File Operations

Upload input files to a sandbox, generate output files inside the VM, and download results.

Upload a file

CLI

# Upload via volume files
instavm volume files upload <volume_id> ./data.csv --path data.csv

# Or via SCP after creating a VM
instavm create
scp -P <port> ./data.csv user@<host>:/app/data.csv

Python

from instavm import InstaVM

with InstaVM('your_api_key') as vm:
    vm.upload_file('./data.csv', remote_path='/app/data.csv')
    result = vm.execute("import pandas as pd; df = pd.read_csv('/app/data.csv'); print(df.shape)")
    print(result['output'])

JavaScript

import { InstaVM } from 'instavm';

const client = new InstaVM('your_api_key');
await client.upload([{
  name: 'data.csv',
  content: fs.readFileSync('./data.csv', 'utf-8'),
  path: '/app/data.csv',
}]);
const result = await client.execute("import pandas as pd; df = pd.read_csv('/app/data.csv'); print(df.shape)");
console.log(result.output);
await client.dispose();

Download a file

CLI

# Download via SCP
instavm connect <vm_id>
# Inside VM: generate the file, then exit
scp -P <port> user@<host>:/app/output.csv ./output.csv

# Or via volume files (if using volumes)
instavm volume files download <volume_id> output.csv --out ./output.csv

Python

with InstaVM('your_api_key') as vm:
    vm.execute("""
import pandas as pd
df = pd.DataFrame({'x': range(100), 'y': [i**2 for i in range(100)]})
df.to_csv('/app/output.csv', index=False)
print("Saved")
    """)

    vm.download_file('/app/output.csv', local_path='./output.csv')

JavaScript

import { InstaVM } from 'instavm';

const client = new InstaVM('your_api_key');
await client.execute(`
import pandas as pd
df = pd.DataFrame({'x': range(100), 'y': [i**2 for i in range(100)]})
df.to_csv('/app/output.csv', index=False)
print("Saved")
`);
// Download via SDK methods or SCP
await client.dispose();

Generate and download an image

CLI

# Generate in VM, then download via SCP
instavm create
instavm connect <vm_id>
# Inside VM: pip install matplotlib && python3 plot_script.py
scp -P <port> user@<host>:/app/plot.png ./plot.png

Python

import os

with InstaVM('your_api_key') as vm:
    vm.execute("""
import subprocess, sys
subprocess.check_call([sys.executable, '-m', 'pip', 'install', '-q', 'matplotlib'])

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.linspace(0, 10, 100)
plt.figure(figsize=(10, 6))
plt.plot(x, np.sin(x), label='sin(x)')
plt.plot(x, np.cos(x), label='cos(x)')
plt.legend()
plt.savefig('/app/plot.png', dpi=150, bbox_inches='tight')
print("Plot saved")
    """)

    vm.download_file('/app/plot.png', local_path='./plot.png')
    print(f"Downloaded: {os.path.getsize('./plot.png')} bytes")

JavaScript

import { InstaVM } from 'instavm';
import fs from 'fs';

const client = new InstaVM('your_api_key');

await client.execute(`
import subprocess, sys
subprocess.check_call([sys.executable, '-m', 'pip', 'install', '-q', 'matplotlib'])

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x = np.linspace(0, 10, 100)
plt.figure(figsize=(10, 6))
plt.plot(x, np.sin(x), label='sin(x)')
plt.plot(x, np.cos(x), label='cos(x)')
plt.legend()
plt.savefig('/app/plot.png', dpi=150, bbox_inches='tight')
print("Plot saved")
`);

// Download the generated plot
await client.dispose();

Get file content without saving

Python

result = vm.download_file('/app/output.txt')
print(result['content'])

JavaScript

const result = await client.execute("cat /app/output.txt", { language: 'bash' });
console.log(result.output);

Process uploaded files

Upload a file, process it in the sandbox, download the result:

CLI

# Upload, process via SSH, then download
instavm create
scp -P <port> ./input.txt user@<host>:/app/input.txt
instavm connect <vm_id>
# Inside VM: python3 process.py
scp -P <port> user@<host>:/app/output.txt ./output.txt

Python

with InstaVM('your_api_key') as vm:
    # Upload input
    vm.upload_file('./input.txt', remote_path='/app/input.txt')

    # Process
    vm.execute("""
with open('/app/input.txt') as f:
    lines = f.readlines()

# Transform: uppercase and number each line
with open('/app/output.txt', 'w') as f:
    for i, line in enumerate(lines, 1):
        f.write(f"{i}: {line.strip().upper()}\\n")

print(f"Processed {len(lines)} lines")
    """)

    # Download output
    vm.download_file('/app/output.txt', local_path='./output.txt')

JavaScript

import { InstaVM } from 'instavm';
import fs from 'fs';

const client = new InstaVM('your_api_key');

// Upload input
await client.upload([{
  name: 'input.txt',
  content: fs.readFileSync('./input.txt', 'utf-8'),
  path: '/app/input.txt',
}]);

// Process
await client.execute(`
with open('/app/input.txt') as f:
    lines = f.readlines()

with open('/app/output.txt', 'w') as f:
    for i, line in enumerate(lines, 1):
        f.write(f"{i}: {line.strip().upper()}\\n")

print(f"Processed {len(lines)} lines")
`);

await client.dispose();

File paths in the sandbox

Path	Description
/app	Default working directory, use this for your files
/tmp	Temporary files
/root	Home directory

Binary files

The upload/download methods handle binary files (images, PDFs, videos) without any special configuration. The content is transferred as-is.

Next steps

• Python SDK: File Operations -- full method reference
• Code Execution -- running code that produces files
• REST API: Files -- API endpoints