List Pods
Displays a table with name, preset, plan, CPU, memory, disk, status, and domain.
Create a Pod
instapods pods create my-app -p nodejs
instapods pods create --name my-app -p nodejs
-w to wait until the pod is fully running before returning.
Create Flags
| Flag | Description | Default |
|---|
-p, --preset | Preset: static, php, nodejs, python | Auto-detected |
-v, --version | Runtime version (e.g. 8.4, 22, 3.11) | Preset default |
--plan | Plan: launch, build, grow, scale, turbo | launch |
-r, --region | Region slug (e.g. eu-nbg) | Auto-select (closest) |
--ssh-key | SSH public key or path to key file | None |
-w, --wait | Wait until pod is running before returning | false |
--timeout | Max seconds to wait for pod creation | 120 |
The --preset flag is optional. If omitted, the CLI auto-detects the preset from your current directory by looking for signature files like package.json (Node.js), composer.json (PHP), requirements.txt (Python), or index.html (Static).
Examples
# Node.js with Build plan
instapods pods create api -p nodejs --plan build
# Python with SSH key
instapods pods create ml-service -p python --ssh-key ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
# Static site in a specific region
instapods pods create my-site -p static -r eu-nbg
# Wait until pod is fully running
instapods pods create my-site -p static -w
# Specific runtime version
instapods pods create my-app -p php --version 8.4
# Custom timeout (5 minutes)
instapods pods create big-app -p nodejs --timeout 300
Get Pod Details
instapods pods get my-app
Start / Stop / Restart
instapods pods start my-app
instapods pods stop my-app
instapods pods restart my-app
Lifecycle Flags
| Flag | Description | Default |
|---|
-w, --wait | Wait until the operation completes | false |
--timeout | Max seconds to wait | 60 |
# Start and wait until running
instapods pods start my-app -w
# Stop with a custom timeout
instapods pods stop my-app -w --timeout 30
# Restart and wait
instapods pods restart my-app -w
Resize
Change a pod’s plan (and its associated resources):
instapods pods resize my-app --plan build
--plan flag is required. Resources (CPU, memory, disk) are automatically set based on the target plan.
| Flag | Description |
|---|
--plan | Target plan: launch, build, grow, scale, turbo (required) |
Downgrades check disk usage — if the pod’s current disk usage exceeds the new plan’s storage limit, the resize will fail.
Reload Application
Restart the application services inside the pod:
instapods pods reload my-app
- Static: nginx
- PHP: nginx + PHP-FPM
- Node.js:
app systemd service
- Python:
app systemd service
Reload also auto-detects and installs dependencies. If a package.json (Node.js) or requirements.txt (Python) is present, npm install or pip install runs automatically before restarting the service.
Delete
# With confirmation prompt
instapods pods delete my-app
# Skip confirmation
instapods pods delete my-app -f
# Wait until deletion completes
instapods pods delete my-app -f -w
| Flag | Description | Default |
|---|
-f, --force | Skip confirmation prompt | false |
-w, --wait | Wait until deletion completes | false |
Deletion is permanent. All files, databases, and configurations are destroyed. Deleted pod names are reserved for 7 days to prevent SSH host key conflicts.
JSON Output
Add --json to any command for machine-readable JSON output:
instapods pods list --json
instapods pods get my-app --json
