Overview
On this page you will learn what machines and fleets are in Trickest, how they are used to run workflows, and how they relate to the rest of the platform.What are Machines and Fleets
Machines are the compute resources that execute your workflows. Each run needs one or more machines to run the workflow’s nodes. Trickest provides managed machines (virtual machines run by Trickest). You can also attach self-hosted machines: your own devices or servers that you register with the platform so they can be used for execution. A fleet is a group of machines used together for workflow execution. There are two fleet types: Managed fleet (Trickest-managed machines; you use them without extra setup) and Self-hosted fleet (machines you attached to your account; you run workflows on your own infrastructure). When you run a workflow, you choose which fleet to use; the execution engine then assigns machines from that fleet to the run.Why Machines and Fleets Exist
Workflows need somewhere to run. Machines and fleets give you that: either Trickest’s managed capacity so you can run without provisioning hardware, or your own machines for data locality, compliance, or custom environments. Fleets group machines so you can say “run this on managed” or “run this on my self-hosted set.” The number of managed machines available to you is defined by your subscription; self-hosted machines are limited only by what you attach.How It Works
Managed machines: Trickest allocates a fixed number of virtual machines to your account. They have defined CPU and memory (e.g. Community and Enterprise tiers). Machines can be in different states: idle (available), up (activated and ready), running (executing a workflow), or in error. You do not configure or maintain them; you run workflows and the engine assigns machines from the managed fleet. Self-hosted machines: You install and register an agent (or equivalent) on your own hardware. Once attached, those machines appear in your self-hosted fleet. They can be any device or OS that the platform supports. You choose the self-hosted fleet when executing a workflow when you want the run to use your infrastructure. Distribution: You can run a workflow on a single machine or spread it across multiple machines. The execution engine, together with workflow structure (e.g. parallel nodes, distributed node outputs), can distribute execution so that different parts of the workflow run on different machines. That lets you scale heavy or parallel workloads.How It Relates
- Workflows: Workflows are executed on machines. When you run a workflow, you select a fleet (managed or self-hosted); the engine runs the workflow’s nodes on machines from that fleet. See Workflows.
- Runs: Each run is executed on one or more machines. Run status and node status reflect whether machines are assigned, running, or finished.
- Solutions: Solution workflows run on the same machine and fleet model; you choose the fleet when running the Solution. See Solutions & Database.
Common Patterns
- Running most workflows on the managed fleet for simplicity and no infrastructure setup
- Attaching self-hosted machines when you need execution on your own network, data to stay on-premises, or specific hardware or OS
- Choosing the self-hosted fleet at run time for sensitive or regulated workloads
- Distributing execution across multiple machines for large or parallel workflows to reduce total run time