> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nova-cloud.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# FAQ

> Frequently asked questions about Nova Cloud GPU instances, billing, and connectivity.

## Account & Getting Started

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What is the signup bonus?">
    New accounts get a **first-deposit match** — we match your first deposit dollar-for-dollar, up to **\$25 in bonus credit**. Deposit \$5 and you get \$5 in bonus credit, deposit \$25 or more and you get the full \$25. Minimum deposit is \$5.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need to verify my email?">
    Yes. Email verification is required to be eligible for the signup bonus on your first deposit. You can resend the verification email from **Account Settings**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What payment methods are accepted?">
    Nova Cloud accepts:

    * **Credit and debit cards** via Stripe (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)
    * **Cryptocurrency** via Crypto.com Pay — *coming soon*

    The minimum deposit is **\$5** and the maximum is **\$1,000** per transaction.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use Nova Cloud without a credit card?">
    Not at this time. Cryptocurrency payments via Crypto.com Pay are **coming soon** — once available, you'll be able to pay with BTC, ETH, USDC, and more without a credit card.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I enable two-factor authentication (2FA)?">
    Go to **Account Settings** in the console. You can enable TOTP-based 2FA using an authenticator app like Google Authenticator or Authy. Backup codes are provided in case you lose access to your authenticator.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Instances & GPUs

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What GPUs are available?">
    Nova Cloud currently offers:

    * **NVIDIA RTX 5090** — 32GB vRAM, latest generation
    * **NVIDIA RTX 4090** — 24GB vRAM, excellent value
    * **NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000** — 96GB vRAM, professional grade

    You can browse current availability and pricing on the [console dashboard](https://console.nova-cloud.ai).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What operating systems and templates are available?">
    When creating an instance, you can choose from:

    * **Ubuntu 22.04 Base Image** (`template_vmid: 100`) — Clean install with NVIDIA drivers
    * **Ubuntu 24.04 Base Image** (`template_vmid: 101`) — Latest Ubuntu with NVIDIA drivers
    * **Stable Diffusion (A1111) + Jupyter** (`template_vmid: 102`) — Pre-configured for image generation
    * **ComfyUI + Jupyter** (`template_vmid: 103`) — Node-based image generation workflow
    * **Linux Desktop + Jupyter** (`template_vmid: 104`) — Full desktop environment in browser

    The IDs in parentheses are what to pass when creating instances via the [API](/api-reference/introduction#template-ids).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What's the difference between Stop and Destroy?">
    * **Stop** pauses the instance. GPU billing stops, but storage billing continues at a small rate. Your data is preserved and you can start the instance again later.
    * **Destroy** permanently deletes the instance and all its data. All billing stops immediately. This action is **irreversible**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I change the rental type of a running instance?">
    No. The rental type is set when the instance is created and cannot be changed. To switch types, destroy the current instance and create a new one with the desired rental type.

    The exception is reserved instances — when the reservation expires, the instance automatically converts to on-demand billing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if my interruptible instance is preempted?">
    When an interruptible instance is preempted:

    1. Running processes are stopped (like a power-off)
    2. Your data on disk is preserved
    3. The status changes to **Interrupted** in the dashboard
    4. If **auto-restart** is enabled (on by default), the instance automatically restarts when a GPU becomes available
    5. The system checks for available capacity every 60 seconds

    You are **not charged for GPU time** while interrupted. Save your work frequently and use checkpointing for training jobs.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What does auto-restart do?">
    Auto-restart is a setting for interruptible instances. When enabled, your instance will automatically restart when GPU capacity becomes available after an interruption. It's enabled by default and can be toggled in the instance **Configure** menu. Auto-restart is disabled after 7 days without a restart.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How long does it take to create an instance?">
    Instance provisioning typically takes **1–10 minutes**, depending on the template and current demand. You can monitor the status on the **My Instances** page — it will change from "Creating" to "Running" when ready.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I label or rename my instances?">
    Yes. Click the **Configure** button on any instance and set a custom label (up to 32 characters). This helps you identify instances when running multiple VMs.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What performance metrics can I see for my instances?">
    The instance card on the **My Instances** page shows real-time metrics:

    * **CPU usage** (percentage)
    * **RAM usage** (percentage)
    * **Disk I/O** (data transferred)
    * **Network** (data transferred)
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Billing & Pricing

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How does billing work?">
    Nova Cloud uses a prepaid credit system. Costs are deducted from your balance by the second while instances are running:

    * **GPU cost** — Based on GPU type, count, and rental type
    * **Storage cost** — Based on disk size, continues even when the VM is stopped
    * **Network cost** — \$2 per TB of data transfer

    See the [Billing guide](/guides/billing) for full details.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens when my balance reaches \$0?">
    When your balance hits zero:

