Vast.ai Host Setup Guide — Rabid Mining

⚡ Rabid Mining

VAST.AI HOST
SETUP GUIDE

Get your NVIDIA GPU online and earning on Vast.ai — beginner friendly, fully automated.

NVIDIA GPUs ONLY Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04 Auto-Resume After Reboot

⚠️

Create a SEPARATE Vast.ai Host Account! Do NOT use your client account for hosting. Go to cloud.vast.ai, create a new account, then go to Setup in the left sidebar and accept the hosting agreement before running the script.

🔑

The install key is NOT your API key! The script needs the special install key from cloud.vast.ai/host/setup — it’s in the install command on that page. It expires after 1 hour. This is different from the API key under Account → API Keys.

Recommended Hardware

🎮

GPU

NVIDIA only. RTX 3000+ series recommended for best earnings.

MIN: GTX 1000 series (Pascal)

🧠

CPU

At least 2 hyperthreads per GPU with AVX support.

MIN: 1 physical core per GPU

💾

RAM

8GB+ per GPU recommended for smooth operation.

MIN: 4GB per GPU

💿

Storage

Fast SSD. Separate drive for Docker gives best performance.

MIN: 128GB SSD per GPU

🌐

Network

500 Mbps+ up/down recommended. Required for verification.

MIN: 10 Mbps per machine

🔌

Ports

100 open ports per GPU recommended for more rentals.

MIN: 3 open ports per GPU

Storage Layout (Important!)

💿

Partition Your Drive for Best Performance

Vast.ai needs a separate XFS partition for Docker — set this up during Ubuntu install

⚠️ If you only have one drive: Vast.ai will create a loopback XFS partition automatically — this works but has lower performance. For best results use two drives or partition during Ubuntu install.

The recommended partition layout when installing Ubuntu:

Partition	Size	Format	Mount Point	Purpose
/dev/sda1	256MB+	FAT32	/boot/efi	EFI boot
/dev/sda2	80GB+	ext4	/	Ubuntu + Vast.ai software
/dev/sdb1	REST	XFS	/var/lib/docker	Docker containers (best performance)

During Ubuntu install: Leave your second drive/remaining space unpartitioned. The Vast.ai installer will automatically detect it, format it as XFS, and mount it at /var/lib/docker. If no free space exists it uses a loopback device instead.

💿

Want Ubuntu to Install Itself Automatically?

Create a USB that installs Ubuntu with the perfect Vast.ai partition layout — completely hands-free. Boot it, walk away, SSH in and run one command. No clicking through the installer at all.

💾 Ubuntu Auto-Install USB Guide →

Supports Ubuntu 22.04 & 24.04 · Works on Windows · Correct Vast.ai partition layout baked in

Before You Start

🖥️

Ubuntu Server — Click to Download

Server edition only — no Desktop version.

⬇ Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (RECOMMENDED) ⬇ Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (also works)

🎮

NVIDIA GPU

Any NVIDIA card GTX 1000+ works. AMD GPUs are NOT supported by Vast.ai.

🌐

Stable Internet

Wired connection strongly recommended. You need router access to forward ports.

🔑

Vast.ai Host Account

Connect To Your Rig

🖥

SSH Into Your Rig From Another PC

Control your rig remotely — no monitor, keyboard or mouse needed after this

What is SSH? It lets you type commands into your mining rig from your laptop or desktop. Once set up you can unplug the monitor and keyboard from the rig forever.

▸ STEP A — FIND YOUR RIG’S IP

While still plugged into the rig, type:

ON THE RIG

hostname -I

You’ll see something like 192.168.1.105 — write it down.

💡 ALTERNATIVE — FIND IT IN YOUR ROUTER

Log into your router at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 → look for Connected Devices or DHCP Clients → find your rig’s name → copy the IP next to it.

💡 Pro tip: Set a DHCP Reservation so your rig always gets the same IP.

▸ STEP A2 — NAME YOUR RIG (OPTIONAL)

REPLACE rig1 WITH YOUR NAME

sudo hostnamectl set-hostname rig1 && sudo reboot

Shows in your router list and Vast.ai dashboard. Use lowercase, numbers and hyphens only.

▸ STEP B — OPEN A TERMINAL ON YOUR OTHER PC

🪟 WINDOWS

Press Win+R, type cmd, hit Enter.
OR search PowerShell in Start menu.

🍎 MAC

Press Cmd+Space, type Terminal, hit Enter.

▸ STEP C — SSH INTO YOUR RIG

YOUR OTHER PC

ssh yourusername@192.168.1.XXX

yourusername

The username you set during Ubuntu install

192.168.1.XXX

The IP from Step A above

▸ STEP D — ACCEPT & LOG IN

First time it asks: Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? — type yes. Then enter your Ubuntu password. You won’t see it as you type — that’s normal.

