SDL Syntax Reference | Akash Network - Your Guide to Decentralized Cloud

Version

Required. SDL version identifier.

version: "2.0"

Value	Description
`"2.0"`	Current stable version

Services

Define containers and networking.

image

Required. Docker image to deploy.

image: nginx:1.25.3

Supports any public registry (Docker Hub, GHCR, GCR, ECR, etc.)

Best Practice: Always specify a version tag (e.g., nginx:1.25.3) instead of using :latest or omitting the tag. This ensures reproducible deployments and prevents unexpected updates.

command & args

Optional. Override container entrypoint.

command:
  - /bin/sh
  - -c
args:
  - |
    npm start

env

Optional. Environment variables as KEY=value strings.

env:
  - NODE_ENV=production
  - DATABASE_URL=postgresql://db:5432/myapp

expose

Required. Port exposure configuration. At least one port must be globally exposed.

expose:
  - port: 80              # Container port (required)
    as: 80                # External port (default: same as port)
    proto: tcp            # Protocol: tcp or udp (default: tcp)
    accept:               # Accepted hostnames
      - example.com
    to:
      - global: true      # Expose to internet (at least one required)
    http_options:         # HTTP-specific options
      max_body_size: 1048576
      read_timeout: 60000
      send_timeout: 60000

HTTP Options:

Option	Default	Max	Description
`max_body_size`	1048576	104857600	Max request body (bytes)
`read_timeout`	60000	60000	Read timeout (ms)
`send_timeout`	60000	60000	Send timeout (ms)
`next_tries`	3	-	Retry attempts
`next_cases`	`[error, timeout]`	-	When to retry

credentials

Optional. Private registry authentication.

credentials:
  host: https://registry.example.com
  username: user
  password: pass

Profiles

Define resources and provider requirements.

compute

cpu

Required. CPU units (1000 = 1 core).

cpu:
  units: 1.0              # Cores (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, etc.)

Limits: Min: 0.01 cores, Max: 384 cores

memory

Required. Memory allocation.

memory:
  size: 1Gi               # RAM (Mi or Gi)

Limits: Min: 1Mi, Max: 2Ti

storage

Required. At least one ephemeral storage volume required. Persistent storage is optional.

storage:
  - size: 1Gi             # Ephemeral root volume (required)
  - name: data            # Persistent volume (optional)
    size: 10Gi
    attributes:
      persistent: true    # Survives restarts
      class: beta3        # Performance tier

Limits: Min: 5Mi, Max: 32Ti per volume

Classes: default, beta1, beta2, beta3, ram

gpu

Optional. GPU resources.

gpu:
  units: 1                # Number of GPUs
  attributes:
    vendor:
      nvidia:
        - model: rtx4090
          ram: 24Gi       # Optional: filter by VRAM
          interface: pcie # Optional: pcie or sxm

Limits: Max: 24 GPUs per service

Common models: a100, a40, rtx4090, rtx3090, t4, v100, h100

placement

Provider selection and pricing.

placement:
  akash:
    attributes:           # Optional filters
      region: us-west
    pricing:              # Required: max bid per service
      web:
        denom: uakt
        amount: 100       # uakt per block (~6 sec)

Pricing calculation:

Daily cost = (amount × 14,400 blocks) / 1,000,000 AKT
Example: 100 uakt/block = 1.44 AKT/day = ~43 AKT/month

Deployment

Map services to profiles.

deployment:
  web:                    # Service name
    akash:                # Placement name
      profile: web        # Compute profile name
      count: 1            # Number of replicas

Note: count cannot be changed after deployment. Max: 50 replicas per service.

Endpoints

Optional. Named IP endpoints for static IPs.

endpoints:
  myendpoint:
    kind: ip

Use in services:

expose:
  - port: 1194
    to:
      - global: true
        ip: myendpoint

Quick Reference

Minimum viable SDL:

version: "2.0"
services:
  web:
    image: nginx:1.25.3
    expose:
      - port: 80
        as: 80
        to:
          - global: true
profiles:
  compute:
    web:
      resources:
        cpu:
          units: 0.5
        memory:
          size: 512Mi
        storage:
          size: 512Mi
  placement:
    akash:
      pricing:
        web:
          denom: uakt
          amount: 100
deployment:
  web:
    akash:
      profile: web
      count: 1

Common patterns:

GPU deployments
Persistent storage
Private registries
Static IPs

Resource Limits (per service):

Resource	Minimum	Maximum
CPU	0.01 cores	384 cores
Memory	1Mi	2Ti
Storage	5Mi	32Ti (per volume)
GPU	0 (optional)	24 units
Replicas (count)	1	50

See also:

Complete SDL Example

1---
2version: "2.0"
3
4services:
5  web:
6    image: nginx:1.25.3
7    command:
8      - /bin/sh
9      - -c
10    args:
11      - nginx -g 'daemon off;'
12    env:
13      - NODE_ENV=production
14      - PORT=3000
15    expose:
16      - port: 80
17        as: 80
18        proto: tcp
19        accept:
20          - example.com
21        to:
22          - global: true
23        http_options:
24          max_body_size: 1048576
25          read_timeout: 60000
26          send_timeout: 60000
27    credentials:
28      host: https://registry.example.com
29      username: user
30      password: pass
31
32profiles:
33  compute:
34    web:
35      resources:
36        cpu:
37          units: 1.0
38        memory:
39          size: 1Gi
40        storage:
41          - size: 1Gi
42          - name: data
43            size: 10Gi
44            attributes:
45              persistent: true
46              class: beta3
47        gpu:
48          units: 1
49          attributes:
50            vendor:
51              nvidia:
52                - model: rtx4090
53  
54  placement:
55    akash:
56      attributes:
57        region: us-west
58      pricing:
59        web:
60          denom: uakt
61          amount: 100
62
63deployment:
64  web:
65    akash:
66      profile: web
67      count: 1
68
69endpoints:
70  myendpoint:
71    kind: ip