diff --git a/client/cloudinit/doc.go b/client/cloudinit/doc.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..574b7d79
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/cloudinit/doc.go
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+// Package cloudinit contains types related to [cloudinit](https://cloudinit.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html)
+// to be used by flintlock and its clients.
+//
+// In the struct definitions we have tried to remove usage of pointers and instead rely on the behavior of json
+// marshalling and `omitempty`. Its slightly tricky with boolean values so for these we use *bool vs bool. The
+// reason is that the default value for some cloudinit values is true which isn't the same as the default for bool.
+package cloudinit
diff --git a/client/cloudinit/metadata.go b/client/cloudinit/metadata.go
index 6f16b2a7..8444c4b9 100644
--- a/client/cloudinit/metadata.go
+++ b/client/cloudinit/metadata.go
@@ -4,4 +4,5 @@ type Metadata struct {
 	InstanceID    string `yaml:"instance_id"`
 	LocalHostname string `yaml:"local_hostname"`
 	Platform      string `yaml:"platform"`
+	ClusterName   string `yaml:"cluster_name"`
 }
diff --git a/client/cloudinit/network.go b/client/cloudinit/network.go
index 757d289c..ae393a78 100644
--- a/client/cloudinit/network.go
+++ b/client/cloudinit/network.go
@@ -1,23 +1,23 @@
 package cloudinit
 
 type Network struct {
-	Version  int                  `yaml:"version"`
-	Ethernet map[string]*Ethernet `yaml:"ethernets"`
+	Version  int                 `yaml:"version"`
+	Ethernet map[string]Ethernet `yaml:"ethernets"`
 }
 
 type Ethernet struct {
-	Match       Match        `yaml:"match"`
-	Addresses   []string     `yaml:"addresses,omitempty"`
-	GatewayIPv4 *string      `yaml:"gateway4,omitempty"`
-	GatewayIPv6 *string      `yaml:"gateway6,omitempty"`
-	DHCP4       *bool        `yaml:"dhcp4,omitempty"`
-	DHCP6       *bool        `yaml:"dhcp6,omitempty"`
-	Nameservers *Nameservers `yaml:"nameservers,omitempty"`
+	Match       Match       `yaml:"match"`
+	Addresses   []string    `yaml:"addresses,omitempty"`
+	GatewayIPv4 string      `yaml:"gateway4,omitempty"`
+	GatewayIPv6 string      `yaml:"gateway6,omitempty"`
+	DHCP4       *bool       `yaml:"dhcp4,omitempty"`
+	DHCP6       *bool       `yaml:"dhcp6,omitempty"`
+	Nameservers Nameservers `yaml:"nameservers,omitempty"`
 }
 
 type Match struct {
-	MACAddress *string `yaml:"macaddress,omitempty"`
-	Name       *string `yaml:"name,omitempty"`
+	MACAddress string `yaml:"macaddress,omitempty"`
+	Name       string `yaml:"name,omitempty"`
 }
 
 type Nameservers struct {
diff --git a/client/cloudinit/userdata.go b/client/cloudinit/userdata.go
index b0ddd934..2324214f 100644
--- a/client/cloudinit/userdata.go
+++ b/client/cloudinit/userdata.go
@@ -1,25 +1,25 @@
 package cloudinit
 
