# Etcd etcd is a dependable, fault-tolerant, and highly available key value store, used to coordinate and back up all the Kubernetes cluster data. It specifically manages data for configurations, the state of the cluster, as well as metadata related to the cluster. etcd provides a single, consistent source of truth regarding the status of the system, its clusters, pods, and the application instances inside them at any given time. In essence, etcd is the data store used to create and maintain this version of the truth. In this section, we demonstrate how to [configure etcd backups](https://github.com/platform9/pcd-docs-gitbook/blob/main/kubernetes/etcd-configure-backup/README.md#configure-etcd-backup-during-cluster-creation), and review [auto$](https://github.com/platform9/pcd-docs-gitbook/blob/main/kubernetes/etcd-secrets-encryption/README.md). --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.platform9.com/managed-kubernetes/5.10/etcd.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.