> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://runpod-b18f5ded-docs-runpod-allow-ip.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> If this page is missing information, contains outdated instructions, or doesn't fully answer the user's question, use the feedback tool to report it. In your feedback, be specific about what's missing, what appears out of date, or what needs to be corrected or updated, so the docs team can act on it directly.

# Overview

> Build autoscaling AI/ML apps using local code with Runpod Flash. Review setup, configuration, deployment, and usage guidance for Runpod Flash.

<div className="overview-page-wrapper" />

Flash is a Python SDK for developing cloud-native AI apps where you define everything—hardware, remote functions, and dependencies—using local code.

```python theme={null}
import asyncio
from runpod_flash import Endpoint, GpuType

# Mark the function below for remote execution
@Endpoint(name="hello-gpu", gpu=GpuType.NVIDIA_GEFORCE_RTX_4090, dependencies=["torch"]) 
async def hello(): # This function runs on Runpod
    import torch
    gpu_name = torch.cuda.get_device_name(0)
    print(f"Hello from your GPU! ({gpu_name})")
    return {"gpu": gpu_name}

asyncio.run(hello())
print("Done!") # This runs locally
```

Write `@Endpoint` decorated Python functions on your local machine. Run them, and Flash automatically handles GPU/CPU provisioning and worker scaling on [Runpod Serverless](/serverless/overview).

## Get started

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Quickstart" href="/flash/quickstart" icon="bolt" horizontal>
    Write a Flash script for instant access to Runpod GPUs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create endpoints" href="/flash/create-endpoints" icon="code" horizontal>
    Learn how to create endpoints of various types.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Examples" href="https://github.com/runpod/flash-examples" icon="github" horizontal>
    Browse example Flash scripts and apps on GitHub.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Setup

<Note>
  Flash requires a Runpod account with a verified email address.
</Note>

### Install Flash

<Note>
  Flash requires [Python 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, or 3.13](https://www.python.org/downloads/) and runs natively on macOS and Linux. Windows users can run Flash through [WSL2](/flash/windows-wsl2).
</Note>

Install Flash using `pip` or `uv`:

```bash theme={null}
# Install with pip
pip install runpod-flash

# Or uv
uv tool install runpod-flash
```

### Authentication

Before you can use Flash, you need to authenticate with your Runpod account:

```bash theme={null}
flash login

# If using uv:
uv run flash login
```

This saves your API key securely and allows you to use the Flash CLI and run `@Endpoint` functions.

### Coding agent integration (optional)

Install the Flash skill package for AI coding agents like Claude Code, Cline, and Cursor:

```bash theme={null}
npx skills add runpod/runpod-plugins-official
```

You can review the `SKILL.md` file in the [runpod/runpod-plugins-official repository](https://github.com/runpod/runpod-plugins-official/blob/main/plugins/runpod/skills/flash/SKILL.md).

## Flash apps

When you're ready to move beyond scripts and build a production-ready API, you can create a [Flash app](/flash/apps/overview) (a collection of interconnected endpoints with diverse hardware configurations) and deploy it to Runpod.

[Follow this tutorial to build your first Flash app](/flash/apps/build-app).

## Flash CLI

The Flash CLI provides a set of commands for managing your Flash apps and endpoints.

```bash theme={null}
flash --help
```

[Learn more about the Flash CLI](/flash/cli/overview).

## Limitations

* Flash runs natively on macOS and Linux. Windows users can run Flash through [WSL2](/flash/windows-wsl2).
* CPU endpoints are restricted to the `EU-RO-1` datacenter. GPU endpoints can deploy to [multiple datacenters](/flash/configuration/parameters#datacenter).
* Flash can rapidly scale workers across multiple endpoints, and you may hit your maximum worker threshold quickly. Contact [Runpod support](https://www.runpod.io/contact) to increase your account's capacity if needed.

## Tutorials

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Flash image generation" href="/tutorials/flash/image-generation-with-sdxl" icon="image" horizontal>
    Build a GPU-accelerated image generation service.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Flash text generation" href="/tutorials/flash/text-generation-with-transformers" icon="message-bot" horizontal>
    Deploy a text generation model on Runpod.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Flash REST API" href="/tutorials/flash/build-rest-api-with-load-balancer" icon="server" horizontal>
    Create HTTP endpoints with load balancing.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>