# Cloud instances

> Cloud instances are hosted Wandelbots NOVA instances that run without local installation. Learn how to create, open, and keep them, what their limits are, and where to get the access token for API and SDK use.

A cloud instance is a Wandelbots NOVA instance hosted by Wandelbots. It comes with NOVA
pre-installed and runs in the browser, so you can work with cells, virtual robots, programs,
and apps without installing anything locally.

Cloud instances suit two purposes: **trying out Wandelbots NOVA** and **developing robotic
applications**. For production use on a shop floor, install NOVA on a virtual machine or an
industrial PC instead, see [Install Wandelbots NOVA](/nova/latest/installation/installation).

## Create and open an instance

1. Log in to [NOVA Cloud](https://portal.wandelbots.io) and open the `Cloud instances` tab.
2. Create a cloud instance with pre-installed Wandelbots NOVA.\
   This may take a moment.
3. Once the instance is running, click `Open`.\
   → The Wandelbots NOVA home screen opens in a new tab.

Every cloud instance starts with a default cell, so you can add a robot in the Setup app right
away. The [Wandelbots NOVA quickstart](/nova/latest/quickstart) walks through that.

Activating your license is required only once for cloud usage. See
[Licenses](/nova-cloud/licenses).

## What a cloud instance can do

- Run the full set of Wandelbots NOVA core apps, including Setup, Robot Pad, and the App Store.
- Host virtual robot controllers and virtual clones of physical robots.
- Serve the Wandelbots NOVA API over the internet, authenticated with an access token.
- Run custom apps you deploy to it.
- Connect to NVIDIA Isaac Sim for simulation, see [Simulation](/simulation/introduction).

## Limits to plan around

| Limit | Detail |
| - | - |
| Instances per account | 2. To create another one, delete an existing instance |
| Cells per instance | 1 |
| Lifetime | Instances are deleted automatically 14 days after their last start |
| Extending | Use `Extend` in the instance panel to keep an instance for another 14 days |
| Offline use | Not possible. Cloud instances always require an internet connection |
| Ownership | The instance belongs to the account that created it |

> **Info:** Export your cell configuration regularly to avoid data loss when an instance reaches the end
> of its lifetime.

### Fieldbus and PLC communication

Cloud instances cannot reach a PLC network directly. As a result:

- **S7 communication** is not available on cloud instances, see
  [S7 communication](/nova/latest/communication-protocols/snapseven).
- **PROFINET** expects the NOVA instance to be a device in the local network, so use a virtual
  machine or an industrial PC for it, see [PROFINET](/nova/latest/communication-protocols/profinet).

## Access token for API and SDK use

Programs that talk to a cloud instance from outside the browser authenticate with an access
token from NOVA Cloud. You need it for:

- Local development with the Python SDK, as `NOVA_ACCESS_TOKEN` next to
  `NOVA_API=xxxxx.instance.wandelbots.io`, see
  [Local development](/developer/local-development).
- The NOVA CLI, which obtains its own token through `nova login`, see
  [Deploy your app](/developer/custom-apps/deploy-app).
- Direct calls to the Wandelbots NOVA API, see [NOVA API](/nova/latest/nova-api/overview).

## Managing instances programmatically

The NOVA Cloud API creates, lists, starts, stops, deletes, and extends cloud instances, which
it calls virtual instances. See the [API reference](/nova-cloud/api-reference).