Cloud

Run models in Ollama's cloud from your apps or terminal. No model or app download required.

API Key

Create an API key, then set it in Bash or Zsh:

export OLLAMA_API_KEY="your_api_key"

Send a request from the same terminal:

curl https://ollama.com/api/chat \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OLLAMA_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "gemma4:31b",
    "messages": [
      {
        "role": "user",
        "content": "Say hello in one sentence."
      }
    ],
    "stream": false
  }'

Read the answer from message.content. Keep your API key out of browser code and source control.

You can also use OpenAI or Anthropic clients. Each supports a subset of the original API. No Ollama installation is required.

Ollama App or CLI

Download Ollama. Open the app, or run:

ollama

Follow the setup prompts and sign in to use cloud models.

On macOS, open Apps and connect Claude or ChatGPT. For coding agents, run a launch command:

ollama launch claude

ollama launch codex

ollama launch opencode

For more integrations, open the Ollama app or run ollama in your terminal.

Ollama handles sign-in for connected apps. See the quickstart for setup.

Models

Browse cloud models, or list them with the API:

curl https://ollama.com/api/tags

For API requests to ollama.com, use the name returned by this list, such as gemma4:31b. In the Ollama app or CLI, use gemma4:cloud. Cloud models do not need to be downloaded.

Usage

Check your usage or compare plans.

Retirements

Usage settings show upcoming retirements for models you've recently used. Switch models before the retirement date. Downloaded local models are not affected.

Data handling

Ollama processes cloud prompts and responses to answer your requests. We do not use them to train models. Read the Privacy Policy for details.

To use only local models, disable cloud features.