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

# Connecting to Instances

> Connect to Thunder Compute instances using the CLI. Establish secure remote connections and manage terminal sessions for cloud GPU development.

<Columns cols={3}>
  <Card title="VS Code" icon="window" href="/vscode/operations/connecting-to-instances" color="#95c5ea" className="platform-card">
    Editor extension
  </Card>

  <Card title="CLI" icon="terminal" color="#95c5ea" className="platform-card platform-current">
    Command line
  </Card>

  <Card title="Console" icon="browser" href="/console/operations/connecting-to-instances" color="#95c5ea" className="platform-card">
    Web interface
  </Card>
</Columns>

## Before You Connect

Make sure you have:

* Signed in with `tnr login`
* Created an instance
* Waited for the instance status to show `RUNNING`

Check your instances from the terminal:

```bash theme={null}
tnr status --no-wait
```

Use the `ID` column from that table when you connect. For your first running instance, the ID is usually `0`.

## Connect to an Instance

### Direct Connection

If you know the instance ID, pass it to `tnr connect`:

```bash theme={null}
tnr connect 0
```

Replace `0` with the ID from `tnr status`.

The CLI will set up SSH access, open the connection, and drop you into a shell on the instance. When the connection is ready, you will see a prompt like `ubuntu@thunder-client:~$`.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/thundercompute/BnD7RELom_XvTVi-/images/cli/connect-to-instance.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=BnD7RELom_XvTVi-&q=85&s=dccf1385ae31b2db8b3c9ed32a41baec" alt="Thunder Compute CLI connected to a running GPU instance" width="2584" height="1180" data-path="images/cli/connect-to-instance.png" />

### Interactive Connection

If you are not sure which instance to use, run:

```bash theme={null}
tnr connect
```

Select the running instance from the menu.

## End the Session

When you are done, type `exit` in the remote shell to close the SSH session.

<Note>
  If no instance appears, run `tnr status --no-wait` and confirm the instance is `RUNNING`. If you are signed out, run `tnr login` and try again.
</Note>

## Exposing Services

To expose web servers, Jupyter notebooks, or other services running on your instance, use a [Cloudflare Tunnel](/technical-specs#port-access).

## Using Standard SSH

If you prefer using your own SSH client, Thunder Compute is compatible with standard SSH tools. The CLI configures your `~/.ssh/config` automatically when you first connect.

Need to attach your own keys or copy an IP for manual access? See [SSH on Thunder Compute](/cli/operations/ssh) for the saved-key workflow.