# Cherry Servers

### 🛠️ Option B: Create a Cherry Servers Account and Obtain an API Key (Infrastructure Provider)

#### 1.1 Create an account

Go to <https://portal.cherryservers.com/register> and create a new user account.

#### 1.2 Complete identity verification (mandatory)

Once registered, go to your **Profile** and locate the **“Identity verification”** section.\
Complete the required verification process and wait until it is approved.

{% hint style="info" %}
⚠️ Identity verification is mandatory to use Cherry Servers services.
{% endhint %}

#### 1.3 Add a payment method and fund your balance

After verification approval:

* Go to **Profile → Billing**
* Add your preferred payment method
* Cherry Servers supports **crypto payments**

In the **Team Balance** section, you must add an initial balance in order to rent a VPS.

{% hint style="info" %}
💡 **Pricing notes:**

* For users **outside the European Union**, the VPS cost is approximately **USD 11.8**

EU residents must calculate and include **VAT** on top of this amount
{% endhint %}

💳 **Credit / Debit Card users:**\
If you fund your balance using a **credit or debit card**, you can enable automatic future charges.\
After adding balance, go to **User → Subscription Payments** and enable **Automatic Renewal** to allow future charges to be processed automatically.

#### 1.4 Generate an API Key

Once your account has available balance:

* Go to <https://portal.cherryservers.com/settings/api-keys>
* Create a new API Key
* Copy and store it securely

#### 1.5 Connect to Node Studio

Go to the Node Studio platform:\
<https://near.xnode.openmesh.network/>

#### 1.6 Deploy the VPS

* Click **Deploy**
* Select the recommended VPS option:

**Cloud VPS 6 (Gen 2)**\
6-Core CPU, 6 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD, 1 Gbps Networking, 1,024 GB Bandwidth

#### 1.7 Link your Cherry Servers account

* When prompted, paste the **Cherry Servers API Key**
* Click **Rent Server** (**⚠️ only once** to avoid multiple charges)

#### 1.8 Wait for provisioning

* Wait a few minutes for the server rental to execute
* The server will appear in Node Studio with status **“Provisioning”**
* This process usually takes around **10 minutes**

If after 10 minutes the status is still **“Provisioning”**, refresh the Node Studio page to update the status and continue with the validator setup process.

***

-> Continue on [Step 2](/master/validator-nodes/node-studio-software/quick-guide.md)


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.metapool.app/master/validator-nodes/node-studio-software/quick-guide/cherry-servers.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.