> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.thundercompute.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Launch your first instance using the Thunder Compute Console. A web interface to provision cloud GPU resources and initialize environments.

export const QuickstartCard = ({ title, icon, href, children, selected }) => {
  const enter = e => { if (selected) return; const el = e.currentTarget; el.style.borderColor = '#555'; el.querySelector('[data-title]').style.color = '#fff'; el.querySelector('[data-sub]').style.opacity = '0.7'; el.querySelector('[data-icon]').style.opacity = '0.7'; };
  const leave = e => { if (selected) return; const el = e.currentTarget; el.style.borderColor = '#333'; el.querySelector('[data-title]').style.color = ''; el.querySelector('[data-sub]').style.opacity = '0.5'; el.querySelector('[data-icon]').style.opacity = '0.35'; };
  return (
  <a href={href} className="group" style={{ textDecoration: 'none', borderBottom: 'none', color: 'inherit', display: 'block', marginBottom: '0.75rem' }}>
    <div className="border rounded-xl p-5 transition-all duration-150 border-zinc-200 dark:border-zinc-800" style={{
      minHeight: '8rem',
      height: '100%',
      borderWidth: '1.5px',
      borderColor: selected ? '#95c5ea' : '#333',
    }} onMouseEnter={enter} onMouseLeave={leave}>
      <div data-icon style={{ marginBottom: '0.75rem', opacity: selected ? 1 : 0.35, transition: 'opacity 0.15s ease' }}>
        <Icon icon={icon} size={24} color="#95c5ea" />
      </div>
      <div data-title style={{ fontWeight: 600, fontSize: '1.05rem', marginBottom: '0.25rem', color: selected ? '#fff' : undefined, transition: 'color 0.15s ease' }}>{title}</div>
      <div data-sub style={{ fontSize: '0.9rem', opacity: selected ? 0.7 : 0.5, transition: 'opacity 0.15s ease' }}>{children}</div>
    </div>
  </a>
  );
};

<Columns cols={4}>
  <QuickstartCard title="VS Code" icon="window" href="/docs/vscode/quickstart">
    Editor extension
  </QuickstartCard>

  <QuickstartCard title="CLI" icon="terminal" href="/docs/cli/quickstart">
    Command line
  </QuickstartCard>

  <QuickstartCard title="Console" icon="browser" href="/docs/console/quickstart" selected={true}>
    Web interface
  </QuickstartCard>

  <QuickstartCard title="MCP Server" icon="robot" href="/docs/mcp-server/quickstart">
    MCP server
  </QuickstartCard>
</Columns>

## Sign Up

Navigate to the [Thunder Compute console](https://console.thundercompute.com/signup) and create an account with your email.

After signing in, the console opens to **Active Instances**, where you can create and manage GPU instances.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/thundercompute/BnD7RELom_XvTVi-/images/console-quickstart/01-dashboard-empty.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=BnD7RELom_XvTVi-&q=85&s=f9de7668f6e2178677a51f79f4077ad5" alt="Thunder Compute Console dashboard with no active instances" width="2940" height="1670" data-path="images/console-quickstart/01-dashboard-empty.png" />

## Add a Payment Method

In the console, [add a payment method](https://console.thundercompute.com/settings/billing) to your account.

## Create an Instance

1. Click **Create** on the dashboard
2. Select a GPU type, GPU count, CPU/RAM, and storage
3. Under **Additional Configuration**, choose an SSH key. **Thunder-managed (default)** is the fastest way to get started
4. Click **Create Instance**

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/thundercompute/BnD7RELom_XvTVi-/images/console-quickstart/02-create-instance.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=BnD7RELom_XvTVi-&q=85&s=c8a9cd778f2af7e31e40b1a4de8a1f62" alt="Create Instance dialog with GPU, CPU, storage, and SSH key options" width="2940" height="1670" data-path="images/console-quickstart/02-create-instance.png" />

Your instance appears in the **Active Instances** table. It may briefly show **Queued** or **Starting** before it becomes **Running**.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/thundercompute/BnD7RELom_XvTVi-/images/console-quickstart/03-instance-created.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=BnD7RELom_XvTVi-&q=85&s=ea5fff8e1b277665ca0173450ed01edd" alt="New instance created and queued in the Active Instances table" width="2940" height="1670" data-path="images/console-quickstart/03-instance-created.png" />

When the instance is running, the table shows its GPU, template, and IP address.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/thundercompute/BnD7RELom_XvTVi-/images/console-quickstart/04-instance-running.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=BnD7RELom_XvTVi-&q=85&s=5346cea605b388cc2c896195091ac1cb" alt="Running Thunder Compute instance in the Active Instances table" width="2940" height="1670" data-path="images/console-quickstart/04-instance-running.png" />

<Note>
  The screenshot uses a documentation IP address. Your console will show the IP address assigned to your instance.
</Note>

## Connect to Your Instance

Click **Connect to instances** and choose the connection method for your workflow.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/thundercompute/BnD7RELom_XvTVi-/images/console-quickstart/05-connect-options.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=BnD7RELom_XvTVi-&q=85&s=1bb1f7b050c95ab005aefafb178cfbdd" alt="Connect to your instances dialog with CLI, VS Code, and AI Agents options" width="1804" height="722" data-path="images/console-quickstart/05-connect-options.png" />

For terminal access, choose **Command Line**, then select your platform and architecture.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/thundercompute/BnD7RELom_XvTVi-/images/console-quickstart/06-cli-platform-options.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=BnD7RELom_XvTVi-&q=85&s=5e1fe4106b8ac650199deb3d141fb5bb" alt="Command Line connection platform options" width="1084" height="1341" data-path="images/console-quickstart/06-cli-platform-options.png" />

Use the CLI or VS Code extension for the best connection experience with automatic key management:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Connect via CLI" icon="terminal" href="/docs/cli/operations/connecting-to-instances">
    Single command SSH access
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect via VS Code" icon="window" href="/docs/vscode/operations/connecting-to-instances">
    One-click remote development
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Clean Up

When you are done, open the instance menu, click **Delete**, and confirm the deletion.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/thundercompute/BnD7RELom_XvTVi-/images/console-quickstart/07-delete-instance.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=BnD7RELom_XvTVi-&q=85&s=a6f32792cd2877a972e70de66b8885f7" alt="Delete instance confirmation dialog" width="768" height="384" data-path="images/console-quickstart/07-delete-instance.png" />
