launch-instance

Launch a Vast.ai GPU Instance

Guide the user through launching a GPU instance on Vast.ai.

User Request

$ARGUMENTS

Instructions

Step 1: Determine the Offer

If the user provided an offer ID (number), use it directly.

If they described requirements, search first:

vastai search offers '<query>' -o 'dph_total'

Present top options and ask the user to pick one.

Step 2: Gather Configuration

Setting	Flag	Default
Docker image	--image	Ask user (suggest pytorch/pytorch)
Disk size	--disk	64 GB
Access method	--ssh / --jupyter / --jupyter-lab	--ssh
Direct connect	--direct	No (not all machines support it)
Startup script	--onstart-cmd	None
Environment/ports	--env	None
Pricing	--bid_price	On-demand (no flag)
Label	--label	None
Template	--template_hash	None
Volume	--create-volume / --link-volume	None
Mount path	--mount-path	None
Entrypoint	--entrypoint	Container default
Container user	--user	root

Common images: pytorch/pytorch, nvidia/cuda:12.1.0-devel-ubuntu22.04, vllm/vllm-openai:latest, tensorflow/tensorflow:latest-gpu

Step 3: Launch

vastai create instance <OFFER_ID> \
  --image <IMAGE> \
  --disk <GB> \
  --ssh \
  [--env '<DOCKER_OPTS>'] \
  [--onstart-cmd '<SCRIPT>'] \
  [--label '<NAME>']

Alternatively, auto-select an offer:

vastai launch instance -g <GPU_NAME> -n <NUM_GPUS> -i <IMAGE> -d <DISK> --ssh

Step 4: Verify & Connect

After creation succeeds (note the new_contract instance ID):

# Wait for running status
vastai show instances

# Get SSH connection
vastai ssh-url <INSTANCE_ID>

Provide the user with the SSH command or Jupyter URL.

Step 5: Volume Setup (if needed)

# With new volume
vastai create instance <OFFER_ID> --image <IMG> --ssh --disk 64 \
  --create-volume <VOLUME_OFFER_ID> --volume-size 100 --mount-path /root/data

# With existing volume
vastai create instance <OFFER_ID> --image <IMG> --ssh --disk 64 \
  --link-volume <VOLUME_ID> --mount-path /root/data

Safety

• Always confirm offer ID and $/hr cost before creating
• Remind user to vastai destroy instance <ID> when done
• Warn about interruptible instances losing work if preempted
• For spot: use --bid_price — if bid is too low, instance won't start