Quick Start Guide
This guide takes you from a brand-new account to a running GPU pod you can SSH into — about 10 minutes. Each step links to a deeper guide if you want detail.
What you’ll accomplish
Sign in, get verified, set up a project and key, fund your wallet, launch a pod, and connect to it.
The path
1. Sign in
Open the portal and sign in with an email code or a social login. Your first sign-in creates your account. → Creating Your Account
2. Create a project
Create a project so your resources and costs have a home. It becomes your active context automatically. → Creating & Switching Projects
3. Add an SSH key
Generate a key in-platform (download the private key once) or upload an existing public key. → SSH Keys
4. Fund your wallet
Add funds so you can launch paid resources. Billing is per-second — you pay only for the GPU fraction and the seconds you use. → Wallet & Billing
5. Launch a pod
Console: go to Pods → Create Pod, pick a GPU (fractional or full), choose a template or image, select your SSH key, and launch. For the full walkthrough, see Creating Pods.
CLI: the fastest path from a terminal:
# Interactive: arrow-select a GPU, pick count + SSH key, confirm
podstack launch
# Or scripted, with flags
podstack gpu instances create --gpu-type <type> --gpu-count 1
See the CLI section for setup and full commands.
6. Connect
ssh root@<pod-address>
# or, with a specific key
ssh -i ~/.ssh/podstack_key root@<pod-address>
See Connecting to Pods for SSH config, port forwarding, and Windows instructions.
Verify it worked
- The pod shows Running in the Pods list (or
podstack gpu instances list). - You get a shell after
ssh, greeted by the PodStack banner. - The dashboard’s Run Rate card now shows an hourly cost.