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:

| Type                | Description                                                        | Link                                                         |
|---------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|
| **Serverless**      | On-demand, pay-per-token inference for popular open-source models. No setup required—just call the API. | [Link](/pages/AbuAPWxU9zDfEIgukNsK)                        |
| **Dedicated Instances** | Private GPU endpoints with full control over model, hardware, and scaling. Ideal for production workloads.| [Link](/pages/dvVsRgLfPYaM2uxDi8Gw)                        |
| **Batch Processing**| Process millions of inferences at 50% off serverless pricing. OpenAI-compatible batch API.               | [Link](/pages/51IF2LvdW8BHeIjbfIMj)                         |

## 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:

| Type                        | Description                                                    | Link                                                         |
|-----------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|
| **Chat and text generation** | Build chatbots, assistants, and text generation pipelines    | [Link](/pages/9NzGG4P8mD9sCd9NCJMK)                          |
| **RAG and embeddings**      | Build retrieval-augmented generation and vector search systems| [Link](/pages/VgTsKmx1uUyZtUKwy1WK)                          |
| **Batch at scale**         | Process large volumes of prompts, images, or text offline     | [Link](/pages/AXpJHRJH9bgHtkexfQ2q)                          |
| **Agents and tool calling** | Build agentic workflows with function calling and multi-step reasoning | [Link](/pages/AwBBAik6tiXQRBQzxem9)                          |

## Quickstart

Make your first API call in under two minutes:

| Type                               | Description                                               | Link                                                         |
|------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|
| **Serverless quickstart**          | Call a serverless model with the OpenAI SDK             | [Link](/pages/cqVFBa1P7r5p7nfFbCnL)                          |
| **Dedicated quickstart**           | Deploy your own model on a dedicated GPU                 | [Link](/pages/UcIhEOaxPYRZMC3qQ7xw)                          |
| **Batch quickstart**               | Submit a batch job in five lines of Python               | [Link](/pages/OrPZ7ZRehYXxzse9LB3u)                          |

## 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

| Type       | Description                  | Link                                                         |
|------------|------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|
| **Guides** | Step-by-step tutorials for common tasks | [Link](/pages/0YeMHiehtUWYWJBRhp0l)                          |
| **Billing**| Pricing and billing details   | [Link](/pages/8hnW6Po2Bj1dutmH0v2j)                          |
| **Operations**| Production readiness, retries, limits, and quotas | [Link](/pages/Vht8H5riRxpPrne4jhm0)                          |
| **Security**| Security, privacy, Trust Center, and account controls | [Link](/pages/SQlkm6H1FBnmbAoEaJ2Z)                          |