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

# Compute offerings

> Mount Thor-managed Macs and customer-managed Macs: who runs what, and what each gives you

Mount Thor offers Apple Silicon Macs in two ways. The difference is who
manages the Mac itself.

| | Mount Thor-managed | Customer-managed |
| - | - | - |
| Who manages the Mac | Mount Thor | You, typically through your own MDM |
| What you get | Machines on demand: [bare metal](https://docs.mountthor.com/compute/bare-metal.md) or [virtual machines](https://docs.mountthor.com/compute/virtual-machines.md) | A fleet of Macs at a Mount Thor site, placed for you |
| How you get a machine | Create it in the portal, with `mthr`, Kubernetes or the API | The Macs are assigned to your account when your fleet is set up |
| Operating system and software | The image you choose; Mount Thor keeps the host running | Whatever you install and manage |
| Access to a machine | Through Mount Thor: `mthr bm ssh`, `mthr vm ssh`, desktop sessions | Through your own tools and network |
| What the API offers | The full compute lifecycle | The capabilities enabled for your account (below) |
| Charged | Per Mac, in 24-hour windows | Under your contract |

## Mount Thor-managed compute

Mount Thor allocates, prepares, monitors and wipes each machine. You choose a
machine class and an image, then connect with the CLI or the portal. When you
are done, release the machine.

* **Bare metal** gives you one physical Mac. You sign in as a permissive,
  non-root user.
* **Virtual machines** give you an isolated macOS VM with administrator
  rights.

[Compute types](https://docs.mountthor.com/compute/types.md) compares the two and helps you choose.

## Customer-managed compute

Your organization manages its own Macs at a Mount Thor site. Mount Thor runs
the site and keeps an inventory of your Macs. Anything more is up to you and
your security model: each of these capabilities is on only if you want it.

| Capability | What it gives you |
| - | - |
| Inventory | List your Macs and read each one, by serial number |
| Problem reports | Report a problem with a Mac to Mount Thor's operations team |
| Events | Webhook notifications about your Macs |

You choose your account's capabilities with your Mount Thor contact, and the
API refuses anything else. See [Customer-managed compute](https://docs.mountthor.com/compute/customer-managed.md)
for how each capability works through the API.


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