How do I install the Vast.ai CLI?

Install the vastai package with pip or pipx, then set your API key with the CLI before running authenticated commands.

Can the CLI be used in scripts and CI jobs?

Yes. The CLI is designed for automation: search offers, create instances, inspect state, move files, and destroy resources from shell scripts or CI pipelines.

Where can I find every CLI command?

The Vast.ai docs include command reference pages for search, create, manage, copy, logs, billing, teams, volumes, templates, and serverless workflows.

DEVELOPER TOOLS

Quick Terminal access to the entire platform

The Vast.ai CLI makes it easy to search GPUs, deploy Docker containers, manage instances, and automate full workflows from your terminal.

Get API Key View Docs

vast-terminal

Manage

Manage accounts, billing, templates, keys, volumes, instances, and more from one command surface.

Search

Search efficiently with custom queries for GPU model, price, reliability, location, VRAM, and other offer fields.

Deploy

Launch in seconds, automate scaling workflows, and tear resources down when the job is complete.

Install in seconds

Install the CLI, then connect it to your account with an API key.

pip install vastai
vastai set api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Requires Python 3.9+. Also available via pipx for isolated command-line installs.

How it works

Step 1

Search the Platform

Filter by GPU model, VRAM, price, reliability, location, and 20+ fields. Sort by performance-per-dollar.

$ vastai search offers 'gpu_name=H100_SXM num_gpus>=4 reliability>0.99' -o 'dph' --limit 5

  ID       GPU         Num   VRAM    $/hr    DLPerf   Location
  847291   H100_SXM    4     320GB   $4.12   98.7     US-East
  851003   H100_SXM    4     320GB   $4.28   97.2     EU-West
  849177   H100_SXM    8     640GB   $7.84   99.1     US-West

Step 2

Deploy Your Container

Launch any Docker image on bare-metal GPUs. Pass environment variables, expose ports, mount volumes. SSH access included.

$ vastai create instance 847291 \
    --image nvcr.io/nvidia/pytorch:24.01-py3 \
    --disk 64 --ssh --direct

  {"success": true, "new_contract": 9841205}

Step 3

Monitor & Manage

Check status, stream logs, execute commands, and destroy instances when done. Script your entire workflow.

$ vastai show instances

  ID        GPU          Status    Image                              Cost/hr
  9841205   4x H100_SXM  running   nvcr.io/nvidia/pytorch:24.01-py3   $4.12

$ vastai logs 9841205 --tail 5

  [14:02:45] Model loaded. 70B params, 4-bit quantized.
  [14:02:46] Server ready on :8080

$ vastai destroy instance 9841205

Vast.ai CLI features

20+ Filter Fields

GPU model, VRAM, price, reliability, location, bandwidth, compute capability, and more.

Any Docker Image

Public or private registries. PyTorch, TensorFlow, vLLM, custom images — anything.

Spot Pricing

Bid on interruptible instances. RTX 4090 from $0.14/hr.

SSH & Jupyter

Direct SSH access or launch Jupyter notebooks with --jupyter.

File Transfer

vastai copy moves data between instances or to/from local.

Scripting-First

JSON output with --raw. Pipe to jq. Automate everything.

Real-time GPU pricing

GPUs from $0.14/hr (spot) and $0.50/hr (on-demand)

Thousands of GPUs available across 30+ data centers worldwide.

View Pricing

Got questions? We've got answers.

Visit our frequently asked questions for comprehensive answers to questions about the Vast.ai platform.

Visit FAQ

Deploy your first GPU in 60 seconds

No contracts, no minimums. Get your API key and start building.

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