The document introduces MySQL Clone, a plugin that provides a simple way to create a replica of a MySQL instance. It allows cloning data locally or remotely from a "donor" server to a "recipient" server. The cloning process happens in stages, copying data files, page IDs, and redo logs to keep the recipient synchronized. Monitoring can be done via the performance_schema to check the clone's progress and status. Variables control resources used and networking during the clone operation. It is intended to provision new replication nodes and re-provision returning nodes.