Quickstart

Get up and running with nodepick.ai in less than a minute. Using the np command-line tool is our recommended method for deploying and managing compute nodes directly from your terminal.

Using CLI np (Recommended)
CLI Cheat Sheet
Quick Start with Python SDK
Next Steps

Using CLI `np` (Recommended)

Follow these steps to install the CLI, authenticate your account, provision your first node, and connect via SSH.

Install the CLI

Install the np CLI using uv (recommended) or pip. Learn more about uv:

uv tool install nodepick-cli

pip install nodepick-cli

Authenticate Your Account

If you don’t have an API key yet, create one first:

Register at nodepick.ai and log in.
Set up your credit card in the dashboard.
In the left-hand navigation, open Developer, then go to API Keys.
Click Generate, give the key a name, and copy and save the key immediately — it won’t be shown again.

Configure the CLI by saving your API key securely in the OS keyring with np auth configure:

np auth configure

When prompted, enter your API key. Alternatively, you can set the NODEPICK_API_KEY environment variable in your shell.Verify access and display your account details:

np auth test

For more details on API key management, see Authentication.

Add an SSH Public Key (Recommended)

Generate and Register an SSH public key so it is automatically injected into new nodes:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519
np ssh add --name my-key --file ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Deploy Your First Node

Create a new compute node with a single command:

np node create --name my-first-node --cpu 1 --memory 512

Your node is provisioned and ready in seconds.

Connect via SSH

List your nodes to retrieve the SSH connection command:

np node list

Alternatively, inspect detailed information for your specific node:

np node get my-first-node

Run the printed SSH command to connect to your node:

ssh nodepick@<hostname> -p <port>
OR
ssh nodepick@<hostname>

For compute nodes behind a private IP address, the -p is required.

Clean Up

When you finish, delete the node to terminate billing immediately:

np node delete my-first-node

CLI Cheat Sheet

# Authenticate (interactive prompt)
np auth configure
np auth test

# Or authenticate via environment variable
export NODEPICK_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

# Register SSH Key
np ssh add --name dev-key --file ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
np ssh list

# Manage Nodes
np node create --name dev-server --cpu 2 --memory 1024
np node list
np node get dev-server
np node get dev-server -f json
np node shutdown dev-server
np node boot dev-server
np node delete dev-server

Quick Start with Python SDK

If you prefer managing compute programmatically in your code or automated pipelines, use our Python SDK or HTTP API.

Install the Python SDK

Install the nodepick.ai Python SDK using pip:

pip install nodepick

The SDK is compatible with Python 3.8 and above.

Create Your First Node

Initialize the client with your API key and call create_node(). The method returns a node object containing the node’s ID and initial status:

from nodepick import nodepick

client = nodepick(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")
node = client.create_node(display_name="my-first-node")
print(f"Node created: {node['id']}")

Your node is live within seconds of this call returning.

Connect via SSH

Call get_node_details() with your node ID to retrieve SSH credentials:

details = client.get_node_details(node["id"])
print(details)

Use the SSH connection command from details to connect from your terminal:

ssh nodepick@<hostname> -p <port>

You will land on your dedicated Linux node. Use sudo to gain root access.

Clean Up

When you finish, delete the node to stop billing immediately:

client.delete_node(node["id"])
client.close()

The node and all stored data are removed as soon as deletion completes.

Complete Python Example

The script below demonstrates the full lifecycle using a with block to close the client automatically:

from nodepick import nodepick

client = nodepick(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")

with client:
    # Create a node
    node = client.create_node(display_name="my-first-node")
    node_id = node["id"]
    print(f"Node created: {node_id}")

    # Get node details (includes SSH credentials)
    details = client.get_node_details(node_id)
    print(f"SSH: {details}")

    # Delete the node when done
    client.delete_node(node_id)

Get Started

Managing Compute

Table of Contents

Using CLI `np` (Recommended)

CLI Cheat Sheet

Quick Start with Python SDK

Complete Python Example

Next Steps

CLI Reference

API Reference

​Table of Contents

​Using CLI np (Recommended)

​CLI Cheat Sheet

​Quick Start with Python SDK

​Complete Python Example

​Next Steps

CLI Reference

API Reference

Table of Contents

Using CLI `np` (Recommended)

CLI Cheat Sheet

Quick Start with Python SDK

Complete Python Example

Next Steps