> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.instacloud.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Add service > **Token scope:** `account` · `org` · `project` — read-only tokens refused (not a GET). Add a service on demand. Assigns a default access domain (postgres/compute). Gated — service.add. ## OpenAPI ````yaml /openapi/project.json post /projects/{projectId}/services openapi: 3.1.0 info: title: InstaCloud API — Project level version: 0.1.0 description: >- Endpoints under `/projects/{projectId}`: branches, services, deploys, secrets, databases, storage, cron, observability, governance. Callable with any token whose binding covers the project. Generated from the platform's own OpenAPI document (https://api.instacloud.com/openapi.json); see the [API overview](/reference/api/overview) for authentication and token scopes. servers: - url: https://api.instacloud.com description: InstaCloud security: - bearerAuth: [] tags: - name: Projects description: Projects inside an organization. - name: Branches description: >- Branch environments of a project: isolated database, storage and compute per branch. - name: Services description: 'Services on a branch: compute, postgres, storage and managed databases.' - name: Deploy description: Deploy an image or a source to a compute service. - name: Compute description: Build output of a compute service. - name: Secrets description: User secrets, service credentials and how they bind into compute env. - name: Database description: Postgres databases, extensions, credentials and ad-hoc SQL. - name: Storage description: Objects in a storage service. - name: Backups description: Database backups and restores. - name: Cron description: Scheduled HTTP calls against a service or an external URL. - name: Observability description: Logs, metrics, deploy events and database insight. - name: Governance description: Per-project agent policy and the approval queue. - name: Audit description: The project's event timeline, including agent-ingested events. - name: Domains description: >- Domains bought through InstaCloud, bring-your-own zones and their DNS records. - name: Billing description: Usage, cycles, invoices and credits. - name: Templates description: Deploy a template into a project. paths: /projects/{projectId}/services: post: tags: - Services summary: Add service description: >- **Token scope:** `account` · `org` · `project` — read-only tokens refused (not a GET). Add a service on demand. Assigns a default access domain (postgres/compute). Gated — service.add. operationId: addService parameters: - schema: format: uuid type: string in: path name: projectId required: true requestBody: content: application/json: schema: required: - type - name type: object properties: type: anyOf: - type: string enum: - postgres - type: string enum: - storage - type: string enum: - compute - type: string enum: - redis - type: string enum: - mysql - type: string enum: - mongodb name: description: 'lower-kebab: a-z, 0-9, hyphen' type: string branch: description: 'target branch (default: project default branch)' type: string region: description: >- region for postgres/compute/managed databases (see GET /regions); invalid for storage anyOf: - type: string enum: - us-east - type: string enum: - eu-central - type: string enum: - ap-southeast public: description: >- storage only — provision the bucket with anonymous public-read (default false) type: boolean image: description: >- compute only — container image to run at creation (e.g. nginx:1.27) type: string port: description: compute only — port the image listens on (default 8080) type: integer alwaysOn: description: >- compute only — idle mode at creation. Omitted: the platform default (INSTA_COMPUTE_ALWAYS_ON_DEFAULT; true on InstaCloud: machines never scale to zero). false = scale-to-zero: idle machines suspend and wake on request. All plans; billing is actual usage either way. type: boolean volumeMountPath: description: >- Compute only: container mount path chosen on attachment; defaults to /data. Requires volumeGib only when attaching. Existing path changes are staged until the next deploy. type: string volumeGib: minimum: 1 description: >- compute only — attach a persistent volume of this many whole Gi (attachable later too via PUT /services/:id/volume; the volume never detaches, but DELETE /services/:id/volume destroys it, data and all). Any plan may create up to the configured free volume cap (10Gi by default, env-overridable per deployment); a larger size is paid and capped at the org's own plan cap (50Gi on paid plans by default), like growing it later. Constraints: machineCount stays 1, and scale-to-zero uses stop (cold wake) instead of suspend — both lift if the volume is deleted. type: integer source: required: - owner - repo type: object properties: type: type: string enum: - github owner: type: string repo: type: string installationId: description: GitHub App installation id; required unless public type: integer repoId: description: GitHub repository id; required unless public type: integer public: description: >- a public repo, connected without an App installation: one-shot deploys, auto_deploy is always false type: boolean branch: description: >- the repo branch to track; default: the repo’s default branch type: string rootDir: description: >- subdirectory to build from (monorepo); relative, no leading / or ..; null/omitted = repo root. It also