What's an Instance?

Every virtual machine (VM) running in Morph Cloud is an instance. Each instance runs from a saved snapshot. This guide covers the basic lifecycle operations for instances, including starting, stopping, and saving them.

Start an Instance

To launch a new instance, you need a Snapshot ID. The instance will be created based on the specified snapshot.

Python

from morphcloud.api import MorphCloudClient

client = MorphCloudClient()

snapshot_id = "snapshot_abc123" # Replace with a valid snapshot ID
instance = client.instances.start(snapshot_id=snapshot_id)

print(f"Instance started with ID: {instance.id}")

TypeScript

import { MorphCloudClient } from 'morphcloud';

const client = new MorphCloudClient();

async function startInstance() {
  const snapshotId = "snapshot_abc123"; // Replace with a valid snapshot ID
  const instance = await client.instances.start({ snapshotId: snapshotId });

  console.log(`Instance started with ID: ${instance.id}`);
}

startInstance();

CLI

# Start an instance from a snapshot
morphcloud instance start snapshot_abc123

Get Instance Details

To get detailed information about a specific instance, use its ID.

Python

from morphcloud.api import MorphCloudClient

client = MorphCloudClient()

instance_id = "morphvm_abc123" # Replace with a valid instance ID
instance = client.instances.get(instance_id=instance_id)

print(f"Instance ID: {instance.id}, Status: {instance.status}, Networking: {instance.networking}")

TypeScript

import { MorphCloudClient } from 'morphcloud';

const client = new MorphCloudClient();

async function getInstanceDetails() {
  const instanceId = "morphvm_abc123"; // Replace with a valid instance ID
  const instance = await client.instances.get({ instanceId: instanceId });

  console.log(`Instance ID: ${instance.id}, Status: ${instance.status}, Networking: ${JSON.stringify(instance.networking)}`);
}

getInstanceDetails();

CLI

# Get instance details
morphcloud instance get morphvm_abc123

List Instances

You can retrieve a list of all instances in your Morph Cloud account.

Python

from morphcloud.api import MorphCloudClient

client = MorphCloudClient()

# List all instances
instances = client.instances.list()

for instance in instances:
    print(f"ID: {instance.id}, Status: {instance.status}, Snapshot ID: {instance.refs.snapshot_id}")

TypeScript

import { MorphCloudClient } from 'morphcloud';

const client = new MorphCloudClient();

async function listInstances() {
  // List all instances
  const instances = await client.instances.list();
  instances.forEach(instance => {
    console.log(`ID: ${instance.id}, Status: ${instance.status}, Snapshot ID: ${instance.refs.snapshotId}`);
  });

}

listInstances();

CLI

# List all instances
morphcloud instance list

Save an Instance (Create Snapshot)

You can create a snapshot from a running instance, capturing its current state for future use or as a backup.

Python

from morphcloud.api import MorphCloudClient

client = MorphCloudClient()

instance_id = "morphvm_abc123" # Replace with a valid instance ID
instance = client.instances.get(instance_id=instance_id)

new_snapshot = instance.snapshot()

print(f"Snapshot created from instance '{instance_id}' with ID: {new_snapshot.id}")

TypeScript

import { MorphCloudClient } from 'morphcloud';

const client = new MorphCloudClient();

async function createSnapshotFromInstance() {
  const instanceId = "morphvm_abc123"; // Replace with a valid instance ID
  const instance = await client.instances.get({ instanceId: instanceId });

  const newSnapshot = await instance.snapshot();

  console.log(`Snapshot created from instance '${instanceId}' with ID: ${newSnapshot.id}`);
}

createSnapshotFromInstance();

CLI

# Create a snapshot from an instance
morphcloud instance snapshot morphvm_abc123

Stop an Instance

Stopping an instance terminates the virtual machine and releases the resources.

Python

from morphcloud.api import MorphCloudClient

client = MorphCloudClient()

instance_id = "morphvm_abc123" # Replace with a valid instance ID
instance = client.instances.get(instance_id=instance_id)
instance.stop()

print(f"Instance '{instance_id}' stopped.")

TypeScript

import { MorphCloudClient } from 'morphcloud';

const client = new MorphCloudClient();

async function stopInstance() {
  const instanceId = "morphvm_abc123"; // Replace with a valid instance ID
  const instance = await client.instances.get({ instanceId: instanceId });
  await instance.stop();

  console.log(`Instance '${instanceId}' stopped.`);
}

stopInstance();

CLI

# Stop an instance
morphcloud instance stop morphvm_abc123