Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with Lambda in less than 10 minutes.

💻 Management Options

Lambda provides two ways to manage your infrastructure:

🌐 Web Dashboard (Recommended for getting started)
- Visual interface at dashboard.lambda.io
- Similar to AWS Console, DigitalOcean Dashboard
- Perfect for learning and day-to-day management
⌨️ CLI & API (For automation and advanced users)
- Command-line tools for scripting
- REST API for programmatic access
- Great for CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code

This guide shows both options - use what works best for you!

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

A Lambda account (Sign up here)
Terminal or command prompt access
Basic familiarity with command-line interfaces
SSH key pair (we'll help you generate one if needed)

Step 1: Install the Lambda CLI

The Lambda CLI is your primary tool for managing compute instances.

macOS / Linux

curl -fsSL https://get.lambda.io/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell)

iwr https://get.lambda.io/install.ps1 -useb | iex

Using npm

npm install -g @lambda/cli

Using Homebrew (macOS)

brew tap lambda/tap
brew install lambda-cli

Verify Installation

lambda --version
# Output: lambda CLI v1.2.3

Step 2: Authenticate

lambda login

This will open your browser to authenticate via the Lambda Dashboard. Once authenticated, the CLI will be ready to use.

Alternative: API Keys

For CI/CD pipelines or automation, you can create API keys from the Dashboard → Settings → API Keys:

export LAMBDA_API_KEY="your-api-key"
lambda whoami

Output:

Authenticated as: you@example.com
Organization: Your Org
Plan: Professional

Step 3: Create Your First Instance

Option 1: Using the Dashboard (Recommended for first-time users)

Go to dashboard.lambda.io/instances
Click "Create Instance"
Choose instance type: compute-2x (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM)
Select region: us-west-1
Select image: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Add your SSH key (or generate a new one)
Click "Launch Instance"

Option 2: Using the CLI

lambda create instance \
  --name my-first-instance \
  --type compute-2x \
  --region us-west-1 \
  --image ubuntu-22.04 \
  --ssh-key ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

What's Happening?

Lambda allocates isolated compute resources
Sets up encrypted storage volumes
Configures secure networking
Deploys your selected OS image
Provisions with your SSH key

Expected Output

Creating instance...
✓ Instance created: inst_abc123xyz
  Name: my-first-instance
  Type: compute-2x (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM)
  Region: us-west-1
  IP: 203.0.113.42
  Status: running

Connection command:
  ssh lambda@203.0.113.42

Step 4: Connect to Your Instance

SSH into your new instance:

ssh lambda@203.0.113.42

You're now connected to a completely private compute environment!

Step 5: Deploy an Application

Let's deploy a simple web application:

Example: Node.js API

Create a simple app (on your local machine)

mkdir my-app && cd my-app
npm init -y
npm install express

Create index.js:

const express = require("express");
const app = express();

app.get("/", (req, res) => {
  res.json({ message: "Hello from Lambda!", private: true });
});

app.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log("Server running on port 3000");
});

Deploy to Lambda

lambda deploy . \
  --instance inst_abc123xyz \
  --port 3000 \
  --start-command "node index.js"

Access your application

curl http://203.0.113.42:3000
# Output: {"message":"Hello from Lambda!","private":true}

Step 6: Monitor Your Instance

View real-time metrics:

lambda metrics inst_abc123xyz

Output:

Instance: my-first-instance (inst_abc123xyz)
Status: running
Uptime: 5m 23s

CPU Usage:     ▁▂▃▄▅▆██ 45%
Memory:        ████░░░░ 2.1GB / 4GB
Network In:    1.2 MB/s
Network Out:   0.8 MB/s
Disk I/O:      342 IOPS

Step 7: Access the Dashboard

Lambda provides a web-based dashboard for visual management:

lambda dashboard open

Or visit: Dashboard

Dashboard Features

📊 Real-time Metrics: CPU, memory, network, disk usage
🔄 Instance Management: Start, stop, restart, destroy
💰 Usage & Billing: Track costs in real-time
🔐 Security Settings: Manage SSH keys, firewall rules
📜 Activity Logs: Audit trail (no application logs)

Common Operations

💡 Tip: All of these operations can also be performed from the Lambda Dashboard with a visual interface.

List Instances

lambda list instances

Stop an Instance

lambda stop inst_abc123xyz

Start a Stopped Instance

lambda start inst_abc123xyz

Resize an Instance

lambda resize inst_abc123xyz --type compute-4x

Create a Snapshot

lambda snapshot create inst_abc123xyz --name "before-update"

Destroy an Instance

lambda destroy inst_abc123xyz --confirm

Next Steps

📚 Learn Core Concepts

Understand instances, storage, networking →
Core Concepts →

🚀 Deploy a Real Application

Step-by-step deployment guide →
First Deployment →

🏗️ Understand the Architecture

How Lambda ensures your privacy →
Architecture Overview →

🔐 Security Best Practices

Secure your instances properly →
Security Guide →

🔌 Explore the API

Automate with Lambda's REST API →
API Reference →

Troubleshooting

Can't Connect via SSH?

Check instance status: lambda status inst_abc123xyz
Verify SSH key: lambda ssh-keys list
Check firewall: lambda firewall list inst_abc123xyz

Instance Not Starting?

Check quotas: lambda quotas
Verify billing: lambda billing status
Try different region: --region us-east-1

Need Help?

Example: Complete Workflow

Here's a complete workflow from zero to deployed application:

# 1. Install CLI
curl -fsSL https://get.lambda.io/install.sh | bash

# 2. Login
lambda login

# 3. Create instance
lambda create instance \
  --name prod-api \
  --type compute-4x \
  --region us-west-1 \
  --image ubuntu-22.04

# 4. Wait for instance to be ready
lambda wait inst_abc123xyz

# 5. Deploy application
lambda deploy ./my-api \
  --instance inst_abc123xyz \
  --port 8080

# 6. Configure firewall
lambda firewall allow inst_abc123xyz --port 8080 --source 0.0.0.0/0

# 7. Monitor
lambda logs inst_abc123xyz --follow

What's Next?

You now have a private, secure compute instance running on Lambda!

Recommended Learning Path

✓ Quick Start (you are here)
→ Core Concepts - Understand the fundamentals
→ First Deployment - Deploy a complete app
→ Security Best Practices - Lock down your instances
→ Monitoring Guide - Set up alerts and dashboards

Think Lambda, Think Privacy

Questions? Reach out to support@lambda.io or visit our Community Forum.

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