decides which pushes deploy this service: the build context is this directory, so a push that changed nothing under it is skipped anyOf: - type: string - type: 'null' autoDeploy: description: >- rebuild on every push to `branch` (default true; must be false or omitted for a public repo) type: boolean buildCommand: anyOf: - type: string - type: 'null' startCommand: anyOf: - type: string - type: 'null' watchPaths: description: >- An include list of gitignore patterns, matched against paths RELATIVE TO THE REPOSITORY ROOT rather than to `rootDir` — e.g. ["apps/web/**", "packages/ui/**"]. A push deploys this service only when it changed a matching path; omit or null to fall back to the root-directory rule (a service with `rootDir` deploys when a push changed something under it, one building from the repo root deploys on every push). `!` narrows the list under git's own rule that a path cannot be re-included once an earlier pattern took its directory, so ["apps/web/**", "!**/*.md"] drops apps/web/README.md but not apps/web/docs/guide.md. Inert on a public repo, which cannot auto-deploy at all anyOf: - type: array items: type: string - type: 'null' port: description: the port the app listens on; written to the service anyOf: - minimum: 1 maximum: 65535 type: integer - type: 'null' required: true responses: '201': description: Default Response content: application/json: schema: type: object properties: service: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Service' source: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ServiceSource' build: type: object properties: buildId: format: uuid type: string queued: description: false when this commit already has a build (dedup) type: boolean serviceId: format: uuid type: string required: - buildId - queued - serviceId nextActions: type: array items: $ref: '#/components/schemas/NextAction' '202': description: Default Response content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ApprovalRequired' '400': description: Default Response content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' '403': description: Default Response content: application/json: schema: type: object properties: error: type: string required: - error '409': description: Default Response content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' '502': description: >- the provider could not provision the service — nothing was created; safe to retry content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error' description: >- the provider could not provision the service — nothing was created; safe to retry components: schemas: Service: description: >- A project-level service (postgres | storage | compute | redis | mysql | mongodb). type: object properties: id: format: uuid type: string project_id: format: uuid type: string type: type: string enum: - postgres - storage - compute - redis - mysql - mongodb name: type: string spec: description: >- compute: {cpu_kind,cpus,memory_mb}; postgres: sized by its instance ceiling (cpuMilli/memoryMib) type: object additionalProperties: true machine_count: description: compute only type: integer desired_state: description: compute only — developer-set lifecycle intent type: string enum: - running - stopped - suspended always_on: description: >- compute only — true (the platform default for new compute services): machines never scale to zero; false: idle machines suspend and wake on request. Billing is actual usage either way. type: boolean websocket: description: >- compute only — the app speaks WebSocket, so its machines carry connections-based concurrency and a 512 MB guest floor. Re-asserted by any redeploy given no flag, including restart. null: never recorded. type: - boolean - 'null' region: type: - string - 'null' domain: description: default access domain (postgres/compute) type: - string - 'null' public: description: storage only — bucket(s) served with anonymous public-read type: boolean image: description: compute only — container image currently run type: - string - 'null' port: description: >- compute/managed database — compute image port, or the private database TCP port type: - integer - 'null' start_command: description: >- Runtime startup override via sh -c; null uses the built image default. Stored as readable service settings. type: - string - 'null' volume_applied_mount_path: description: >- Last successfully confirmed Compute mount path; null means unknown, not proof of a changed path. type: - string - 'null' volume_mount_path: description: >- Compute volume mount path; null or omitted means /data for legacy volumes. Changes apply on deployment. type: - string - 'null' volume_gib: description: >- compute/managed database — size (whole Gi) of the persistent data volume; null = no volume. Compute can attach/grow via PUT .../volume; managed databases are platform-managed in v1 type: - integer - 'null' pg_version: description: >- postgres only — the Postgres MAJOR version the service runs (e.g. 16), known before the instance is ever connected to or woken. Pick client tooling (pg_dump/pg_restore/psql) of the same major. null: never recorded (a legacy row). The exact server_version of a RUNNING instance is on GET .../database/metrics type: - integer - 'null' template_deployment_id: format: uuid description: >- the template deployment that created this service (survives branch clones); null for services created directly type: - string - 'null' template_modified: