Cloud computers
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Cloud computers are machines idapt spins up for you on demand, with no server setup. You pick an image and a size, and you get a ready-to-use environment in about a minute ☁️
Free and upEvery signed-in plan includes cloud-computer minutes each week. The free tier gets a weekly allowance on the smallest size, and paid plans include more minutes and larger sizes.
A cloud computer is an instance idapt provisions and configures for you. You pick the base image and size, and idapt handles daemon pairing, security defaults, and monitoring.
Go to the Computers tab and click New cloud computer
Choose a base image: Debian, Ubuntu, Python, Node.js, or a dev environment
Select the size you need. Sizes read as standard.xs through standard.xl (shared vCPU, the right choice for almost everything) and dedicated.s through dedicated.3xl (dedicated cores, several times the price)
Click Launch and wait about a minute for the computer to be ready
Start small. You can terminate a computer and create a larger one later if you need more resources.
A cloud computer moves through these states:
Launching: being provisioned (about a minute).
Running: active and ready to use.
Stopped: powered off, but the server is still reserved for you.
Suspended: containers are backed up and the compute is released.
Terminated: permanently destroyed.
A stopped computer still bills at the full server rate, because the machine is held for you. Only suspend stops the compute charge. Suspend a computer you are done with, and resume it when you need it.
Cloud computers bill per second while running, measured in compute-minutes weighted by the size of the machine: a bigger machine burns your minutes faster. Your plan includes an amount of minutes each week.
When you run past the included minutes, the extra can draw from your Credit balance (a subscriber add-on). If a computer would run and the time cannot be covered, idapt suspends it automatically rather than surprising you with a charge. See Compute minutes for the full breakdown.
The computer's details page shows the running cost. Suspend machines you are not using, and terminate the ones you no longer need.
Every cloud computer boots with the idapt daemon installed and paired. Once it reaches Running you can run commands, browse files, and open a terminal.
The daemon reconnects on its own after restarts and updates itself in the background. If a computer will not come online, see Daemon troubleshooting.
Cloud computers are private by default. When you want an app port to be reachable, forward a port from the computer page or with the CLI. Each forward gives the port an authenticated public URL. See Ports and port forwarding.
The base images are servers without a graphical desktop. For automated browser work, install a headless browser toolkit such as Playwright on a normal instance, then drive it from your scripts or from chat.
If you want an agent to see and click a real on-screen desktop instead, that is a separate feature. See Computer use.
Terminating a cloud computer is permanent. The instance is destroyed and everything on it is lost. This cannot be undone.
To terminate, open the computer's details page, click Terminate, and confirm.
Related articles
Computers
Pair your own machine or launch a cloud one, then let your AI run commands and work with files on it.
Compute minutes
Every plan includes cloud-computer minutes. Here is how they are counted, what happens when they run out, and how to stretch them.
Ports and port forwarding
Forward a port on one of your computers to an authenticated public URL through a tunnel, then close it again.
Daemon troubleshooting
What to do when a paired computer goes offline, fails an update, blocks a capability, or won't reconnect.
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