Virtual machines

Use a virtual machine for isolated macOS workloads, parallel jobs, and fast create-delete cycles.

Create

Choose an image from the catalog, then replace IMAGE_NAME with its name:

mthr vm create build-vm --image IMAGE_NAME --wait

Create discloses the prepaid hold it will place and asks you to confirm before committing. Pass -y (--yes) to skip the prompt in automation. See Billing for funds and readiness. The CLI creates or reuses ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 and sends only its public key. The private key stays on your workstation. Add application ports at creation:

mthr vm create web-vm \
  --image IMAGE_NAME \
  --port web=tcp:8080 \
  --wait

The names ssh, screen, vnc, and desktop, and guest ports 22 and 5900, are reserved for built-in access.

Connect

Open SSH:

mthr vm ssh build-vm

Open Apple Screen Sharing:

mthr vm desktop build-vm

List published ports:

mthr vm ports web-vm

Forward the web port to local port 18080:

mthr vm port-forward web-vm \
  --port-name web \
  --local-port 18080

Every connection uses a private, authenticated tunnel. Guest addresses are not public.

Inspect and delete

mthr vm ls
mthr vm get build-vm
mthr vm delete build-vm --wait

Deleting a VM keeps its image available.

Use kubectl

After configuring kubectl, create build-vm.yaml. Replace IMAGE_NAME with a catalog name and SSH_PUBLIC_KEY with the contents of ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub.

apiVersion: compute.mountthor.com/v1alpha1
kind: VirtualMachine
metadata:
  name: build-vm
spec:
  imageRef: IMAGE_NAME
  bootstrap:
    sshAuthorizedKeys:
      - username: admin
        publicKey: SSH_PUBLIC_KEY
  ports:
    - name: ssh
      protocol: tcp
      guestPort: 22
      exposure: private-tunnel

Apply and inspect it:

kubectl apply -f build-vm.yaml
kubectl get virtualmachine build-vm --watch

Use the lifecycle contract when polling. status.publishedPorts contains the supported command for each available port. Run that command instead of constructing a transport URL. Delete the VM:

kubectl delete virtualmachine build-vm

See Images to choose an image.

Compute

Platform

API Reference

Create

Connect

Inspect and delete

Use kubectl

​Create

​Connect

​Inspect and delete

​Use kubectl

Create

Connect

Inspect and delete

Use kubectl