diff --git a/src/client.ts b/src/client.ts
index 7d97449c0..ed40d1836 100644
--- a/src/client.ts
+++ b/src/client.ts
@@ -201,10 +201,32 @@ export default class Client extends API {
     // @ts-expect-error kChild symbol is for internal use only
     if ((opts.cloud != null) && opts[kChild] === undefined) {
       const { id } = opts.cloud
+      if (typeof id !== 'string') {
+        throw new errors.ConfigurationError('Cloud ID must be a string.')
+      }
+
+      const parts = id.split(':')
+      if (parts.length !== 2 || parts[1] === '') {
+        throw new errors.ConfigurationError(
+          'Cloud ID must be in the format "name:base64string".'
+        )
+      }
+
       // the cloud id is `cluster-name:base64encodedurl`
       // the url is a string divided by two '$', the first is the cloud url
       // the second the elasticsearch instance, the third the kibana instance
-      const cloudUrls = Buffer.from(id.split(':')[1], 'base64').toString().split('$')
+
+      let cloudUrls
+      try {
+        cloudUrls = Buffer.from(parts[1], 'base64').toString().split('$')
+      } catch (err) {
+        throw new errors.ConfigurationError('Cloud ID base64 decoding failed.')
+      }
+      if (cloudUrls.length < 2 || cloudUrls[0] === '' || cloudUrls[1] === '') {
+        throw new errors.ConfigurationError(
+          'Cloud ID base64 must contain at least two "$" separated parts: "<cloudUrl>$<esId>[$<kibanaId>]".'
+        )
+      }
 
       opts.node = `https://${cloudUrls[1]}.${cloudUrls[0]}`
 
diff --git a/test/unit/client.test.ts b/test/unit/client.test.ts
index 97cba4186..d7679a7fe 100644
--- a/test/unit/client.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/client.test.ts
@@ -300,9 +300,25 @@ test('Elastic Cloud config', t => {
   t.equal(connection?.url.hostname, 'abcd.localhost')
   t.equal(connection?.url.protocol, 'https:')
 
+  t.test('Invalid Cloud ID will throw ConfigurationError', t => {
+    t.throws(() => new Client({
+      cloud : {
+        id : 'invalidCloudIdThatIsNotBase64'
+      },
+      auth : {
+        username: 'elastic',
+        password: 'changeme'
+      }
+
+    }), errors.ConfigurationError)
+    t.end()
+  })
+
   t.end()
 })
 
+
+
 test('Override default Elastic Cloud options', t => {
   const client = new Client({
     cloud: {