Cloud Servers
A cloud server is a Linux computer that Circuitry runs for you. It gives you a terminal, a file system and somewhere to run your code — from a device that can't do those things on its own.
If you work on an iPad, on a borrowed machine, or in a browser, this is how you get a real development environment.
What you get
- A terminal — a real shell, not a simulation
- A file system you can browse, edit and search
- Git, Node.js and Python already installed
- Freedom to install anything else you need
- 32 GB of storage that stays put between sessions
- A preview address for anything you run, so you can open your own site in a browser tab
Your work stays on the machine. Close the lid, come back tomorrow, and your files, your installed packages and your project are exactly as you left them.
One machine, every device
A cloud server belongs to your account, not to the device that made it.
Create one on your iPad in the morning and it's already there when you sign in on your laptop that evening — same files, same setup. There's nothing to sync and nothing to copy.
Creating one
- Open Settings → Execution Server
- Under Cloud Servers, choose New Server
- Give it a name and pick a size
- Choose Create
The first start takes about a minute while your machine is built. After that it's ready in seconds.
Once created, it appears in the server menu in the header — the same list as any computer you've paired. Pick it to start working.
Choosing a size
| Size | Good for |
|---|---|
| Small | Editing, scripts, light work |
| Standard | Most projects — web apps, builds, everyday development |
| Large | Big builds, heavier data work, several things at once |
Every size gets the same 32 GB of storage — only speed and memory change.
If you aren't sure, start with Standard.
Sleeping and waking
Your server sleeps when you stop working, and it only uses credits while it's awake.
Sleeping is not the same as deleting. Everything on the machine is kept — you'll come back to the same files, the same installed packages and the same project. Waking it takes a few seconds.
You don't have to remember to do this. A server puts itself to sleep after a quiet period, so leaving a tab open overnight doesn't cost you anything. You can also put one to sleep yourself from Settings → Execution Server.
Running a web app
Anything you start on your server gets its own web address, so you can open it in a browser tab and share it while you work.
Run your project the way you normally would — npm run dev, or whatever your project uses — and open the address shown for that server.
Deleting a server
Deleting removes the machine and everything stored on it. This can't be undone.
Push anything you want to keep to a Git repository first. If you only want to stop paying for a machine you aren't using, put it to sleep instead — a sleeping server keeps your work.
What it costs
Cloud servers use credits from your plan, and only while a server is awake. A sleeping server costs nothing to run.
Bigger machines use credits faster. You can see your usage on your dashboard.
Cloud servers are available on paid plans.
Cloud or your own computer?
Both do the same job — they give Circuitry a terminal, files and somewhere to run code. The difference is where that happens.
Use a cloud server when:
- You're on an iPad or in a browser
- You don't have a computer to hand, or it's switched off
- You want the same environment on every device
- You want your project running somewhere you can reach from anywhere
Use your own computer when:
- The files you need are already on it
- You want to use software already installed there
- You have a fast machine or a graphics card you'd rather use
- You'd prefer your work never leaves your own hardware
You can have both, and switch between them from the server menu in the header. See Circuitry Server for connecting a computer of your own.
Related
- Circuitry Server — using your own computer
- Working across devices — iPad, laptop and desktop together
- Terminals — where terminals live in Circuitry