> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vast.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quick Start

## Run Your First Template

To jump right in and run a template, follow these steps.

Visit the templates section of the console where you will find all of our recommended templates.

<Frame caption="Recommended Templates">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/vastai-80aa3a82/v_EM_-NdbnPjb9tX/images/console-templates.webp?fit=max&auto=format&n=v_EM_-NdbnPjb9tX&q=85&s=9c7a61209ae98f93a100f061451c0cef" alt="Recommended Templates page" width="1280" height="583" data-path="images/console-templates.webp" />
</Frame>

Browse through the templates until you find one that meets your requirements.  In this guide we will use NVIDIA CUDA, which is the first on the list. It's a great starter template as it just includes the CUDA development environment, plus a few extras to improve the user experience.

<Frame caption="NVIDIA CUDA Template">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/vastai-80aa3a82/v_EM_-NdbnPjb9tX/images/console-templates-2.webp?fit=max&auto=format&n=v_EM_-NdbnPjb9tX&q=85&s=60832c4ec4dcdde0e0a31feeaf044d3d" alt="NVIDIA CUDA Template whos play button in bottom left corner" width="800" height="526" data-path="images/console-templates-2.webp" />
</Frame>

Now, click the 'play' button.  This will load the template and take you to the available offers.

<Frame caption="Offers page with GPU filter active">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/vastai-80aa3a82/v_EM_-NdbnPjb9tX/images/console-templates-3.webp?fit=max&auto=format&n=v_EM_-NdbnPjb9tX&q=85&s=fae921f268cc70d667e0cdb85bf3a017" alt="Offers page with GPU filter active" width="1201" height="837" data-path="images/console-templates-3.webp" />
</Frame>

There are filters available at the top of the page to help you target a particular GPU.  You will also find many additional filters on the left of the page for more fine-grained control over the instances you find.

When you have found a suitable offer, simply click the 'RENT' button to create your new instance.

You can now visit [cloud.vast.ai/instances](https://cloud.vast.ai/instances/) where you will find your running instance.  It may take a few minutes to be ready as everything is being set up.

<Frame caption="Instance view with blue open button">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/vastai-80aa3a82/v_EM_-NdbnPjb9tX/images/console-templates-4.webp?fit=max&auto=format&n=v_EM_-NdbnPjb9tX&q=85&s=a0fbe9daa15082fa3c1698766956405b" alt="Instance view with blue open button" width="906" height="718" data-path="images/console-templates-4.webp" />
</Frame>

When it is ready you will see the blue open button.  This indicates that the instance is ready to connect.

<Note>
  The action of the open button depends on the template you have chosen - In this example you will be transferred to the [Instance Portal](/guides/instances/instance-portal). To learn how to configure Instance Portal links, see our [Advanced Setup](/guides/templates/advanced-setup#portal-config) guide.
</Note>

## Next Steps

Now that you've run your first template:

* **Understand templates better** - See [Introduction](/guides/templates/introduction) to learn about templates and Vast's template ecosystem
* **Create your own template** - Follow our [Creating Templates](/guides/templates/creating-templates) tutorial
* **Explore advanced features** - Check out [Advanced Setup](/guides/templates/advanced-setup) for provisioning scripts and custom images