Deploy Your First VM

This guide walks you through creating a Droplet (virtual machine), connecting to it via SSH, and performing basic management operations.

Prerequisites

Uncloud backend running (see Quickstart)
KubeVirt installed (via Admin Setup)
An SSH key pair on your local machine

Step 1: Upload Your SSH Key

First, upload your public SSH key so you can access the VM:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/ssh-keys \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "my-laptop",
    "public_key": "'"$(cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub)"'"
  }'

Save the returned id (e.g., sk_abc123).

Step 2: Choose an Image and Plan

Browse available images and plans:

# List OS images
curl http://localhost:8080/api/v1/images

# List instance plans
curl http://localhost:8080/api/v1/plans

Step 3: Create the Droplet

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/droplets \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "my-first-vm",
    "image": "ubuntu-22-04",
    "plan_id": "s-1vcpu-1gb",
    "region": "nyc1",
    "ssh_key_ids": ["sk_abc123"]
  }'

The Droplet starts in provisioning status. After 30-60 seconds, the sync loop updates its status to running and assigns an IP.

Step 4: Check Droplet Status

Poll the Droplet until it’s running:

curl http://localhost:8080/api/v1/droplets/dpl_your_id

Look for:

{
  "status": "running",
  "public_ip": "10.0.1.15"
}

Step 5: Connect via SSH

ssh root@10.0.1.15

Managing Your Droplet

Reboot

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/droplets/dpl_your_id/actions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"type": "reboot"}'

Power Off

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/droplets/dpl_your_id/actions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"type": "power_off"}'

Power On

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/droplets/dpl_your_id/actions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"type": "power_on"}'

Create a Snapshot

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/droplets/dpl_your_id/snapshots \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "before-upgrade"}'

View Metrics

curl http://localhost:8080/api/v1/droplets/dpl_your_id/metrics

Resize

curl -X PATCH http://localhost:8080/api/v1/droplets/dpl_your_id \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"plan_id": "s-2vcpu-2gb"}'

Delete

curl -X DELETE http://localhost:8080/api/v1/droplets/dpl_your_id

Using the Dashboard

You can also create and manage Droplets through the web dashboard:

Navigate to Droplets in the sidebar
Click Create Droplet
Select image, plan, region, and SSH keys
Click Create

The dashboard shows real-time status, metrics, and provides VNC console access.

Next Steps

Attach block storage to your Droplet
Set up backups for disaster recovery
Deploy an app on the App Platform

​Prerequisites

​Step 1: Upload Your SSH Key

​Step 2: Choose an Image and Plan

​Step 3: Create the Droplet

​Step 4: Check Droplet Status

​Step 5: Connect via SSH

​Managing Your Droplet

​Reboot

​Power Off

​Power On

​Create a Snapshot

​View Metrics

​Resize

​Delete

​Using the Dashboard

​Next Steps