> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.qbraid.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started

> This section will walk you through the basics of using the Lab interface and managing your server instance.

## Launch Lab

### Starting an Instance

From your [account page](https://account.qbraid.com/), select a compute profile and click **Launch New Instance** to start your quantum environment. Users will have access to all available compute profiles, which range from basic CPU instances (2-8 vCPUs with 4-25 GB RAM) to high-performance GPU instances (H100, A100, GH200).

Some compute profiles, particularly GPU instances, consume qBraid credits based on usage (charged per minute). [Paid subscription tiers](https://www.qbraid.com/pricing) provide additional benefits including higher disk storage limits and compute hours for extended development and research workflows.

<div style={{ display: "flex", justifyContent: "center", alignItems: "center" }}>
  <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/qbraid-static-assets/qbraid-docs/lab/launch-lab-part-1.gif" alt="launch_lab_new_account" width="150%" />
</div>

Depending on its size, pulling an image may take up to 2 minutes for the first time. The next time you launch Lab, it will load much more quickly.

### Stopping Lab

To stop your running Lab instance:

1. Navigate to your [account dashboard](https://account.qbraid.com/)
2. Click **Stop Running Server** to stop the running instance

<div style={{ display: "flex", justifyContent: "center", alignItems: "center" }}>
  <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/qbraid-static-assets/qbraid-docs/lab/stop-lab.gif" alt="stop_lab_new_account" width="150%" />
</div>

Stopping your server will not delete your data, but will stop it from running and consuming compute hours.

## Lab interface

Once your image is pulled, you will be taken to the qBraid Lab interface. Here are a few helpful resources to get started:

* **Interactive tour**: Click **Start Tour** (pop-up at first launch, or **Help** drop-down) to begin a guided tour of all of the Lab extensions and their key features.
* **qBraid tutorials**: The `qbraid-tutorials` directory (left-sidebar **FILES** tab) contains examples and tutorials for a wide range different quantum software packages. Many of the notebooks contain qBraid instructions and are runnable using the `Python 3 [Default]` environment.
* **Help drop-down**: The top-bar menu **Help** drop-down contains links to qBraid user guides, demos, and other reference materials.

<div style={{ display: "flex", justifyContent: "center", alignItems: "center" }}>
  <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/qbraid-static-assets/qbraid-docs/lab/lab-tour.gif" alt="Lab Interface" width="150%" />
</div>