Open Laboratory Docs
Quick Start

Quick Start

This guide walks you through getting your account key and starting your container.

Step 1: Get Your Account Key

An Open Laboratory account is free. The lab connects through your account key and serves on your own *.laboratory.computer URL — no separate edge or tunnel to set up.

Sign in at openlaboratory.com — your account key is shown in your account dashboard. It looks like this:

uplk_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Step 2: Start the Container

docker run --gpus all \
  -e UPLINK_API_KEY='your-account-key' \
  openlaboratoryorg/laboratory-os

No GPU? Drop --gpus all to run CPU-only. GPU acceleration is strongly recommended for image generation and LLMs.

NVIDIA GPU on Linux? Make sure NVIDIA Container Toolkit is installed on your host first.

The container starts, logs into the control plane with your account key, establishes a tunnel, and registers your subdomain. Check the logs for your assigned URL — it appears within the first 30 seconds.

Step 3: Open Your Desktop

Your desktop is accessible at:

https://{your-slug}.tunnels.laboratory.computer

To access your Laboratory OS desktop, open it from your laboratory dashboard, or visit the laboratory URL directly.

From the account page you’ll see your running Laboratory; the Open Laboratory button opens it. Either way, the managed edge signs you in with your Open Laboratory account before the desktop loads — there’s no separate login step inside the lab.

Step 4: Install an App

From the desktop, open the Apps panel and pick an app — for example, ComfyUI. Click Install. The app downloads, installs, and starts automatically.

Once running, it’s accessible at its own subdomain:

https://{your-slug}--comfyui.tunnels.laboratory.computer

A shortcut on your desktop opens it directly.

Step 5: Download a Model

Open the Model Library panel from the desktop. Browse the library and click Download on any model. It downloads directly into the container’s shared model directory, and becomes immediately available to all compatible apps.

What’s Next