Systems and methods for centralized configuration and monitoring of a distributed computing cluster are disclosed. One embodiment of the disclose technology enables deployment and central operation a complete Hadoop stack. The application automates the installation process and reduces deployment time from weeks to minutes. One embodiment further provides a cluster-wide, real time view of the services running and the status of the host machines in a cluster via a single, central place to enact configuration changes across the computing cluster which further incorporates reporting and diagnostic tools to optimize cluster performance and utilization.