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

# Welcome to Alto

<Check>These docs are current for version `v0.0.8.`</Check>

Welcome to Alto! Alto is the easiest way to run your code on the cloud. Although
primarily designed for [Prism](https://runprism.com) projects, Alto can be used to execute any arbitrary code
(e.g., a function, a script, a Jupyter notebook, or an entire project) in custom cloud
environments.

At the moment, Alto is BYOC - bring your own cloud. You supply the cloud account, and
Alto will take care of provisioning the exact resources required. In future versions,
we'll offer the option for users to run their code on Alto's own infrastructure.

## CHANGELOG

Here are the main differences between this version and the previous version (`alto v0.0.7`):

<Accordion title="Additional EC2 protocols">
  Previously, Alto managed EC2 instances only via the SSH / SCP protocol. Now, users can
  specify whether they want to use Amazon Systems Manager to manage their instance. You can
  learn more AWS Systems Manager [here](https://aws.amazon.com/systems-manager/).

  This can be specified via the [`protocol`](/agents/configuration/v0.0.8/infra/ec2#optional-keys)
  key within an EC2 agent's `infra` configuration.
</Accordion>

## Why use Alto?

Great question! Alto allows users to easily scale their code from their local machine to
the cloud. There are several scenarios in which this can be helpful:

* **Scalability**: certain agents (e.g., EC2 instances, EMR clusters) allow you to scale your
  project's execution vertically and horizontally. You can choose instance types with
  varying compute power to match your project's resource requirements. Additionally, you
  can leverage auto-scaling capabilities to automatically adjust the number of instances
  based on demand.

* **Collaboration**: we've all heard the age-old phrase "but it works on my machine!" When
  working with a team, it's likely that different team members will have different system
  configurations and environments. As a result, projects may work on one developer's
  machine but fail on others. Alto mitigate against this this, ensuring that their code
  runs consistently across different systems.

* **Deployment**: Alto allow users to test their projects whatever infrastructure they like.
  If your organization uses custom infrastructure, then this helps ensure that your
  projects do not break once they are deployed.

## Guides: Jump right in

<Card title="Quickstart" icon="leaf" href="/quickstart">
  Install and create your first Alto project
</Card>

<Card title="Agents" icon="rocket" href="/agents/overview">
  Configure your cloud infrastrastructure via an agent
</Card>

<Card title="CLI" icon="code" href="/cli/overview">
  Manage your project via our powerful CLI
</Card>