# Quick start (/guides/quickstart)



Get started with Alternate Clouds in minutes. This guide walks you through
installing the CLI, authenticating, and deploying your first service to
decentralized compute.

## What You'll Learn [#what-youll-learn]

By the end of this guide, you'll have:

* Installed the `acc` CLI
* Authenticated with the platform
* Deployed your first service (a container) to decentralized infrastructure
* Checked its logs and URL

**Time to complete:** 5-10 minutes

## Prerequisites [#prerequisites]

Before you begin, make sure you have:

* **An Alternate Clouds account** - [Sign up here](https://clouds.alternatefutures.ai)
  * Sign in with email or an Ethereum wallet; your account is created on first
    successful verification.
  * New accounts start a 14-day trial - free, no credit card required.
* **Node.js 18.18.2 or later** - [Download here](https://nodejs.org/en/download) if you don't have it
  * Check your version with `node --version`

## Step 1: Install the CLI [#step-1-install-the-cli]

```bash
npm install -g @alternatefutures/acc
acc --version
```

## Step 2: Log in [#step-2-log-in]

```bash
acc login
```

This opens the browser so you can approve the CLI session. On a headless
machine use `acc login --email` instead.

Verify:

```bash
acc whoami
```

## Step 3: Create a project [#step-3-create-a-project]

Services live inside projects.

```bash
acc projects create --name hello-clouds
acc projects list
```

## Step 4: Deploy your first service [#step-4-deploy-your-first-service]

The fastest first deploy is a plain container:

```bash
acc services create --kind docker --image nginx:latest --port 80 --name hello-web -y
```

Or start from the template catalog (AI agents, databases, and more):

```bash
acc templates list
acc services create --kind template --template <template-id> -y
```

Want verifiable confidential compute? Add `--confidential` to deploy on a TEE.

## Step 5: Watch it come up [#step-5-watch-it-come-up]

```bash
acc services list          # status and URL
acc services info          # full details for a service
acc services logs --tail 100
```

Once the service is running, `acc services list` shows its public URL
(`https://<slug>-app.alternatefutures.ai`).

## Step 6: Manage it [#step-6-manage-it]

```bash
acc services deploy        # redeploy after changes
acc services env set <service> KEY VALUE
acc ssh <serviceId>        # shell into the running container
acc services close         # stop billing for it
```

## Where to go next [#where-to-go-next]

* [CLI command reference](/cli/commands) - every command and flag
* [Projects](/guides/projects) - organize services and teams
* [Billing](/guides/billing) - credits, topups, and budgets
* [Authentication](/guides/authentication) - all sign-in methods

<Callout type="info" title="For AI agents">
  Automating this? Use `acc pat create` for a token, export `AF_TOKEN` and
  `AF_PROJECT_ID`, and every command above works non-interactively (add `-y`).
  Machine-readable docs: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt).
</Callout>