    1. All running on-demand and interruptible VMs are **stopped**
    2. You receive a **warning email**
    3. A **reminder email** is sent 4 days later (72 hours before destruction)
    4. After **7 days**, all stopped non-reserved VMs are **permanently destroyed**

    Reserved instances are not affected — they continue running from their separate deposit balance. Enable [auto billing](/guides/billing#auto-billing) to prevent this.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How does auto billing work?">
    Auto billing automatically charges your saved credit card when your balance drops below a threshold. Configure it in **Account Settings**:

    * **Threshold**: \$2, \$5, \$10, \$25, or \$50 (triggers the top-up)
    * **Amount**: \$10, \$25, \$50, \$100, or \$250 (amount added)

    You need a saved payment method to use this feature.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What are the reserved instance discount tiers?">
    | Commitment Period | Discount |
    | ----------------- | -------- |
    | 1 month           | 3.33%    |
    | 3 months          | 10%      |
    | 6 months          | 20%      |

    You pay an upfront deposit covering the reservation period. See the [Rental Types guide](/guides/rental-types#reserved-instances) for details.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What is the cancellation fee for reserved instances?">
    You can cancel a reservation at any time, but a **25% early termination fee** is applied to the remaining deposit balance. 75% is refunded to your credit balance.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I download invoices?">
    Yes. Go to **Account Settings → Billing** and you can download PDF invoices for any billing period. Both credit (payment) and debit (usage) invoices are available.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Am I charged while my instance is stopped?">
    **GPU billing stops** when an instance is stopped. However, **storage billing continues** at the allocated disk rate. To stop all billing, **destroy** the instance.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Connectivity & Ports

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I connect to my instance?">
    There are two ways:

    * **SSH** — Terminal access using `ssh ubuntu@<your-vm-ip>`. Available for all instances.
    * **WebUI Portal** — Browser-based access for templates that include a WebUI (Stable Diffusion, ComfyUI, Linux Desktop). Access it by clicking **Connect** on your instance.

    See the [Connecting guide](/guides/connecting) for step-by-step instructions.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why can't I access my service on a specific port?">
    All ports except SSH (port 22) are **closed by default** for security. You need to open ports using UFW (the firewall):

    ```bash theme={null}
    sudo ufw allow 8888/tcp
    ```

    Also make sure your service is bound to `0.0.0.0` (not `127.0.0.1`). See the [Instance Ports guide](/guides/instance-ports) for details.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What is the WebUI portal?">
    The WebUI portal is a Cloudflare-secured browser gateway that gives you access to web applications running inside your instance without opening ports. It's available for instances created with the Stable Diffusion, ComfyUI, or Linux Desktop templates. Access it by clicking **Connect** on your instance.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What is the default username for SSH?">
    The default username is `ubuntu` for all instances.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use SSH tunneling instead of opening ports?">
    Yes. SSH tunneling is a secure alternative that forwards traffic through your SSH connection:

    ```bash theme={null}
    ssh -L 8888:localhost:8888 ubuntu@<your-vm-ip>
    ```

    Then access the service at `http://localhost:8888` in your browser. See the [Instance Ports guide](/guides/instance-ports#alternative-ssh-tunneling) for details.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Security & API

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How many SSH keys can I have?">
    You can upload up to **5 SSH keys** per account. This is useful if you connect from multiple computers. Manage your keys in **Account Settings → SSH Keys**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What API key scopes are available?">
    When generating an API key, you can choose from:

    | Scope          | Access Level                      |
    | -------------- | --------------------------------- |
    | `read_only`    | Read-only access to all endpoints |
    | `read_write`   | Full read and write access        |
    | `billing_only` | Only billing-related endpoints    |

    Manage your API keys in **Account Settings → API Keys**. See the [API Reference](/api-reference/introduction) for details.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is my data secure?">
    Yes. Nova Cloud uses:

    * **SSH key authentication** (recommended) or strong password requirements
    * **Two-factor authentication** (optional but recommended)
    * **Firewall** with all ports closed by default
    * **Cloudflare-secured** WebUI portal
    * **Encrypted** payment processing via Stripe

    Your instance data is stored on the physical server and is only accessible via your authentication credentials.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to my data when I destroy an instance?">
    When you destroy an instance, **all data on it is permanently deleted**. This includes any files, installed software, model weights, and outputs. Make sure to download anything important before destroying an instance.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Still Have Questions?

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Discord Community" icon="discord" href="https://discord.gg/twgcNZqw39">
    Chat with the team and other users.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Email Support" icon="envelope" href="mailto:support@nova-cloud.ai">
    Contact us directly.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Console Support" icon="headset" href="https://console.nova-cloud.ai">
    Use the in-app support form.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>