> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://strettch-make-section-id-optional.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# SC Compute Virtual Machines Overview

> Learn how Strettch Cloud SC Compute virtual machines work, including instance specifications, supported images, regions, networking, and pricing.

## What is SC Compute?

SC Compute is a virtual machine service that gives you access to remotely available servers over the internet. Think of it as renting a server in the cloud that you can use for whatever you need.

Each compute instance comes with:

* **Customizable specifications** - Choose CPU, RAM, and storage that fit your needs
* **compute monitoring** - Track performance metrics in real-time
* **UI management** - Control your instances (shutdown, reboot) directly from the dashboard
* **Team collaboration** - Share compute resources with your team members

***

## Use Cases

SC Compute instances can be used for virtually anything you would do with your own server. Common use cases include:

* **Hosting websites and web applications** - Deploy your frontend and backend applications
* **Running web APIs** - Serve REST APIs, GraphQL endpoints, or microservices
* **Database hosting** - Run MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or other databases
* **Development and testing environments** - Spin up instances for testing and experimentation
* **Batch processing and data analysis** - Run compute-intensive workloads
* **Custom services** - Deploy any application or service that runs on Linux

***

## Resource Lifecycle

**Problem**: What states can my resources be in, and what do they mean for access and billing?

Different resource types may have different lifecycles. This section focuses primarily on **compute instances** as the most common example.

### Lifecycle States

Here's the typical flow through lifecycle states:

```
Creating → Running ⟷ Stopped → Destroying → Destroyed
```

| State                  | Description                                                        | Web Dashboard | Resource Access (SSH/Console) | Billable? | Can Transition To    |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------- | ----------------------------- | --------- | -------------------- |
| **Creating**           | Initial provisioning when first created                            | Visible       | Not accessible                | No\*      | Running              |
| **Running**            | Normal operational state                                           | Visible       | Fully accessible              | **Yes**   | Stopped, Destroying  |
| **Stopped**            | Instance stopped but resources reserved                            | Visible       | Not accessible                | **Yes**   | Starting, Destroying |
| **Starting/Rebooting** | Transitioning from Stopped or rebooting                            | Visible       | Not accessible                | **Yes**   | Running              |
| **Destroying**         | Brief destruction process (seconds)                                | Visible       | Not accessible                | No\*      | Destroyed            |
| **Destroyed**          | Billing stops; instance no longer accessible. Not user-recoverable | Not visible   | Not accessible                | **No**    | None                 |

<Info>
  \*Creating and Destroying states are not billable due to their very brief duration (typically seconds to less than a minute).
</Info>

<Warning>
  The **Stopped** state still incurs charges because resources remain reserved. To stop billing, you must **Destroy** the resource.
</Warning>

### Understanding the States

**Creating**: When you first create a compute instance, it goes through a provisioning process where the system allocates resources, installs the operating system, and configures networking. This typically takes less than a minute.

**Running**: This is the normal operational state where your instance is fully accessible. You can connect via SSH or the web console and use the compute resources.

**Stopped**: When you stop an instance, it shuts down but all resources (CPU, RAM, storage) remain reserved for you. This means you continue to be billed at the same rate. The benefit is that you can quickly restart the instance without losing any data or configuration.

**Destroying/Destroyed**: When you destroy an instance, billing stops immediately and resources are released. Destruction is final from your side — there is no self-service recovery. If you destroyed something by mistake, contact [support](mailto:cloud@strettch.com) right away; in some cases an admin may be able to recover an instance within a brief window before the underlying data is permanently removed.

***

## Next Steps

Now that you understand what SC Compute is and how the lifecycle works:

* [Create your first compute instance](/guides/computes)
* [Learn about SC Agent for web console access](/agents/sc-agent)
* [Set up monitoring with SC Metrics Agent](/agents/sc-metrics-agent)
* [Connect a domain to your compute instance](/guides/domains)