First Run Workflow

From Configuration Selection to Your First Cloud Mac Build

This step-by-step path follows the order of execution. Prepare your account, SSH public key, and tool versions first, then choose a dedicated physical machine, node, and rental term. Once the device is delivered, verify, connect, and build.

Every workflow runs on a Cloud Mac physical node. Each order is assigned a dedicated physical machine, not a virtual machine. It is suitable for iOS/macOS development, CI/CD queues, and experiments that require a macOS environment.

Rent a Mac mini now View configurations and pricing
RUN SHEET / FIRST BUILD Ready to run
PREP
Prepare access details Account, SSH public key, tool versions
01
SELECT
Confirm device and node Two configurations, five physical nodes
02
VERIFY
Verify delivery details Specifications, address, node, rental term
03
BUILD
Run your first build Xcode, xcodebuild, fastlane
04
Target outcome Connect successfully and produce your first verifiable artifact
Before You Order

Prepare These Five Inputs

These details affect your configuration, node, and rental-term decisions. Confirming them in advance reduces environment changes after delivery.

Account

A console account that can receive notifications

Confirm that your email works and that you can access the console to view orders, host details, and support tickets. Store post-delivery connection details only in controlled environments.

Key

A dedicated SSH public key

Create a dedicated key pair for your Cloud Mac. Submit only the public key, keep the private key on a locally protected device, and never send it by email or ticket.

Region

The target region for your team and dependent services

Consider the developer locations, code repository, signing workflow, and artifact storage together. Do not choose a node based only on the lowest result from a single ping.

Term

The rental length your task actually requires

Decide whether you need an emergency fix, short-term validation, continuous iteration, or a quarterly pipeline, then choose the matching daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly term.

Version

The development tool versions your project requires

Record the Xcode major version, target SDK, minimum deployment version, Ruby and fastlane dependencies, and the execution method required by your CI runner.

Choose Your Configuration

Choose Between Two Device Tiers by Concurrency and Peak Memory

Both tiers are dedicated physical Mac mini M4 machines. Start with the workload, then check memory and the local working set; there is no need to reserve capacity a short task cannot use.

Light builds and short tasks

DeployMini M4 16

M4-16-256
Chip
M4
Memory
16GB
Storage
256GB SSD

Suitable for single-project archives, emergency fixes, certificate checks, lightweight automated testing, and tasks that do not need multiple large simulators or build processes kept open at once.

  • A single xcodebuild build pipeline
  • Short-term iOS/macOS project validation
  • Smaller dependency caches and working directories
Choose DeployMini M4 16
Parallel workloads and higher memory needs

DeployMini M4 24

M4-24-512
Chip
M4
Memory
24GB
Storage
512GB SSD

Suitable for daily development, parallel builds, larger dependency caches, continuous CI runners, and model-inference validation within available memory.

  • Multiple build or test processes running in parallel
  • Larger projects and persistent dependency caches
  • Experiments that need more unified memory
Choose DeployMini M4 24
Quick decision

If your project consistently completes a single build with 16GB of memory, choose DeployMini M4 16. If builds, tests, simulators, or inference workloads run concurrently, choose DeployMini M4 24 and assess additional storage based on your project data volume.

Choose a Node

Compare the Full Service Path Across Five Nodes

You can currently choose Singapore, Japan (Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul), Hong Kong, or the US West. Both configurations are available to order on all five nodes; actual availability is returned live in the console.

SG

Singapore

Suitable for workflows where teams, code repositories, or artifact services are primarily located in Southeast Asia.

Both configurations available
JP

Japan (Tokyo)

Suitable for development and build workloads that need coverage across Japan and surrounding East Asian routes.

Both configurations available
KR

South Korea (Seoul)

Suitable for teams whose developers, repositories, or delivery targets are concentrated in South Korea and Northeast Asia.

Both configurations available
HK

Hong Kong

Suitable for project workflows that need to balance network paths to South China and Southeast Asia.

Both configurations available
US-W

US West

Suitable for projects whose code, artifacts, and final service paths are primarily located on the North American West Coast.

Both configurations available
See how to compare nodes
Term and Billing

Confirm the Term for Your Workload, Then Order

Daily rentals suit emergency fixes and short-term validation; weekly rentals suit focused development and testing; monthly rentals suit ongoing iteration; quarterly rentals suit stable CI/CD or team workflows. Before submitting, recheck the model, node, storage expansion, and rental term.