description: >- true once the service was reconfigured away from its template-deployed spec type: boolean template_code: description: >- the template this service was deployed from; null for services created directly, and for one whose deployment record has been pruned type: - string - 'null' template_logo_url: description: >- the template's mark, absolute and pinned to the commit that published it; null when the template is not in the registry (or carries no logo). Joined live rather than stored, because a republish moves it type: - string - 'null' source: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ServiceSourceSummary' status: type: string enum: - creating - active - error - deleting - deleted created_at: format: date-time type: string ServiceSource: description: >- Where a compute service’s running image comes from: an image somebody deployed (type=image, the absence of a connected source) or a connected repository (type=github). type: object properties: type: type: string enum: - image - github image: description: >- type=image — the image the service runs; null when nothing has been deployed yet type: - string - 'null' id: format: uuid type: string owner: type: string repo: type: string branch: description: >- the repo branch this service tracks; defaults to the repo’s default branch type: string root_dir: description: >- subdirectory to build from (monorepo); null = repo root. Also decides which pushes deploy this service: the build context is this directory, so a push that changed nothing under it is skipped type: - string - 'null' watch_paths: description: >- include list of gitignore patterns, matched against paths relative to the repository root (not to root_dir); a push deploys this service only when it changed a matching path. null/absent falls back to the root-directory rule: a service with root_dir deploys when a push changed something under it, one building from the repo root deploys on every push type: - array - 'null' items: type: string auto_deploy: description: >- a push to `branch` rebuilds and redeploys; always false for a public repo (no App, no webhooks) type: boolean public: description: connected as a public repo, without a GitHub App installation type: boolean installation_id: format: uuid type: - string - 'null' repo_id: description: GitHub repository id (bigint as string) type: - string - 'null' build_command: description: >- custom build command for source builds without a Dockerfile; null uses automatic detection type: - string - 'null' start_command: type: - string - 'null' created_at: format: date-time type: string updated_at: format: date-time type: string last_build: anyOf: - allOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/ServiceBuild' - type: 'null' description: the newest build of this service (null before the first) required: - type NextAction: type: object properties: op: description: >- Neutral logical action id, e.g. "service.add" — NOT an operationId or a CLI/MCP tool name; each client maps it to its own surface. type: string reason: description: Natural-language, human/LLM-facing "why do this now". type: string args: description: >- Suggested, flat named arguments; ""s where a value is unknown. type: object additionalProperties: true gated: description: True if the action passes a governance gate. type: boolean required: - op - reason ApprovalRequired: type: object properties: status: type: string enum: - approval_required approvalId: format: uuid type: string action: description: the gated action, or a comma-joined compound set — prefer `actions` type: string actions: description: every capability this approval covers type: array items: type: string message: type: string url: description: the console page where a project admin reviews this request type: string nextActions: type: array items: $ref: '#/components/schemas/NextAction' Error: type: object properties: error: type: string required: - error ServiceSourceSummary: description: >- compute only — where the running image comes from: an image somebody deployed (type=image) or a connected repository (type=github). Full resource: GET /projects/{id}/services/{serviceId}/source type: object properties: type: type: string enum: - image - github owner: type: string repo: type: string branch: description: the repo branch this service tracks type: string auto_deploy: description: a push to `branch` rebuilds and redeploys the service type: boolean required: - type ServiceBuild: description: >- One build → image → deploy attempt of a service source (one per commit per source). type: object properties: id: format: uuid type: string source_id: format: uuid description: >- the service source that queued it; null once that source was disconnected type: - string - 'null' repo_binding_id: format: uuid description: >- DEPRECATED — set only on builds queued before sources existed; null for every new build type: - string - 'null' project_id: format: uuid type: string service_id: format: uuid type: - string - 'null' branch_id: format: uuid type: - string - 'null' commit_sha: type: string status: type: string enum: - queued - fetching - building - deploying - live - failed image_ref: type: - string - 'null' error: type: - string - 'null' created_at: format: date-time type: string updated_at: format: date-time type: string securitySchemes: bearerAuth: type: http scheme: bearer description: Session access JWT or an API token (`insta__`). ````