Quick Start - Deploy with Free Trial

Deploy your first application on Akash Network in under 10 minutes—no crypto wallet or blockchain experience required!

This guide walks you through signing up for the free trial and deploying your first application using one-click templates.

What You’ll Get

  • $100 in free credits - No charge during trial
  • 30 days - Plenty of time to explore Akash
  • One-click deployment - Use pre-built templates
  • Live URL - Access your deployed application instantly

Time: ~10 minutes
Cost: $0 (free trial credits)
Difficulty: Beginner-friendly (no technical knowledge required)

Prerequisites

All you need is:

  1. A valid email address (for account verification)
  2. A valid credit card (for identity verification)
    • Must have at least $1 available
    • A temporary $1 charge will be placed and immediately refunded
    • Used to verify identity and prevent spam/abuse

Note: You won’t be charged beyond the refundable \(1 verification unless you exceed your\)100 free credits or choose to add more funds.

That’s it! No crypto wallet, no blockchain setup, no installation required.

Step 1: Visit Akash Console

Open your browser and go to console.akash.network

You’ll see a banner at the top: “Credit Card payments are now available!”

Step 2: Start Your Free Trial

  1. Click the “Start Trial” button in the top right corner (it’s the bright red/pink button)

  2. You’ll see the trial benefits page showing:

    • 100$ of free credits
    • 30 days of free credits
    • Deployments last up to 24 hours
    • Keep unused free credits if you purchase credits

  3. Click the “Start Free Trial” button to continue

Step 3: Create Your Account

Choose one of three signup options:

Option A: Sign up with GitHub (Fastest!)

  1. Click “Sign up with GitHub”
  2. Authorize Akash Console in the popup
  3. Done! Skip to Step 4

Option B: Sign up with Google (Fastest!)

  1. Click “Sign up with Google”
  2. Choose your Google account
  3. Done! Skip to Step 4

Option C: Sign up with Email

  1. Enter your email address
  2. Create a strong password
  3. Complete the CAPTCHA
  4. (Optional) Uncheck newsletter if you don’t want updates
  5. Check “I have read and agree to Terms of Services”
  6. Click “SIGN UP”

Step 4: Verify Your Email

  1. Check your email inbox for a verification message from Akash
  2. Click the verification link in the email
  3. You’ll see: “Email Verified - Your email has been successfully verified”
  4. Click “Continue”

Step 5: Add Payment Method

To prevent abuse, Akash requires a credit card for identity verification. You won’t be charged during the trial.

  1. Fill in the payment form:

    • Organization (optional)
    • Billing Address (Full name, Country, Address)
    • Card Information (Card number, Expiration date, CVV)

  2. Your card will show up as saved (e.g., “DISCOVER •••• 9564”)

  3. Click “Start Trial”

What happens to your card?

  • **\(1 verification charge** - A temporary\)1 charge will be placed and immediately refunded (ensure card is valid)
  • Used for identity verification only
  • No other charges during your $100 trial
  • Only charged if you exceed free credits or choose to add more funds
  • Can be removed anytime after verification

Step 6: Welcome to Akash!

You’re in! You’ll see your dashboard with:

  • Trial Status Banner - Shows your $100 credit balance and 30 days remaining
  • Important: Deployments last maximum 1 day during trial
  • Account Overview - \(100.00 remaining of\)100.00

Step 7: Deploy Your First Application

You’ll see the welcome screen with “Choose a template below to launch your first app in seconds.”

Several featured templates are displayed:

Perfect for testing! Choose any featured template to get started.

  1. Browse the available templates on the welcome screen
  2. Select a template that interests you (web apps, databases, etc.)
  3. Read the template description
  4. Click “Deploy Now”
  5. Review the pre-filled configuration
  6. Click “Create Deployment”

Wait ~1-2 minutes for deployment to complete

Your first app is live!

Option B: ComfyUI (AI/Image Generation)

Want to try something more advanced?

  1. Find the “ComfyUI” card (artist with easel icon)
  2. Read the description: “A powerful, modular Stable Diffusion tool that lets you build and run advanced image workflows using a visual, node-based interface.”
  3. Click “Deploy Now”
  4. Follow the deployment steps

Note: This requires more resources and will use more of your trial credits.

Option C: Llama-3.1-8b (Language Model)

Deploy a cutting-edge AI language model!

  1. Find the “Llama-3.1-8b” card (basketball player icon)
  2. Read the description: “A cutting-edge language model built for fast, context-aware text generation. Access a wide range of advanced language tasks.”
  3. Click “Deploy Now”
  4. Follow the deployment steps

Note: GPU deployments use credits faster but are incredibly powerful!

Step 8: Wait for Deployment

After clicking “Deploy Now” on any template:

  1. Console will show “Creating Deployment…”
  2. Providers will automatically bid to host your application
  3. The best bid is automatically selected
  4. Your application starts deploying

Total time: 1-3 minutes (depending on the template)

You’ll see status updates:

  • “Creating Deployment…”
  • “Accepting Bid…”
  • “Sending Manifest…”
  • “Starting Services…”
  • “Running”

Step 9: Access Your Deployment

Once your deployment shows “Running” status:

  1. Look for the “URIs” or “Access URLs” section in your deployment details
  2. Click on the URL shown (e.g., https://your-app.provider.akash.network)
  3. Your web application will open in a new tab!

