> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.parasail.io/parasail-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.parasail.io/parasail-docs/readme.md).

# Welcome

Parasail is a cloud GPU platform for AI inference. We aggregate top AI hardware providers to give you scalable, on-demand access to powerful computing resources—without costly hardware investments or lengthy contracts.

We offer three ways to run inference, each designed for a different workload pattern:

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-cover data-type="files"></th><th data-hidden></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Serverless</strong></td><td>On-demand, pay-per-token inference for popular open-source models. No setup required—just call the API.</td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/pages/AbuAPWxU9zDfEIgukNsK">/pages/AbuAPWxU9zDfEIgukNsK</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Dedicated Instances</strong></td><td>Private GPU endpoints with full control over model, hardware, and scaling. Ideal for production workloads.</td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/pages/dvVsRgLfPYaM2uxDi8Gw">/pages/dvVsRgLfPYaM2uxDi8Gw</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Batch Processing</strong></td><td>Process millions of inferences at 50% off serverless pricing. OpenAI-compatible batch API.</td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/pages/51IF2LvdW8BHeIjbfIMj">/pages/51IF2LvdW8BHeIjbfIMj</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Not sure where to start?

Pick a product based on your workload:

| If you...                                                                 | Use                                                              | Why                                                                      |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Want to call a popular open-source model with no setup                    | [**Serverless**](/parasail-docs/products/overview.md)            | Pay-per-token, instant, OpenAI-compatible                                |
| Need a specific or private model, predictable latency, or production SLAs | [**Dedicated Instances**](/parasail-docs/products/overview-1.md) | Private GPU endpoint with full control over model, hardware, and scaling |
| Process large volumes offline where real-time isn't required              | [**Batch**](/parasail-docs/products/quickstart.md)               | 50% off serverless pricing, up to millions of requests                   |

## Find your path

Choose the option that best matches what you're trying to do:

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-cover data-type="files"></th><th data-hidden></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Chat and text generation</strong></td><td>Build chatbots, assistants, and text generation pipelines</td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/pages/9NzGG4P8mD9sCd9NCJMK">/pages/9NzGG4P8mD9sCd9NCJMK</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>RAG and embeddings</strong></td><td>Build retrieval-augmented generation and vector search systems</td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/pages/VgTsKmx1uUyZtUKwy1WK">/pages/VgTsKmx1uUyZtUKwy1WK</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Batch at scale</strong></td><td>Process large volumes of prompts, images, or text offline</td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/pages/AXpJHRJH9bgHtkexfQ2q">/pages/AXpJHRJH9bgHtkexfQ2q</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Agents and tool calling</strong></td><td>Build agentic workflows with function calling and multi-step reasoning</td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/pages/AwBBAik6tiXQRBQzxem9">/pages/AwBBAik6tiXQRBQzxem9</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Quickstart

Make your first API call in under two minutes:

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-cover data-type="files"></th><th data-hidden></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Serverless quickstart</strong></td><td>Call a serverless model with the OpenAI SDK</td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/pages/cqVFBa1P7r5p7nfFbCnL">/pages/cqVFBa1P7r5p7nfFbCnL</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Dedicated quickstart</strong></td><td>Deploy your own model on a dedicated GPU</td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/pages/UcIhEOaxPYRZMC3qQ7xw">/pages/UcIhEOaxPYRZMC3qQ7xw</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Batch quickstart</strong></td><td>Submit a batch job in five lines of Python</td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/pages/OrPZ7ZRehYXxzse9LB3u">/pages/OrPZ7ZRehYXxzse9LB3u</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

## API reference

Parasail's API is fully OpenAI-compatible. Point your existing OpenAI SDK at our base URL and start making requests.

* **Base URL**: `https://api.parasail.io/v1`
* **Auth**: `Authorization: Bearer <PARASAIL_API_KEY>`
* **Get an API key**: <https://www.saas.parasail.io/keys>

See the [API Reference](/parasail-docs/api-reference/authentication.md) for full details on authentication, endpoints, and parameters.

## For AI coding agents

Building on Parasail on behalf of a user? Read [`llms.txt`](https://github.com/parasail-ai/gitbook-doc/tree/main/llms.txt) for a flat index of every page, then see [For AI Coding Agents](https://github.com/parasail-ai/gitbook-doc/tree/main/resources/for-ai-coding-agents.md) for per-product setup notes. In short: use the OpenAI SDK against `https://api.parasail.io/v1` with the `PARASAIL_API_KEY` environment variable—every endpoint is OpenAI-compatible.

## Explore

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-cover data-type="files"></th><th data-hidden></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Guides</strong></td><td>Step-by-step tutorials for common tasks</td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/pages/0YeMHiehtUWYWJBRhp0l">/pages/0YeMHiehtUWYWJBRhp0l</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Billing</strong></td><td>Pricing and billing details</td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/pages/8hnW6Po2Bj1dutmH0v2j">/pages/8hnW6Po2Bj1dutmH0v2j</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Operations</strong></td><td>Production readiness, retries, limits, and quotas</td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/pages/Vht8H5riRxpPrne4jhm0">/pages/Vht8H5riRxpPrne4jhm0</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Security</strong></td><td>Security, privacy, Trust Center, and account controls</td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/pages/SQlkm6H1FBnmbAoEaJ2Z">/pages/SQlkm6H1FBnmbAoEaJ2Z</a></td></tr></tbody></table>