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

  • $1 in free credits — enough to run your first deployment and explore the deploy loop
  • 30 days — your window to use the trial credit
  • 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)

What the trial covers: The $1 credit is a taste of the deploy loop, not a full compute grant. Deployments run up to 24 hours each, and you can redeploy as many times as you like inside the 30-day window. GPUs up to the RTX 3090 are available. Anything above — including the RTX 4090, RTX 5090, and datacenter cards like the A100, H100, H200, and B200 — requires a non-trial account.

Prerequisites

All you need is:

  1. A valid email address (or Google / GitHub account)

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

Step 1: Visit Akash Console

Open your browser and go to console.akash.network

Step 2: Create Your Account

Choose one of three signup options:

Option A: Sign up with GitHub (Fastest!)

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

Option B: Sign up with Google

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

Option C: Sign up with Email

  1. Enter your email address
  2. Click “Continue with email”
  3. Check your inbox for a 6-digit code and enter it — no password needed

Step 3: Welcome to Akash!

You’re in! You’ll see the onboarding screen with your $1 free trial credit already applied — no card required.

You’ll see three starter templates:

TemplateStackEst. Cost
Hello World ⭐Next.js in Docker~$0.25/mo
Space AgentAgent Zero (AI agent)~$3.41/mo
LLM ChatbotLlama 3.1 8B~$1.50/hr (requires upgrade)

⭐ Hello World is recommended for first-time users — it deploys in ~30 seconds.

Already have a Docker image? Click “Deploy image →” at the bottom to go straight to the configurator.

  • Trial Status — shows your $1 credit balance and 30 days remaining
  • Important: Deployments last maximum 1 day during trial

Step 4: 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
  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 5: 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 6: 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 $1 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 $1 trial credits.

Understanding Your Dashboard

The Console dashboard shows:

  • Trial Status — your $1 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.

”Which GPUs are available on the trial?”

Answer: GPUs up to the RTX 3090 are available on the trial. High-end GPUs (RTX 4090, RTX 5090, A100, H100, H200, B200) are not available during the free trial. Add a payment method to switch to pay-as-you-go and unlock access to every GPU type on the network.

”What happens after my $1 credit runs 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 (funds ACT)
  4. Your unused trial credits will be kept!

”Can I use my own crypto wallet instead?”

Answer: Akash Console is the managed product and no longer accepts wallet connections. For self-custody — bring your own Keplr wallet, sign your own transactions, no time limits — use Console Air, the self-hostable companion app. See Choosing Your Console for a side-by-side comparison.

”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

What’s Next?

Maximize Your Trial

You have $1 in credits and 30 days — here’s how to make the most of it:

  1. Try the Templates — deploy Hello World, Space Agent, or any template that interests you
  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 — full GPU marketplace available on paid accounts

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 to unlock the full network including high-end GPUs.

Want self-custody? Use Console Air — bring your own Keplr wallet, sign your own transactions, and remove the 24-hour limit.

Prefer the command line? Use the Akash CLI — self-custody with your Keplr wallet, perfect for automation and CI/CD.

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 — experiment with web apps, AI models, and databases
  • Add funds anytime — keep your trial credits when you add more via credit card
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