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

> ## Agent Instructions
> Agent home for Datum, with what it is, pricing, and how to act: https://agents.datum.net
> If you can only fetch URLs: read https://www.datum.net/docs/llms.txt in full and open the most specific page for the task. Commands, limits, and field paths are on task, operations, and limits pages, not on section overviews. Pages described as "Documentation is coming soon" are placeholders.
> If you have a shell or can save files: download https://www.datum.net/docs/llms-full.txt (every page, about 740 KB) once and search it with grep, instead of fetching pages one at a time.
> datumctl describes itself: `datumctl api-resources` lists resource types and `datumctl explain <resource>` shows a schema. To act on live resources, use Datum MCP or datumctl. To search the docs, use the Docs MCP server at https://www.datum.net/docs/mcp.

# Scale and operate workloads with datumctl

> Scale, restart, roll out, and inspect individual Instances of a running workload with datumctl compute.

After you deploy a workload, use these commands for day-to-day operation: scaling, restarting Instances, watching a rollout, and inspecting a single Instance when something isn't right.

## Scaling

`datumctl compute scale` sets the minimum number of Instances per location for every placement of a workload:

```bash theme={null}
# Run three Instances in each location of the workload
datumctl compute scale api --min=3
```

The count is per location, from 1 to 1,000. Workloads don't scale automatically. For different counts per placement, edit `scaleSettings.minReplicas` in the manifest and apply it with `datumctl compute deploy -f`. For more information, see [Placement and scaling](/docs/compute/placement-and-scaling.md).

## Restarting

`datumctl compute restart` starts a rolling restart. Datum replaces Instances without changing the image or configuration. A restart is useful to pick up an external change, such as a rotated Secret:

```bash theme={null}
datumctl compute restart api
```

`restart` replaces every Instance of the workload in every location.

## Watching a rollout

Any change that replaces Instances, such as a `deploy` with a new image or a `restart`, starts a rollout. `datumctl compute rollout` attaches to the rollout and prints progress for each placement and location:

```bash theme={null}
datumctl compute rollout api
```

Each row moves through phases — `Pending`, `Updating`, `Done` — until every placement finishes. Datum replaces Instances one at a time in each location, and waits for each replacement to be ready before it starts the next one. If a placement stalls for more than 30 seconds without progress, its phase becomes `Blocked` and the command prints the reason (a quota limit, a scheduling issue) reported by the platform.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Press Control+C to detach from the watch. The rollout continues in the background. To reattach and see current progress, run `datumctl compute rollout api`.

## Inspecting Instances

`datumctl compute instances` lists every Instance in the project. Each row is one copy of a workload's container in one location, whether it's running or trying to start:

```bash theme={null}
# List every Instance in the project
datumctl compute instances

# List the Instances of one workload
datumctl compute instances --workload=api

# List the Instances in one location
datumctl compute instances --location=us-central-1
```

The status reflects availability, not only whether a process is running. For example, an Instance blocked on quota shows `Pending (quota exceeded)` instead of a generic "not ready" status. Add `-o wide` for the underlying instance type alongside the default columns, or `-o json`/`-o yaml` for the full resource.

To see the runtime configuration, environment, network addresses, and a plain-language explanation of any failure for one Instance, use `describe`:

```bash theme={null}
datumctl compute instances describe api-default-us-central-1-0
```

When an Instance can't start because of quota, `describe` also prints the next commands to run, such as `datumctl compute quota`.

## Next steps

* `datumctl compute scale --help`, `restart --help`, `rollout --help`, and `instances --help` for the full flag reference.
* [Deploying workloads](/docs/datumctl/compute/deploying-workloads.md) — the `deploy` and `workloads` commands that create what you're operating on here.
* [Viewing logs](/docs/datumctl/compute/viewing-logs.md) — read or follow Instance output and ALB access logs.
* [Destroying workloads](/docs/datumctl/compute/destroying-workloads.md) — remove a workload and every Instance it created.


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