Resources
The words Kiste uses, in one place.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Kiste (plural Kisten) | A cloud machine (a Firecracker microVM) with its own kernel, memory and disk. Instance in the API; the console says machine. |
| Current Kiste | The Kiste the CLI uses when you give no name; see Core concepts. |
| Shape | A size preset: default (4 vCPU, 8 GiB, 80 GiB) or large (8 vCPU, 16 GiB, 160 GiB). |
| Saved session | A stopped Kiste's memory, written by kiste stop --snapshot, so the next start resumes it. |
| Parked | Stopped by the platform with its session saved (idle trial Kisten, an empty balance). Never deleted. |
| Lifetime, TTL | An automatic stop set with --ttl; kiste extend pushes it out. |
| Checkpoint | An automatic snapshot of a Kiste's disk, taken every five minutes when it changed, encrypted off-site. |
| Snapshot | A restore point of a Kiste's disk: a checkpoint, or a named snapshot you took. |
| Fork | A new, independent Kiste copied from a running one. |
| Universal image | The image every Kiste starts from: Ubuntu 24.04, GNOME and the whole toolchain. |
| Image version | A release of the image, such as v2026.10.06-0959cbf8; kiste update moves a Kiste onto the newest. |
| Environment | A versioned recipe for a new Kiste: repositories, variables, secret files, a setup script. |
| Device key | The SSH key of one computer you signed in on; every Kiste accepts all of yours. |
| Desktop link | A link that opens one Kiste's desktop in browsers signed in to your account. |
| Kiste Stream | Published ports at their own address under kiste.stream. |
| API key | A labelled, expiring credential (ksta_…) for scripts, CI and agents. |
| Error code | A short code such as K01 that identifies an error everywhere; see Errors. |
| Request ID | The ID of one request, shown with every error; quote it to support. |