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

# Overview

> Build autoscaling AI/ML apps using local code with 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={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
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={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
# Install with pip
pip install runpod-flash

# Or uv
uv add runpod-flash
```

### Authentication

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

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
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={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
npx skills add runpod/skills
```

You can review the `SKILL.md` file in the [runpod/skills repository](https://github.com/runpod/skills/blob/main/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={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
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>