Announcing Virtual Machine Rental on Vast.ai

Have you ever thought about what you could accomplish with more flexibility in your GPU rentals? At Vast.ai, we're always looking for ways to innovate and improve our platform, and today we're excited to announce our latest feature: virtual machine (VM) rental.

We now offer full VMs alongside Docker-based instance rentals. This new offering is designed to support larger customers and more diverse workflows via GPU remote desktop.

Here's everything you need to know to get started!

Virtual Machine Rental: Expanding the Possibilities

The new VM rental option will help meet the demand for use cases that Docker can't easily support. VMs also offer features not available in Docker, such as support for init managers and process tracing.

Key Benefits of Virtual Machine Support Include:

• Enhanced Flexibility: Users can run low level debugging and performance profiling utilities and are not constrained by container environments.
• Kernel-space Customizations: Developers gain granular control over their systems, enabling custom driver installations, kernel tweaks, and integration of specialized frameworks.
• Faster Iteration: Rather than pre-building and pushing custom Docker images, users can run Docker inside the instance.
• Improved Security: Virtual Machines offers an improved  security posture for sensitive workloads.

Host machines can now tap into these advantages, allowing them to attract more renters and capitalize on the increased need for GPU-powered tasks beyond Docker’s capabilities.

Important VM Differences to Know:

VMs do come with some trade-offs compared to Docker-based instances. For example, they have slower creation and boot times, higher disk overhead, and users will have to deal with a smaller selection of machines and lesser availability of preconfigured templates. In addition, only SSH launch mode is currently supported.

Notably, the on-start script field allows users to specify a script to run on instance start. Unlike in Docker-based instances, the interpreter must be specified by a shebang.

Another difference is that the cloud copy utility for VMs only allows migrating the entire VM instead of allowing individual folders to be copied.

Despite these drawbacks, VMs open up new opportunities for both renters and hosts, offering greater flexibility, broader use cases, and the potential for higher earnings.

Empowering Renters, Rewarding Hosts

One thing that sets us apart from other providers is our focus on cost-efficiency. We strive to keep rental costs low for users across the board – and in fact, Vast.ai GPU rentals are ~3-5X cheaper than current alternatives.

At the same time, we want to provide hosts with the opportunity to earn more.

As our COO, Travis Cannell, explains, "We've always believed that democratizing GPU access means offering maximum flexibility. Virtual Machine support was the natural next step, providing more control, ease of use, and enabling researchers to build and iterate."

With the opportunity for both renters and hosts to benefit, it's equally important to ensure that setup is seamless and operations remain secure. Here's how we make that happen.

VMs on Vast: Simple Setup and Strong Security

Getting started with VM rental on Vast.ai is simple. Our hosting software automatically tests host machines for VM compatibility and enables the feature on any machine where it's supported. (There is no requirement to be VM compatible, however.)

For new host machines, these tests will be run upon installation. For machines configured before the VM feature release, testing for VM compatibility will happen at a time when the machine is unoccupied.

And that's it! Host machines that don't have VM support enabled will simply be hidden from search results when VM-based templates are selected.

Privacy and security are built into the system, as well. Hosts and users cannot view someone else's VM, and no one has access to see what any other VM is doing. Users can rent VMs with peace of mind knowing that their virtual environment is private and secure.

Getting Started: Creating a VM

Ready to spin up your first VM? It's as easy as selecting the right template!

1. Make sure you have an SSH key in your account (guide here).
2. Select the Ubuntu 22.04 VM template in the interface or click here to load it.
3. Adjust the disk storage needed and then rent a GPU!

Note: SSH keys cannot be edited on running VMs, and SSH access is currently the only method preconfigured on VM instances. Also, when you select the correct template, it will automatically filter for machines that support VMs and will launch a VM when you rent with that template.

For more detailed information about VM template customization, see our Docs page here.

Power Up with VM Rental on Vast.ai

With our new virtual machine rental feature, we're opening up a world of possibilities for both hosts and renters. Whether you need the flexibility of GPU remote desktops for complex workflows or you're looking to maximize your earning potential as a host, Vast.ai has you covered. We're committed to giving you the tools to succeed – easily, affordably, and securely.

Ready to see what you can accomplish? Experience the power of VM rental with Vast.ai today!