# BitsRun docs

> Run open AI models as private APIs that sleep when idle and bill by the second. Start here, or pick a topic below.

Source: https://bitsrun.com/docs/
Updated: 2026-11-09

BitsRun turns an open model, such as Qwen3 8B from Ollama or any compatible repo on Hugging Face, into your own private API. It speaks the same language as the OpenAI API, so the code you already have works after you change two lines. When nobody calls it, it goes to sleep and costs nothing.

New here? These four steps take about ten minutes:

1. [Create your account](https://bitsrun.com/docs/get-started/create-account/) with your email. There is no password to remember.
2. [Add credit](https://bitsrun.com/docs/get-started/add-credit/) from $10. Everything you run draws from this balance.
3. [Deploy your first model](https://bitsrun.com/docs/get-started/first-endpoint/) by typing its name, for example `qwen3:8b`.
4. [Call your endpoint](https://bitsrun.com/docs/get-started/call-your-endpoint/) with curl, Python or JavaScript.

## What you pay for

You pay by the second, only while your model is awake and ready to answer. Starting a GPU, loading the model and sleeping are never billed. An NVIDIA L4 costs $0.95 an hour, which is $0.000264 a second. Read [How billing works](https://bitsrun.com/docs/billing/) for worked examples.


- Asleep: Free
- Starting a GPU: Free
- Loading the model: Free
- Answering requests: Billed per second
- Waiting before sleep: Billed, you pick 60 s to 1 h


## The bitsrun terminal

`bitsrun` is one free tool for two jobs. As a command line, it deploys models, manages keys and shows your usage. Run it with no arguments and it becomes a full coding agent in your terminal: it reads and edits your files, runs commands after you approve them, works with any model provider (BitsRun, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Ollama on your computer and more), and lets you follow and steer the session from your phone.

```bash
curl -fsSL https://get.bitsrun.com | sh
bitsrun login
bitsrun deploy qwen3:8b
```

On macOS and Linux the installer puts `bitsrun` in `~/.local/bin`. If that folder is not on your PATH yet, it prints the one line to add it. Run that line and open a new terminal before `bitsrun login`.

Start with [Command line](https://bitsrun.com/docs/cli/) or the [bitsrun coding agent](https://bitsrun.com/docs/agent/).

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