Provision your first node (InstaNodeBox)
Wire an existing VM — or spin up a fresh one on AWS, GCP, Azure, Linode, Hetzner and more — into your VxCloud workspace, register it as a node, and confirm it is healthy.
What you'll build
- A node registered in your workspace and set as the default deploy target
- Its SSH key sealed in Vault, never stored in the browser
- A green health check from the InstaNodeBox agent on port 8744
Before you begin
- A VxCloud workspace (sign up is free)
- Either an existing Linux VM with SSH access, or a cloud-provider credential added to Vault
- About 5 minutes
Understand what a "node" is
In VxCloud, a node is any Linux machine your workspace can deploy to. Every app, database, and Compose stack lands on a node you own — VxCloud never hosts your workloads, it orchestrates your infrastructure over SSH.
The InstaNodeBox wizard is how a machine becomes a node. It registers the host, seals its SSH key in Vault, installs a lightweight agent, and starts health-checking it. Behind the scenes the dashboard calls POST /api/v1/auth/nodes/ for managed VMs, or POST /api/v1/auth/nodes/self-hosted when you bring your own.
Two paths, one outcome
You can bring an existing VM (fastest) or have VxCloud provision a fresh one through a cloud credential. Both end with a registered, health-checked node — this tutorial covers both.Open the InstaNodeBox wizard
From the dashboard, go to Development → Nodes and click Provision node. The wizard opens on a five-step rail.
Provision a node
Do you already have a VM?
Bringing your own VM is the 30-second path
If you already have a Droplet, EC2 instance, or any Ubuntu/Debian box with SSH, pick “Yes, I have a VM” and skip straight to step 5.Pick a cloud provider (new-VM path)
If you chose “create one for me”, the wizard shows every provider it can drive. Selection is read from the credentials you’ve stored in Vault — no keys are ever typed into this screen.
Choose a cloud provider
Need IAM permissions
Provisioning a fresh VM requires the stored credential to allowRunInstances / equivalent. The wizard surfaces the exact policy it needs before it spends anything.Choose region, size, and name it
Pick a region and OS, then an instance size. The wizard shows live hourly and monthly pricing pulled from the provider so there are no surprises. Give the node a name and an environment.
Configure the instance
2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 40 GB SSD — $4.99/mo
Advanced config is optional
Leave VPC and security-group fields blank for a sensible default (public node, ports 22/80/443). You can lock it down later without re-provisioning.Review and provision
The final step is a single summary screen. Confirm the specs and price, then click Provision node. For an existing VM you instead enter its IP, SSH user, and pick the Vault key pair — no cloud spend happens.
Review & provision
The node row transitions provisioning → active. SSH keys are written to Vault at workspaces/<org>/<workspace>/developerapikey/default — they never touch the browser or your laptop.
Verify the node is healthy
Once active, VxCloud proxies a health probe to the InstaNodeBox agent on port 8744. You’ll see a green dot in the UI. To confirm from the CLI:
# Health check proxied to the node agent$ curl -s https://app.prodxcloud.com/api/v1/auth/nodes/core/instance/healthcheck \$ -H "Authorization: Bearer $VXCLOUD_TOKEN"Finally, set it as your workspace default so every deploy targets it without re-selecting:
$ curl -X POST https://app.prodxcloud.com/api/v1/auth/nodes/<node_id>/set-default \$ -H "Authorization: Bearer $VXCLOUD_TOKEN"You have a node
It’s registered, its key is in Vault, and it’s health-checked. You’re ready to deploy an app — start with the Next.js walkthrough.Nice work — you're done!
You completed Provision your first node (InstaNodeBox). Keep the momentum going with the next walkthrough, or jump back to the full catalog.