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Overview

The Compute Clear API supports provisioning storage volumes alongside GPU instances. Storage is configured in the storage: section of the YAML spec.

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Three dimensions of storage

Every storage volume is defined by three properties:

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1. Type

The underlying storage technology:
TypeDescription
block_diskBlock storage attached to a single VM. Like an SSD/HDD connected to one machine.
filesystemShared filesystem mountable by multiple VMs simultaneously. Ideal for training data and checkpoints.

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2. Class

The performance tier. Maps to vendor-specific storage products:
ClassDescription
standardDefault. General-purpose network SSD. Replicated for durability. Typical: 10,000-30,000 IOPS.
performanceHigh-IOPS SSD optimized for latency-sensitive workloads. Typical: 50,000-100,000+ IOPS.
economyCost-optimized storage for large datasets where throughput matters more than latency. May use non-replicated SSD or HDD.
premiumHighest-performance distributed filesystems (e.g., parallel file systems). Optimized for large-scale ML training with many concurrent readers/writers.
Not all vendors support all classes. Use GET /available_storage to check what’s available per vendor and region, including pricing.

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3. Persistent

Controls whether the storage survives VM deletion:
ValueBehavior
false (default)Ephemeral — storage is bundled with the VM and deleted when the VM is destroyed.
truePersistent — storage gets its own resource_id and independent lifecycle. It survives VM deletion and can be reattached to new VMs later.

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YAML spec examples

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VM with ephemeral block storage

compute:
  gpu_type: H100
  gpu_count: 1
storage:
  - type: block_disk
    class: standard
    size: 500GB

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VM with persistent shared filesystem

compute:
  gpu_type: H100
  gpu_count: 8
storage:
  - type: filesystem
    class: standard
    size: 2TB
    persistent: true

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Multiple volumes

compute:
  gpu_type: H100
  gpu_count: 1
storage:
  - type: filesystem
    class: premium
    size: 5TB
    persistent: true
  - type: block_disk
    class: standard
    size: 200GB

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Storage discovery

Check available storage options and pricing before writing your spec: 
curl https://supply-api.compute-index.com/available_storage \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"
This returns available types, classes, size limits, and per-GB pricing across all vendors and regions.

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How storage affects offers

When you include storage: in your spec, the API automatically:
  1. Filters vendors — only vendors supporting your requested storage type and class are included
  2. Includes pricing — offer responses show a cost breakdown (compute + storage + total)
  3. Handles ordering — some vendors require storage to be created before VMs; the API handles this transparently