Congratulations! You just deployed on Akash Network!

What You Can Do Now:

  • Visit your deployed app - Click the URL to see it live
  • View logs - Check the “Logs” tab to see what’s happening
  • Monitor resources - See CPU, memory, and storage usage
  • Check your balance - Watch how much of your $100 credit you’re using

Managing Your Deployment

View Logs

In the Console deployment page:

  1. Click the “Logs” tab
  2. Select your service (e.g., web or the template name)
  3. View real-time logs from your deployment

Update Your Deployment

To change your deployment configuration:

  1. Click on your active deployment
  2. Click “Update Deployment”
  3. Edit the SDL configuration in the editor
  4. Click “Update” to apply changes

Note: Updates modify your existing lease and may briefly interrupt service during the container restart.

Close Your Deployment

Important: Remember trial deployments last maximum 1 day!

When you’re done testing:

  1. Go to your “Deployments” page
  2. Find your active deployment
  3. Click “Close Deployment”
  4. Confirm the closure

Always close deployments when you’re done to conserve your $100 trial credits.

Understanding Your Dashboard

The Console dashboard shows:

  • Trial Status - Your $100 credit balance, days remaining, and usage
  • Active Deployments - All your currently running deployments (max 1 day each during trial)
  • Deployment Costs - Real-time spending from your trial credits
  • Account Balance - Visual chart showing credit usage (Balance vs Deployments)

Pro tip: Hover over your balance at the top to see detailed credit information!

Common Questions

”How long do trial deployments last?”

Answer: Trial deployments last a maximum of 1 day (24 hours). After 24 hours, they will automatically shut down. This is a trial limitation - paid accounts can run indefinitely.

”What happens after my $100 credits run out?”

Answer: Your deployments will stop, but you can add more funds via credit card:

  1. Click your balance at the top
  2. Click “Add Funds”
  3. Enter amount and complete payment via Stripe
  4. Your unused trial credits will be kept!

”Can I use my own crypto wallet instead?”

Answer: Yes! After creating your trial account, you can also connect a Keplr or Leap wallet for direct blockchain access. This gives you more control and removes the 24-hour deployment limit.

”My deployment is taking a long time to start”

Solution:

  • Wait 2-3 minutes - deployment can take time
  • Check the status updates in Console
  • If stuck for 5+ minutes, close and try a different template
  • Some GPU deployments take longer due to high demand

”I don’t see my deployment URL”

Solution:

  • Wait until status shows “Running” (not just “Active”)
  • Click on your deployment to see details
  • Look for “URIs” or “Leases” section
  • The URL will be listed there once the container is fully running

”Deployment failed to start”

Solution:

  • If using a custom SDL, check your syntax (indentation, required fields)
  • Try using a pre-built template instead (featured templates are most reliable)
  • Check the “Events” or “Logs” tab for error messages
  • Contact support on Discord if issue persists

”$1 verification charge didn’t refund yet”

Answer: The $1 verification charge typically refunds within 3-7 business days, depending on your bank. This is standard practice for identity verification.

What’s Next?

Maximize Your Trial

You have $100 in credits and 30 days - here’s how to make the most of it:

  1. Try the Templates - Deploy ComfyUI (Stable Diffusion) or Llama (AI chat)
  2. Explore the Marketplace - Browse pre-built solutions in the Templates section
  3. Test Your Own Apps - Use the SDL Builder to deploy your projects
  4. Monitor Costs - See how much different workloads cost on Akash

Deploy Real Applications

Now that you know the basics, explore templates in Akash Console to deploy:

  • Web Applications - Blogs, APIs, websites
  • Databases - PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis
  • AI/ML - LLMs, stable diffusion, training
  • GPU Workloads - Use Akash’s GPU marketplace

Learn More

For Developers

Ready for more advanced workflows?

  • Akash CLI - Command-line deployment and automation
  • Akash SDK - Build deployment tools with Go or JavaScript/TypeScript

Ready to Go Beyond Trial?

Add Funds: Click your balance → “Add Funds” → Pay with credit card (keeps your $100 trial credits!)

Use Your Wallet: Connect Keplr or Leap to use AKT directly and remove the 24-hour deployment limit

Need Help?

We’re here to help you succeed!

Tips for Success

  • Start with templates - Use a featured template for your first deployment
  • Watch your credits - Monitor your balance at the top of Console
  • Remember the 24-hour limit - Trial deployments auto-close after 1 day
  • Check logs first - If something doesn’t work, logs usually tell you why
  • Explore the marketplace - Browse pre-built solutions in Templates section
  • Try different apps - You have $100 to experiment with web apps, AI models, databases
  • Add funds anytime - Keep your trial credits when you add more via credit card
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