# ix

> ix is a platform for machines in the cloud: boot one and you own it - networking, secrets, logs, snapshots, a shell, and declarative config converged by name. Drive it with the `ix` CLI, or from Rust, Python, or TypeScript with the SDK. Billing is per second.

This file is the map of ix.dev/docs. For `ix` CLI flags, run `ix <verb> --help`: it is always current, so flags are not duplicated here. Start at "what is ix", then follow the page that matches the task.

## start

- [what is ix](https://ix.dev/docs): a computer in the cloud, billed per second: boot one now, or declare it in a repo.
- [machines](https://ix.dev/docs/vms): create, inspect, snapshot, and restore cloud machines.

## config

- [templates](https://ix.dev/docs/templates): any repo whose flake evaluates to a nixos system boots on ix.
- [default.ix](https://ix.dev/docs/config): one file that declares the machine, and how it splits into modules.
- [secrets](https://ix.dev/docs/secrets): declare a secret once, attach it to machines, use it inside.
- [network](https://ix.dev/docs/ingress): put a machine on the internet.

## sdk

- [rust](https://ix.dev/docs/sdk/rust): the core itself: a typed async client for the ix api.
- [python](https://ix.dev/docs/sdk/python): asyncio-native: boot, exec, files, snapshots.
- [typescript](https://ix.dev/docs/sdk/typescript): await using, async iterators, typed options.

## reference

- [billing](https://ix.dev/docs/billing): per-second and usage-billed: what a machine costs, how big it grows.
- [cli](https://ix.dev/docs/cli): every command and flag, from the binary itself.