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Yeast

Yeast turns a folder into real Linux VMs.

Define machines in yeast.yaml, run yeast up, and get SSH-ready QEMU/KVM guests with cloud-init, provisioning, snapshots, private networking, Docker-style service port forwarding, and JSON output for automation.

Learn Yeast In Order

If you are new, follow this path. It is ordered so each page teaches one layer before the next one.

Step Read You learn
1 What Is Yeast? What problem Yeast solves
2 Installation How to get the CLI and check your host
3 Quickstart The shortest working loop
4 Write yeast.yaml How to edit RAM, CPU, disk, image, users, provisioning, networking, and forwarded ports
5 First VM A slower first-machine walkthrough
6 Yeast Labs Guided tutorials that build confidence

The Short Version

Run these commands from a new project folder:

mkdir my-lab
cd my-lab
yeast init --template ubuntu-basic
yeast up
yeast ssh web

When you are done:

yeast down
yeast destroy

yeast up downloads supported cloud images automatically when they are missing.

The File You Edit Most

Most Yeast work happens in yeast.yaml.

This small file says what machines you want:

version: 1
instances:
  - name: web
    image: ubuntu-24.04
    memory: 1024
    cpus: 1
    disk_size: 20G
    ports:
      - "8080:80"

Common edits:

Want to change Edit
RAM memory: 2048
CPU count cpus: 2
disk size disk_size: 30G
image image: debian-12
VM name name: web
host SSH port ssh_port: 2222
guest web app on your laptop ports: ["8080:80"]

With that ports example, yeast up and yeast status print a host URL you can open directly, such as http://127.0.0.1:8080.

Read Write yeast.yaml when you want to understand every field without jumping straight into reference docs.

What Yeast Handles

  • project-local VM definitions with yeast.yaml
  • trusted image discovery and caching
  • QEMU/KVM startup
  • cloud-init seed generation
  • SSH readiness
  • package, file, and shell provisioning
  • stopped-VM snapshots and restore
  • one private lab network per project
  • Docker-style host-to-guest service forwarding with instances[].ports
  • guest control with ssh, exec, copy, logs, and inspect
  • stable JSON output and lifecycle events

What Yeast Is Not

Yeast is not a cloud platform, container orchestrator, web dashboard, or replacement for Kubernetes.

It is a Linux-first local VM engine for repeatable real-machine labs.

Current Release

The current docs target Yeast v1.1.4.

Start with Quickstart, or jump to the command reference.