> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://repocloud.io/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # How RepoCloud Works > Understand the platform architecture, deployment workflow, and management capabilities ## Platform Architecture RepoCloud provides two deployment models on shared infrastructure: - **Container Apps** — managed Docker containers deployed through a container orchestration platform. RepoCloud handles networking, SSL, and lifecycle management. Autoscaling is optional and described below. You interact through the dashboard only. - **VPS Apps** — dedicated virtual private servers. You get full root SSH access, a dedicated IPv4 address, and direct control over the operating system. Every VPS App starts as a plain Ubuntu server, and the application is installed on it afterwards, by the [DevOps AI Agent](https://repocloud.io/docs/ai-agents/devops-ai-agent.md) or by you. Both models share the same user dashboard, billing system, and support infrastructure. ## Deployment Workflow ### Container App Deployment **1. Select an Application** Browse the [marketplace](https://repocloud.io/results/) of hundreds of pre-configured applications and click **Deploy Now**. **2. Configure** Name your project, pick a resource tier or turn autoscaling on, and fill in the app's own settings. **3. Automated Provisioning** RepoCloud creates the project from the app's template, configures networking and SSL, and gives the app an HTTPS address. **4. Ready** Your application is typically ready in 3–7 minutes. The dashboard row shows live progress and gets a **Manage** button once the app is online. ### VPS App Deployment **1. Use AI Deploy or Pick the Ubuntu VPS** Use [AI Deploy](https://repocloud.io/docs/deployment/ai-deploy.md) to put a GitHub repository on a server, or pick the blank Ubuntu VPS from the marketplace. **2. Select a Tier** Pick a resource tier. Every VPS App starts at Tier 2 (2 GB RAM, nominally $6 for a 720-hour month). **3. Automated Provisioning** The platform provisions a virtual machine, assigns a dedicated IPv4 address, and configures SSH access with a generated root password and SSH key. The server is a plain Ubuntu 24.04 LTS server: nothing is installed on it by the platform. **4. Ready** Server provisioning typically takes 1–2 minutes, and an AI-assisted deployment, with the agent's installation included, typically takes 5–15 minutes. The manage page shows the IPv4 address and the `ssh root@` command, and **Email Me** sends the root password to your email. ### AI Deploy Workflow **1. Paste a GitHub URL** Go to [repocloud.io/ai-deploy](https://repocloud.io/ai-deploy) and enter the URL of a public GitHub repository. **2. Select Tier and Deploy** Choose a resource tier and click **Deploy**. **3. AI Configuration** RepoCloud provisions the server and prepares a research report on the repository before the chat opens. In the chat, the [DevOps AI Agent](https://repocloud.io/docs/ai-agents/devops-ai-agent.md) installs dependencies and configures the application over SSH while you watch and steer. **4. Ready** The agent checks that the application responds, then reports its URL and any logins it created. The server is on your dashboard from the moment it is provisioned, and the root password comes by email. ## Management All instances — Container Apps and VPS Apps — are managed from the same [dashboard](https://repocloud.io/dashboard). ### Dashboard Features - **Live status indicators**: real-time polling shows each instance's current state (Deploying, Online, Paused, etc.) - **Project tags**: organize instances with custom tags, edited on the row - **Search, sort, and filter**: search by name, app, or domain; five sort orders; filter by app, status, and tag - **Row actions**: a **Manage** button opens the manage page, where you rename, pause, or delete an app ### Container App Management From the manage page: - Rename the project - See the usage chart - Edit environment variables - Change the Docker image or tag (for version pinning or updates) - View application logs - Rebuild / update to the latest application version - Add a custom domain (two CNAME records, with automatic SSL; not available for the OpenClaw container app) - Resize to a different tier or switch to/from autoscaling - Pause and resume, or delete the app ### VPS App Management From the manage page: - See the IPv4 address and the `ssh` command, and get the root password by email - Power on, power off, and reboot the server (a powered-off VPS is still billed at the full tier price) - Access a browser-based console (no SSH client needed) - Manage SSH keys - Reset the root password - Resize to a tier whose disk is the same size or larger - Create, restore, and delete snapshots - Monitor CPU, RAM, disk, and outbound bandwidth usage charts - Add a custom domain (CNAME-based; not available for Ubuntu VPS) - Reopen the chat with the DevOps AI Agent (on a server set up by AI Deploy) - Delete the instance ## Billing RepoCloud uses a prepaid credit system with hourly metering: - **Hourly charges**: resources are billed every hour based on your tier - **Autoscaling (Container Apps)**: you are billed the tier that the hour's memory and CPU reading maps to - **Paused billing**: a paused Container App is billed 25% of its tier price (an extra SSD is still billed in full); a paused VPS App continues at the full rate - **Auto-recharge**: optionally charge your card automatically when your balance drops below a threshold - **VPS zero-balance behavior**: a VPS paused at zero balance is deleted if the balance is not restored. RepoCloud emails the owner when it pauses a server and may send reminders before the deletion, but a reminder is not guaranteed: keep a positive balance or turn on Auto Recharge See [Billing](https://repocloud.io/docs/manage/billing.md) for complete details. ## Autoscaling (Container Apps Only) Autoscaling is optional for Container Apps. When it is on, it chooses the tier you are billed for: - When your application needs more CPU or RAM it may use up to the Tier 6 amount, and the next hourly reading bills the higher tier. Storage does not take part - A lower reading bills a lower tier - The tier is chosen once an hour from one reading - You do not resize anything Autoscaling is not available for VPS Apps — VPS instances run on fixed tiers and must be resized manually. ## Next Steps > **[Technical Details](https://repocloud.io/docs/platform/technical-details.md)** > > Hardware specs, networking, and resource tier details > **[Deployment Options](https://repocloud.io/docs/deployment/introduction.md)** > > Compare all deployment methods > **[Dashboard](https://repocloud.io/docs/manage/dashboard.md)** > > Learn the dashboard features > **[AI Agents](https://repocloud.io/docs/ai-agents/overview.md)** > > Customize applications with the DevOps AI Agent > **[API / MCP](https://repocloud.io/docs/api/introduction.md)** > > Deploy and manage instances programmatically