Create a VM

Learn how to create a virtual machine using the web panel, CLI, REST API, or Terraform.

Prerequisites

ServersCamp account with positive balance
SSH key added to your account (see SSH Keys tutorial)
For CLI/API: Authentication configured

Choose Your Method

Creating a VM via Web Panel

Navigate to Compute > Virtual Machines
Click Create VM
Select your configuration:
- Region: Choose the datacenter closest to your users
- Image: Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, AlmaLinux 9, etc.
- Size: Select instance type (e.g., burst-xs for development)
- Storage: Choose disk size and class
- SSH Key: Select your uploaded key
Enter a name for your VM
Click Create

Your VM will be ready in about 30-60 seconds.

Creating a VM via CLI

Make sure you have the scli tool installed and configured.

Bash

# Create a basic VM
scli vm create \
  --name my-server \
  --image ubuntu-22.04 \
  --size burst-xs \
  --ssh-key my-key \
  --region eu-central-1

# Create with custom storage
scli vm create \
  --name production-app \
  --image debian-12 \
  --size standard \
  --storage 100 \
  --storage-class enhanced \
  --ssh-key my-key \
  --region eu-central-1

Available sizes: burst-xxs, burst-xs, burst-s, burst-m, burst-l, standard-light, standard, standard-plus, etc.

Run scli vm sizes to see all available instance types and pricing.

Creating a VM via REST API

Send a POST request to the /v1/vms endpoint.

cURL

curl -X POST https://api.serverscamp.com/v1/vms \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SCAMP_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "my-server",
    "region": "eu-central-1",
    "image": "ubuntu-22.04",
    "size": "burst-xs",
    "storage": {
      "size_gb": 50,
      "class": "standard"
    },
    "ssh_keys": ["my-key-id"],
    "vpc_id": "vpc-abc123"
  }'

Response

JSON

{
  "id": "vm-xyz789",
  "name": "my-server",
  "status": "creating",
  "region": "eu-central-1",
  "image": "ubuntu-22.04",
  "size": "burst-xs",
  "ip_address": null,
  "created_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
}

Poll the GET /v1/vms/{id} endpoint until status changes to running.

Creating a VM via Terraform

First, configure the ServersCamp provider.

main.tf

terraform {
  required_providers {
    serverscamp = {
      source  = "serverscamp/serverscamp"
      version = "~> 1.0"
    }
  }
}

provider "serverscamp" {
  # Token from SCAMP_API_TOKEN env var
}

Define your VM resource:

vm.tf

resource "serverscamp_vm" "web" {
  name   = "web-server"
  region = "eu-central-1"
  image  = "ubuntu-22.04"
  size   = "burst-xs"

  storage {
    size_gb = 50
    class   = "standard"
  }

  ssh_keys = [serverscamp_ssh_key.main.id]
  vpc_id   = serverscamp_vpc.main.id

  tags = {
    environment = "production"
    app         = "web"
  }
}

output "vm_ip" {
  value = serverscamp_vm.web.ip_address
}