
  + Start/Stop `TiDB` clusters
  + `Scale-in/Scale-out` `TiDB` clusters
  + Upgrade your `TiDB` clusters`
  + Manage `TiDB` cluster parameters
  + Destroy your `TiDB` clusters
  + It is installed on the control machine

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In the early `TiDB` ecosystem, there was no specific package management utility, and users could only manually manage them through the corresponding configuration files and folder names. Third-party monitoring and reporting utilities such as Prometheus even required additional special management, which greatly increased the difficulty of operation and administer management.

Starting with `TiDB 4.0`, `TiUP`, as a new utility, assumes the role of package manager and manages many components in the `TiDB` ecosystem, such as `TiDB`, `PD`, `TiKV`, etc. When users want to run any component in the `TiDB` ecosystem, they only need to execute a single `TiUP` command, which greatly reduces the management difficulty compared to the previous one.