# Control Plane Setup


RudderStack's [control plane]({{< ref "get-started/rudderstack-open-source/rudderstack-architecture.md#control-plane" >}}) provides a UI that lets you manage your source and destination configurations.

The easiest way to set up your control plane and manage your configurations is through the RudderStack-hosted control plane, that is, [RudderStack Open Source](https://app.rudderstack.com/signup?type=opensource).

## Control plane setup options

RudderStack gives you two options to set up your control plane:

1. [RudderStack-hosted control plane](#rudderstack-open-source) (RudderStack Open Source).
2. [Self-host control plane](#self-host-control-plane) using Control Plane Lite.

{{< danger >}}
[Control Plane Lite]({{< ref "get-started/rudderstack-open-source/control-plane-lite.md" >}}) is now deprecated and does not work with the latest [`rudder-server`](https://github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-server) versions. 

To set up and manage your connections, using the [RudderStack-hosted control plane](#rudderstack-open-source) is strongly recommended.
{{< /danger >}}

The following sections list the steps to set up your control plane using these options.

### RudderStack Open Source

1. Sign up for [RudderStack Open Source](https://app.rudderstack.com/signup?type=opensource).
2. You will be presented with a **Getting started checklist**. Follow the instructions to set up your connection.

{{< image src="images/rudderstack-open-source/get-started-checklist.webp" alt="Getting started checklist" >}}

3. In the dashboard, go to **Settings** > **Workspace** and copy the **Workspace token**. This token is required to [set up your data plane]({{< ref "get-started/rudderstack-open-source/data-plane-setup/_index.md" >}}).

{{< image src="images/rs-cloud/workspace-token.webp" alt="Workspace Token" >}}

{{< info >}}
The workspace token is a unique identifier of your RudderStack workspace. RudderStack uses this token to automatically read your source-destination configurations when you run the data plane.
{{< /info >}}

### Self-host control plane

Use the [Control Plane Lite]({{< ref "get-started/rudderstack-open-source/control-plane-lite.md" >}}) utility to self-host the control plane. It lets you manage your data pipelines locally by exporting or importing your source-destination configurations from a JSON file.

## Usage

You can use RudderStack Open Source to set up your source-destination connections and manage your data pipelines.

#### Sources

RudderStack Open Source supports only [Event Stream sources]({{< ref "sources/event-streams/_index.md" >}}). It does not support [Reverse ETL]({{< ref "sources/reverse-etl/_index.md" >}}) sources.

{{< success >}}
You can set up Reverse ETL sources in the [RudderStack free and paid plans](https://www.rudderstack.com/pricing/).
{{< /success >}}

#### Destinations

RudderStack Open Source supports the following destination types:
- [Cloud destinations]({{< ref "destinations/streaming-destinations/_index.md" >}})
- [Warehouse destinations]({{< ref "destinations/warehouse-destinations/_index.md" >}})

See the destination-specific documentation for detailed setup steps.

#### Features

RudderStack Open Source supports the following features:

  - [Live Events]({{< ref "monitor/live-events.md" >}}) for better observability into your event flow.
  - [Transformations]({{< ref "transformations/overview.md" >}}) to enhance your in-transit events.