Docs
Call it. Or host it.
Ballast is an OpenAI-compatible API on GPUs that people lend out. These pages say what to type, what it costs, what happens when something fails and who can see what.
One callsh
You need a key for that. Sign in to make one. Payments run in Stripe test mode, so no real charge is made.
- 60
- requests a minute per key
- 80%
- of revenue goes to the host
- 24 h
- hold on new earnings
- $20
- test payout minimum
For renters
Call the API, pick a model, rent a GPU by the hour.
- Make your first callSign in, add test credits, create a key and send one request. About five minutes.
- OpenAI SDK in Python and JavaScriptUse the official OpenAI libraries. Change the base URL and the key, nothing else.
- StreamingRead the reply as it is written, in OpenAI's chunk format, and know what happens if a host drops.
- Models and pricesThe three catalog models, what they cost per million tokens and how to list them from the API.
- Rent a whole GPUReserve one host's GPU by the hour, run one catalog model on it and call it at your own endpoint.
- ErrorsEvery error the API sends, what it means and which ones are safe to retry.
- Rate limits and capsThe fixed limits on keys, requests, length and rentals, and how to stay under them.
For hosts
Put an idle NVIDIA GPU to work with the Ballast client.
- Install the host clientOne command on a Linux machine with an NVIDIA GPU. It touches very little and opens no port.
- Link your machineRun `ballast login`, approve the code in your browser, then start the client.
- Choose your modelsThe client serves catalog models only, and only the ones your GPU can hold.
- Pause, resume and what you acceptStop jobs when you want your GPU back, and choose between serverless, dedicated or both.
- Log out and uninstallForget the token, remove the client, and what stays behind.
- TroubleshootingThe messages the installer and the client print, and what to do about each.
Payouts and trust
How hosts are paid, how jobs are checked, who can see what.
- How payouts workWhat a host earns per job and per rental hour, the 24 hour hold, the $20 minimum and why every payout is a test payout.
- How jobs are scheduled and checkedHow a request finds a host, what happens when one fails, and how spot checks keep hosts honest.
- Trust and privacyWho can read your prompts, what Ballast keeps, and what a host's computer will and will not run.
FAQ
Short answers to the questions people ask first.