Cloud instances

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.

Create and open an instance

1. Log in to NOVA Cloud 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 walks through that.

Activating your license is required only once for cloud usage. See 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.

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

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.
• 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.

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.
• The NOVA CLI, which obtains its own token through nova login, see Deploy your app.
• Direct calls to the Wandelbots NOVA API, see NOVA API.

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.