SSH key conflict after reinstall? Run: ssh-keygen -R 192.168.1.72 then SSH again.

⚡ Fastest Option — One Command Does Everything

Paste This In Your Terminal & Walk Away

wget -O vastai-setup.sh https://rabidmining.com/vastai-setup.sh && sudo bash vastai-setup.sh

Get your install key from cloud.vast.ai/host/setup — expires after 1 hour · Script auto-reboots and resumes — nothing to do! · Takes 15-30 mins total

What the Script Does Automatically

✔ Step 1
Cleans apt sources, removes Snap, forces IPv4, updates system

✔ Step 2
Installs all essential tools and packages

✔ Step 3
Detects NVIDIA GPU — stops if no NVIDIA found

✔ Step 4
Installs NVIDIA driver — auto reboots & resumes

✔ Step 5
Installs Docker CE via official repo

✔ Step 6
Installs NVIDIA Container Toolkit

✔ Step 7
Installs Vast.ai daemon with auto port setup

✔ Step 8
Enables GPU persistence, disables auto-updates

⏱ TIMING — DO THIS WHILE THE SCRIPT RUNS

Step 7 (Vast.ai installer) takes 10-20 minutes while it pulls Docker images and runs GPU tests. This is the perfect time to forward your ports on the router! Don’t wait until after — do it now while you’re waiting.

Getting Your Install Key — Read This Carefully!

⚠️ THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT KEYS — DON’T MIX THEM UP!

✘ WRONG

Account → API Keys — this is for the CLI tool, NOT for the installer script. Using this will give you a 403 error.

✔ RIGHT

Host → Setup page — this is the install key embedded in the command shown on that page. Copy just the long hex string from it. Expires after 1 hour!

HOW TO GET YOUR INSTALL KEY:

Log into your HOST account at cloud.vast.ai
Click Setup in the left sidebar
Accept the hosting agreement if prompted
Scroll to “Install Manager” section
You’ll see a command like: wget ... sudo python3 install YOURKEY --interactive
Copy that long hex key and paste it into the one-liner above
If you get a 403 error — re-accept the hosting agreement, refresh the page, get a new key

Port Forwarding

Forward Ports on Your Router

Required for renters to connect to your GPU

⏱ DO THIS WHILE THE SCRIPT IS RUNNING!

The Vast.ai installer (Step 7) takes 10-20 minutes. Forward your ports during that time so everything is ready when the script finishes.

📡 Port Forwarding Instructions

Find your rig’s local IP: type hostname -I on the rig
Open a browser → go to 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1
Log in (check the sticker on your router for credentials)
Find Port Forwarding (under “Advanced” or “NAT”)
Add rule: Port range 40000-40100 → your rig’s local IP (TCP + UDP)
Save and apply

Already using 16384-32768? Use 40000-40100 or any free continuous range. 100 ports per GPU is recommended. You can use any range — the script pre-configures 40000-40100 automatically.

After You’re Online

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Final Reboot After the script prints ✅ ALL DONE, do one final reboot: sudo reboot

💰

Set Your Pricing Go to cloud.vast.ai → Machines → Settings → List. Check what similar GPUs charge to stay competitive.

✅

Watch Verification Stages Vast.ai runs automated tests — takes 10-30 mins. Higher verification = more rentals. Don’t reboot during this!

🔒

Auto-Updates Already Disabled The script already disabled unattended-upgrades so Ubuntu won’t silently update your NVIDIA drivers and break things.

📊

Track Earnings View payouts at cloud.vast.ai → Earnings. Payouts via crypto or credits.

Troubleshooting

❓ Getting a 403 Forbidden error?

You’re using the wrong key OR the hosting agreement isn’t accepted. Go to cloud.vast.ai/host/setup, accept the agreement, refresh the page, and copy a fresh install key. Keys expire after 1 hour so always get a new one.

❓ Machine not showing up on dashboard?

Wait 5-10 minutes and refresh. Check ports are forwarded using portchecker.co. If still missing: sudo systemctl status vastai — should say active (running).

❓ Docker packages not found during install?

IPv6 issue — the script now forces IPv4 automatically. If it still fails run: echo 'Acquire::ForceIPv4 "true";' | sudo tee /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/99force-ipv4 then re-run the script.

❓ Script says it already ran but machine isn’t set up?

Progress files exist from a previous run. Reset with: sudo rm -rf /var/lib/vastai-setup then re-run the full script from scratch.

❓ NVML error in logs?

sudo reboot fixes 99% of NVML errors. Happens when the driver loaded but kernel module didn’t initialize correctly.

❓ SSH key conflict after reinstall?

Run ssh-keygen -R 192.168.1.72 (use your rig’s IP) on your Windows/Mac PC, then SSH in again normally.

❓ Need more help?

Join the Vast.ai Discord — hosts-only channel has people who’ve seen everything. Also drop a comment on the Rabid Mining YouTube video!