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Storage Overview

Vast.ai provides two main types of storage for your instances:
  1. Container Storage - Temporary storage within Docker container that’s deleted with instance
  2. Volumes - Persistent local storage that survives instance deletion (see Volumes guide)

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Container Storage

Container storage is the default storage allocated to every instance when it’s created.

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Key Characteristics

  • Size is fixed at creation: You must specify the disk size when creating the instance
  • Cannot be resized: Once created, the allocation cannot be changed
  • Persists while instance exists: Data remains even when instance is stopped
  • Deleted with instance: All data is permanently lost when instance is destroyed
  • Charged continuously: Storage costs apply even when instance is stopped

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Default Allocation

  • Minimum: 10GB (default)
  • Maximum: Varies by host machine capacity
  • Set via disk size slider during instance creation
Storage charges continue even when instances are stopped. To stop storage billing, you must destroy the instance completely.

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Best Practices

  1. Estimate generously: Better to have extra space than run out mid-task
  2. Monitor usage: Check disk space regularly with df -h
  3. Clean up regularly: Remove unnecessary files to free space
  4. Back up important data: Container storage is lost when instance is destroyed

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Volumes

Volumes provide persistent storage that survives instance destruction and can be reattached to new instances.

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Key Features

  • Local only: Tied to the physical machine where created
  • Persistent: Survives instance destruction
  • Reattachable: Can be mounted to new instances on same machine
  • Fixed size: Cannot be resized after creation
  • Separate billing: Charged independently from instances

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Volume Limitations

  • Cannot migrate between different physical machines
  • Can only attach to instances on the same host
  • Must destroy attached instance before deleting volume
  • Size must be specified at creation time
For detailed volume management, see Volumes.

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Storage Costs

Storage pricing varies by host and includes:
  1. Container storage: Charged per GB while instance exists
  2. Volume storage: Charged per GB while volume exists
  3. Different rates: Stopped instances may have higher storage rates than running instances

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Data Persistence Strategy

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Temporary Work

Use container storage for:
  • Temporary files
  • Build artifacts
  • Cache data
  • Working datasets

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Important Data

Use volumes or cloud sync for:
  • Trained models
  • Datasets
  • Code repositories
  • Configuration files

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Backup Options

  1. Volumes: For same-machine persistence
  2. Cloud Sync: For off-machine backup (Google Drive, S3, etc.)
  3. Instance-to-instance copy: Transfer between instances
  4. SCP/SFTP: Download to local machine

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Common Questions

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Can I increase storage after instance creation?

No, container storage size is fixed at creation. You can:
  • Create a new instance with more storage and transfer your data
  • Attach a volume for additional space
  • Use cloud storage for overflow

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What happens to my data when the instance stops?

  • Container storage: Data persists, charges continue
  • Volumes: Data persists, charges continue
  • No data is lost when stopping instances

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How do I avoid storage charges?

  • Destroy instances you’re not using
  • Delete unneeded volumes
  • Transfer important data to local/cloud storage first

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Next Steps

Volumes Guide

Create and manage persistent storage volumes

Data Movement

Transfer files between instances and local machines

Cloud Sync

Connect to Google Drive, S3, and other cloud storage