Submitting Jobs

This guide introduces the basics of submitting jobs to Bacalhau. Whether you're running a quick task or setting up a more complex job, you'll learn the essential approaches.

What You'll Learn

• How to run quick jobs with simple commands

• How to create reusable job specifications

• Basic job configuration options

Quick Jobs: Command Line Approach

The fastest way to run a job is using the bacalhau docker run command. This is perfect for simple tasks or when you're just getting started.

bacalhau docker run \
  ubuntu:latest \
  -- echo "Hello from Bacalhau"

By default, this runs a batch job (one-time execution). You can also run ops jobs using --target all.

bacalhau docker run \
  --target all \
  ubuntu:latest \
  -- echo "Running as an ops job"

Key Options

• --cpu 0.5: Request half a CPU core

• --memory 512mb: Request 512MB of memory

• --id-only: Show just the job ID (useful for scripts)

Pro Tip: Everything after the -- is executed inside the container.

Reusable Jobs: YAML Specification

For jobs you'll run multiple times or want to save, create a YAML specification file:

# hello-job.yaml
Name: "hello-bacalhau"
Type: batch
Count: 1
Tasks:
  - Name: "task1"
    Engine:
      Type: "docker"
      Params:
        Image: "ubuntu:latest"
        Entrypoint:
          - "echo"
          - "Hello from a YAML spec!"

Submit it with:

bacalhau job run hello-job.yaml

This approach helps you:

• Save job configurations for later use

• Share job definitions with teammates

• Make small changes without retyping everything

Find out more about the possibilites of jobs in the job specification reference.

Job Types and Choosing Methods

Bacalhau supports several job types:

• batch: One-time execution (default for command line)

• ops: Administrative tasks targeting specific nodes (use --target all to run on all nodes)

• service: Long-running services that run on any N nodes

• daemon: Background processes that run continuously on all nodes

Important: Service and daemon jobs can only be created using YAML specifications as they're designed for repeatable or updatable workloads.

When to Choose Each Method

• Use the command line for:

  • Quick, one-time batch jobs

  • Simple ops jobs with --target all

• Use YAML files when:

  • Running service or daemon jobs

  • Creating repeatable job configurations

  • Sharing job definitions with teammates