> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gmicloud.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Rent Containers
## Step 1: Resource Information
1. Navigate to **Containers** → **Launch** or click the "**Launch**" button on the Containers page
2. Configure your container's resource settings:
* **Billing Method**: Choose between "Pay as you go" (charged by minute) or "Prepaid Plan" (pay upfront for a fixed duration)
* **Duration** (Prepaid only): Choose the prepaid usage period
* **Data Center**: Select your preferred data center location
* **Type**: Choose the instance type (CPU-only or a GPU type such as L40S, H200)
* **Specification**: Pick an instance plan showing CPU/memory/storage details and hourly price
* **Instance Quantity**: Set the number of containers to launch
3. Select a **Template** for your container image (choose from official images or your saved templates)
4. Click "**Continue**" to proceed
## Step 2: Networking Configurations
Configure network settings for your container:
1. **Elastic IP (Public IP)**: Toggle on to assign a static public IPv4 address to your container
* **Auto-Create a New EIP**: Automatically provisions and attaches a new EIP (recommended for most users)
* **Manually Assign**: Pick an existing EIP from your account
EIP is not supported for the Prepaid billing method. For prepaid containers, create and associate an EIP separately from the Elastic IP dashboard after launch.
2. **Firewall**: Select a firewall to control inbound/outbound traffic for the container. Defaults to **All Open** which allows all traffic — choose a stricter preset or a custom firewall for production workloads.
For official templates provided by GMI, some port quick-setups are available:
3. Toggle **Expose SSH Port 22** for SSH access (available for official templates only)
4. Toggle **Expose JupyterLab Port 8888** for JupyterLab access (available for official templates only)
Otherwise, port mappings need to be added manually:
5. Add custom port mappings if needed:
* **Listening Port**: The external port (publicly accessible)
* **Container Port**: The internal container port
* **Protocol**: TCP or UDP
If **using a custom template**, please **install the SSHD service in the template**; otherwise, **you CANNOT connect with SSH by default**. All official templates have the SSHD service installed by default.
6. Click "**Continue**" to proceed
## Step 3: Storage
Configure storage settings for your container:
1. Select the storage volume to mount
2. The **Mount Path** will be automatically configured (e.g., `/share`)
3. Click "**Continue**" to proceed
## Step 4: Advanced Configurations
Configure optional advanced settings:
1. **Environment Variables**: Toggle to add environment variables for your container (maximum 10)
2. **Start Commands**: Toggle to add custom start commands for your container
3. Click "**Continue**" to proceed
## Step 5: Basic Information
Configure the basic information for your container:
1. **Name**: Enter a name for your container (auto-generated by default)
2. Click "**Go to Pay**" to proceed to payment
## Step 6: Review and Launch
Review your configuration and complete the order:
1. Review the configuration summary — each resource is shown as a separate line item:
* The container instance (type, specifications, hourly price)
* The Elastic IP (if you enabled EIP on Step 2)
2. (Optional) Enter a **coupon code** and click "Apply"
3. Select your **Payment Method** (credits or credit card)
4. Review the price breakdown:
* Subtotal
* Tax
* Discount
* Total
5. Check the box to confirm you have read and agreed to the **Service Level Agreement** of GMI Cloud
6. Click "**Place Order**" to launch your container