Overview
The Compute Clear API supports provisioning storage volumes alongside GPU instances. Storage is configured in the storage: section of the YAML spec.
Three dimensions of storage
Every storage volume is defined by three properties:
1. Type
The underlying storage technology:
| Type | Description |
|---|
block_disk | Block storage attached to a single VM. Like an SSD/HDD connected to one machine. |
filesystem | Shared filesystem mountable by multiple VMs simultaneously. Ideal for training data and checkpoints. |
2. Class
The performance tier. Maps to vendor-specific storage products:
| Class | Description |
|---|
standard | Default. General-purpose network SSD. Replicated for durability. Typical: 10,000-30,000 IOPS. |
performance | High-IOPS SSD optimized for latency-sensitive workloads. Typical: 50,000-100,000+ IOPS. |
economy | Cost-optimized storage for large datasets where throughput matters more than latency. May use non-replicated SSD or HDD. |
premium | Highest-performance distributed filesystems (e.g., parallel file systems). Optimized for large-scale ML training with many concurrent readers/writers. |
Not all vendors support all classes. Use GET /available_storage to check what’s available per vendor and region, including pricing.
3. Persistent
Controls whether the storage survives VM deletion:
| Value | Behavior |
|---|
false (default) | Ephemeral — storage is bundled with the VM and deleted when the VM is destroyed. |
true | Persistent — storage gets its own resource_id and independent lifecycle. It survives VM deletion and can be reattached to new VMs later. |
YAML spec examples
VM with ephemeral block storage
VM with persistent shared filesystem
Multiple volumes
Storage discovery
Check available storage options and pricing before writing your spec:
This returns available types, classes, size limits, and per-GB pricing across all vendors and regions.
How storage affects offers
When you include storage: in your spec, the API automatically:
- Filters vendors — only vendors supporting your requested storage type and class are included
- Includes pricing — offer responses show a cost breakdown (compute + storage + total)
- Handles ordering — some vendors require storage to be created before VMs; the API handles this transparently