CouchDB 2.0 can be used in a single-node and cluster setup configuration. A single-node CouchDB 2.0 installation is what most users will be using. It is roughly equivalent to the CouchDB 1.x-series. Note that a single-node setup obviously doesn’t take any advantage of the new scaling and fault-tolerance features in CouchDB 2.0.
After installation and initial startup, visit Fauxton at http://127.0.0.01:5984/_utils#setup. You will be asked to set up CouchDB as a single-node instance or set up a cluster.
When you click “Single-Node-Setup”, you will get asked for an admin username and password. Choose them well and remember them. You can also bind CouchDB to a public port, so it is accessible within your LAN or the public, if you are doing this on a public VM.
When you run 2.0 as a single node, it doesn’t create system databases on startup. You have to do this manually:
curl -X PUT http://127.0.0.1:5984/_users
curl -X PUT http://127.0.0.1:5984/_replicator
curl -X PUT http://127.0.0.1:5984/_global_changes
See the next section for the cluster setup instructions.
See the Cluster Reference for details.