 type UserData struct {
-	HostName        *string      `yaml:"hostname,omitempty"`
-	Fqdn            *string      `yaml:"fqdn,omitempty"`
-	Users           *[]User      `yaml:"users,omitempty"`
-	SSHPasswordAuth *bool        `yaml:"ssh_pwauth,omitempty"`
-	DisableRoot     *bool        `yaml:"disable_root,omitempty"`
-	PackageUpdate   *bool        `yaml:"package_update,omitempty"`
-	FinalMessage    *string      `yaml:"final_message,omitempty"`
-	WriteFiles      *[]WriteFile `yaml:"write_files,omitempty"`
-	RunCommands     *[]string    `yaml:"runcmd,omitempty"`
+	HostName        string      `yaml:"hostname,omitempty"`
+	Fqdn            string      `yaml:"fqdn,omitempty"`
+	Users           []User      `yaml:"users,omitempty"`
+	SSHPasswordAuth *bool       `yaml:"ssh_pwauth,omitempty"`
+	DisableRoot     *bool       `yaml:"disable_root,omitempty"`
+	PackageUpdate   *bool       `yaml:"package_update,omitempty"`
+	FinalMessage    string      `yaml:"final_message,omitempty"`
+	WriteFiles      []WriteFile `yaml:"write_files,omitempty"`
+	RunCommands     []string    `yaml:"runcmd,omitempty"`
 }
 
 type User struct {
-	Name              string    `yaml:"name"`
-	Sudo              *string   `yaml:"sudo,omitempty"`
-	Groups            *string   `yaml:"groups,omitempty"`
-	Home              *string   `yaml:"home,omitempty"`
-	Shell             *string   `yaml:"shell,omitempty"`
-	LockPasswd        *bool     `yaml:"lock_passwd,omitempty"`
-	SSHAuthorizedKeys *[]string `yaml:"ssh_authorized_keys,omitempty"`
+	Name              string   `yaml:"name"`
+	Sudo              string   `yaml:"sudo,omitempty"`
+	Groups            string   `yaml:"groups,omitempty"`
+	Home              string   `yaml:"home,omitempty"`
+	Shell             string   `yaml:"shell,omitempty"`
+	LockPasswd        *bool    `yaml:"lock_passwd,omitempty"`
+	SSHAuthorizedKeys []string `yaml:"ssh_authorized_keys,omitempty"`
 }
 
 type WriteFile struct {
diff --git a/infrastructure/firecracker/config.go b/infrastructure/firecracker/config.go
index f3c048d7..0bce88e8 100644
--- a/infrastructure/firecracker/config.go
+++ b/infrastructure/firecracker/config.go
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ func createNetworkIface(iface *models.NetworkInterface, status *models.NetworkIn
 func generateNetworkConfig(vm *models.MicroVM) (string, error) {
 	network := &cloudinit.Network{
 		Version:  cloudInitNetVersion,
-		Ethernet: map[string]*cloudinit.Ethernet{},
+		Ethernet: map[string]cloudinit.Ethernet{},
 	}
 
 	for i := range vm.Spec.NetworkInterfaces {
@@ -174,9 +174,9 @@ func generateNetworkConfig(vm *models.MicroVM) (string, error) {
 		}
 
 		if macAddress != "" {
-			eth.Match.MACAddress = &macAddress
+			eth.Match.MACAddress = macAddress
 		} else {
-			eth.Match.Name = &iface.GuestDeviceName
+			eth.Match.Name = iface.GuestDeviceName
 		}
 
 		if iface.StaticAddress != nil {
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ func generateNetworkConfig(vm *models.MicroVM) (string, error) {
 			}
 		}
 
-		network.Ethernet[iface.GuestDeviceName] = eth
+		network.Ethernet[iface.GuestDeviceName] = *eth
 	}
 
 	nd, err := yaml.Marshal(network)
@@ -211,14 +211,14 @@ func configureStaticEthernet(iface *models.NetworkInterface, eth *cloudinit.Ethe
 		}
 
 		if isIPv4 {
-			eth.GatewayIPv4 = &ipAddr
+			eth.GatewayIPv4 = ipAddr
 		} else {
-			eth.GatewayIPv6 = &ipAddr
+			eth.GatewayIPv6 = ipAddr
 		}
 	}
 
 	if len(iface.StaticAddress.Nameservers) > 0 {
-		eth.Nameservers = &cloudinit.Nameservers{
+		eth.Nameservers = cloudinit.Nameservers{
 			Addresses: []string{},
 		}