> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://runpod-b18f5ded-new-sls-quickstart.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Quickstart
> Deploy your first Serverless endpoint in 5 minutes using a ready-to-use template.
This quickstart gets you running a Serverless endpoint on Runpod in minutes, using a ready-to-use template to deploy a language model and send a test request.
## Requirements
* A [Runpod account](/get-started/manage-accounts) with available credits.
* A [Runpod API key](/get-started/api-keys).
## Step 1: Set up your environment
Choose your preferred method for interacting with Runpod. If using the CLI or REST API, you'll need to configure your API key.
Install and configure the Runpod CLI.
**macOS/Linux:**
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
# Install runpodctl
curl -fsSL https://install.runpod.io | bash
# Configure with your API key
runpodctl doctor
```
**Windows:**
```powershell theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
# Install using PowerShell
iwr -useb https://install.runpod.io/windows | iex
# Configure with your API key
runpodctl doctor
```
Verify the installation:
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
runpodctl version
```
Export your Runpod API key as an environment variable:
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
export RUNPOD_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"
```
No setup required. Log in to the [Runpod console](https://www.runpod.io/console/serverless) to get started.
## Step 2: Deploy an endpoint
Deploy a vLLM worker with a small, fast language model.
First, create a Serverless template with the vLLM worker image:
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
runpodctl template create \
--name "vllm-qwen" \
--image "runpod/worker-v1-vllm:stable-cuda12.1.0" \
--env '{"MODEL_NAME": "Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct"}' \
--serverless
```
Note the template ID from the output. Then create an endpoint using that template:
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
runpodctl serverless create \
--name "my-first-endpoint" \
--template-id YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID \
--gpu-id "NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090" \
--workers-min 0 \
--workers-max 3
```
The output includes your endpoint ID:
```
Endpoint created successfully
ID: abc123xyz
Name: my-first-endpoint
```
First, create a template using the vLLM worker image:
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
curl --request POST \
--url https://rest.runpod.io/v1/templates \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $RUNPOD_API_KEY" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
"name": "vllm-qwen",
"imageName": "runpod/worker-v1-vllm:stable-cuda12.1.0",
"isServerless": true,
"env": {
"MODEL_NAME": "Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct"
}
}'
```
Note the `id` from the response. Then create an endpoint using that template:
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
curl --request POST \
--url https://rest.runpod.io/v1/endpoints \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $RUNPOD_API_KEY" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
"name": "my-first-endpoint",
"templateId": "YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID",
"gpuTypeIds": ["NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090", "NVIDIA L4", "NVIDIA RTX A4000"],
"workersMin": 0,
"workersMax": 3,
"idleTimeout": 5
}'
```
The response includes your endpoint ID:
```json theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
{
"id": "abc123xyz",
"name": "my-first-endpoint",
...
}
```
1. Go to the [Serverless section](https://www.runpod.io/console/serverless) and click **New Endpoint**.
2. Under **The Hub**, click **vLLM**.
3. Click **Deploy vX.X.X**.
4. In the **Model** field, enter: `Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct`
5. Click **Next** then **Create Endpoint**.
6. Once deployed, note your **Endpoint ID** from the endpoint details page—you'll need it for API requests.
Your endpoint will begin initializing. This takes 1-2 minutes while Runpod provisions resources and loads the model.
## Step 3: Send a request
Once your endpoint shows **Ready** status, send a test request. If you haven't already, export your API key in your terminal:
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
export RUNPOD_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"
```
Run this command in your terminal, replacing `YOUR_ENDPOINT_ID` with your actual endpoint ID:
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
curl --request POST \
--url "https://api.runpod.ai/v2/YOUR_ENDPOINT_ID/runsync" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $RUNPOD_API_KEY" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
"input": {
"prompt": "What is the capital of France?",
"max_tokens": 100
}
}'
```
Create a file called `test_endpoint.py` and paste the following code:
```python test_endpoint.py theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
import requests
import os
ENDPOINT_ID = "YOUR_ENDPOINT_ID" # Replace with your endpoint ID
API_KEY = os.environ.get("RUNPOD_API_KEY")
if not API_KEY:
raise ValueError("RUNPOD_API_KEY environment variable not set")
response = requests.post(
f"https://api.runpod.ai/v2/{ENDPOINT_ID}/runsync",
headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"},
json={
"input": {
"prompt": "What is the capital of France?",
"max_tokens": 100
}
}
)
print(response.json())
```
Install dependencies and run the script:
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
pip install requests
python test_endpoint.py
```
You should receive a response like this:
```json theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
{
"id": "sync-abc123-xyz",
"status": "COMPLETED",
"output": {
"text": "The capital of France is Paris.",
...
}
}
```
The first request may take 30-60 seconds as the worker loads the model into GPU memory. Subsequent requests will complete in just a few seconds until the worker scales down due to inactivity.
## Step 4: Clean up
To avoid ongoing charges, delete your endpoint when you're done testing.
List your endpoints to find the ID:
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
runpodctl serverless list
```
Delete the endpoint:
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
runpodctl serverless delete YOUR_ENDPOINT_ID
```
Optionally, delete the template you created:
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
runpodctl template delete YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID
```
```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
curl --request DELETE \
--url "https://rest.runpod.io/v1/endpoints/YOUR_ENDPOINT_ID" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $RUNPOD_API_KEY"
```
1. Go to the [Serverless section](https://www.runpod.io/console/serverless).
2. Click the three dots on your endpoint and select **Delete Endpoint**.
3. Type the endpoint name to confirm.
You've successfully deployed and tested your first Serverless endpoint.
## Next steps
Create your own handler function and Docker image.
Learn about sync, async, and streaming requests.
Configure scaling, timeouts, and GPU selection.
Customize your vLLM deployment for different models.