Rent a Cloud Mac now View full pricing
Daily Short-term fixes, one-time validation
Weekly Focused development, release sprints
Monthly Ongoing iteration, stable builds
Quarterly Long-running pipelines, team workloads
Payment and Billing

Only USDT-TRC20 and Visa / Mastercard / Amex (via Stripe) are supported. All charges are billed in US dollars (USD); the payment gateway available to you is determined by the console.

Device Delivery

Verify the host details before importing your project

Open the relevant order in the console and confirm each delivery detail. If anything is inconsistent, keep the order number and a redacted screenshot, then submit a support ticket through the console.

DELIVERY CHECK / DEVICE Verification checklist
01 Model and chip

Confirm that the selected device is DeployMini M4 16 or DeployMini M4 24, and verify the M4 chip details.

02 Memory and storage

Verify 16GB / 256GB SSD or 24GB / 512GB SSD, along with any additional storage listed in the order.

03 Physical node

Confirm that Singapore, Japan (Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul), Hong Kong, or US West matches the order.

04 Connection address

Save the host address, username, and fingerprint verification details. Never place connection credentials in a public repository.

05 Rental term

Confirm the start time, rental term, and next steps, allowing time to export and clean up your data.

Verified

Then write project data

Test SSH, DNS, and basic tools before pulling the code. This makes it easier to distinguish connection issues from environment or project issues.

Read the connection guide
Information mismatch

Submit an order ticket from the console

Include the order number, node, time of occurrence, expected result, and redacted details. Do not submit passwords, private keys, or complete payment credentials.

Submit a ticket in the console
First Connection

Verify the host fingerprint before opening an SSH session

The example below uses the documentation address to demonstrate the connection sequence. Use the actual address, username, and host fingerprint supplied in the console; do not connect by copying the example values.

Connection run sheet SSH / HOST VERIFY / READY
Key permissions
0600
Target port
22
Verification method
Compare the delivered fingerprint
first-connect — ssh SECURE 
$ chmod 600 ~/.ssh/deploymini_ed25519
$ ssh -i ~/.ssh/deploymini_ed25519 deploy@203.0.113.24
The authenticity of host '203.0.113.24' can't be established.
ED25519 key fingerprint is SHA256:EXAMPLE-FINGERPRINT.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
Warning: Permanently added '203.0.113.24' to known hosts.
Last login: current session
deploymini-m4:~ deploy$ connection ready
First Build

Validate the Environment in Four Reproducible Steps

Run read-only checks first, then install project dependencies and build. Keep a version record and output summary for every step so you can reuse the process when integrating CI.

  1. 01

    Confirm Xcode and Command Line Tools

    Run xcodebuild -version and xcode-select -p, then verify the Xcode major version required by the project and the current developer directory.

    xcodebuild -version
xcode-select -p
  2. 02

    List Available Project Schemes

    After entering the project directory, list the workspace, project, and scheme to avoid carrying local defaults into the remote build script.

    xcodebuild -list \
  -workspace Example.xcworkspace
  3. 03

    Run a Build You Can Record

    Set the workspace, scheme, and configuration explicitly. Save the log and exit status in the task directory to help pinpoint dependency or signing-stage issues.

    xcodebuild \
  -workspace Example.xcworkspace \
  -scheme Example \
  -configuration Release build
  4. 04

    Configure fastlane and CI Environment Variables

    Pin Ruby and dependency versions, run the target lane manually first, then organize non-sensitive parameters as reusable variables. Store secret values in a controlled secrets-management location.

    bundle install
bundle exec fastlane build
Completion criteria Commands exit successfully, the build artifact is locatable, and the redacted log is saved
Read the build troubleshooting guide
Before Your Rental Ends

Close Out Along Four Tracks: Data, Credentials, Tasks, and Orders

A dedicated physical machine should not be the only place your project data exists. Put migration and credential revocation in the task plan instead of waiting until your final login.

Export build artifacts

Copy archives, logs, test results, and any caches that need to be retained. After transfer, verify file sizes or checksums and confirm that the local copy is readable.

Back Up Essential Data

Move the project working directory, configuration templates, and essential records to a team-managed location. Encrypt sensitive materials before adding them to the backup process.

Revoke Temporary Credentials

Remove temporary SSH public keys, project tokens, runner registrations, and short-lived environment variables, then confirm in the relevant systems that the credentials are no longer valid.

Confirm Next Steps

Check the current rental term and future usage plan in the console. If you still need ongoing builds, first confirm that the data, node, and configuration continue to meet the task requirements.

Ready to Start Your First Cloud Mac

Choose one of the two dedicated physical machine tiers, select a region from five nodes, and confirm a daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly rental term.

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