Computer basics

In this guide, we'll walk through the basics of creating, starting, stopping, and managing the lifecycle of a computer.

Create a computer

You can create a computer with the Computer.create method. The computer will stay alive for 5 minutes by default but you can change it with the defaultTimeoutMs parameter. After the time passes, the computer will be automatically stopped.

import { Computer } from "@metallichq/sdk";

// Create computer
const computer = await Computer.create({
  defaultTimeoutMs: 60_000, // 1 minute
});

// Save the computer ID for later use
console.log(computer.id);

Start and stop a computer

Start and stop a computer with the Computer.start and Computer.stop methods. The computer's state (e.g. memory, filesystem, etc.) is automatically persisted across sessions, so you can pick up right where you left off.

import { Computer } from "@metallichq/sdk";

// Start computer
const computer = await Computer.start("your-computer-id");

// Wait for computer to start
await computer.waitForState("started");

// Stop computer
await computer.stop();

Connect to a computer

To connect to a running computer, you can use the Computer.connect method. This is useful if you want to connect to the same computer from different environments.

import { Computer } from "@metallichq/sdk";

// Connect to computer
const computer = await Computer.connect("your-computer-id");

// Log the computer state
console.log(computer.state);

Destroy a computer

To destroy a computer, you can use the Computer.destroy method. This will stop the computer and permanently delete all of its resources.

import { Computer } from "@metallichq/sdk";

// Start computer
const computer = await Computer.start("your-computer-id");

// Wait for computer to start
await computer.waitForState("started");

// Destroy computer
await computer.destroy();