clearml-docs/docs/clearml_agent/clearml_agent_services_mode.md

title
Services Mode

ClearML Agent supports a Services Mode where, as soon as a task is launched off of its queue, the agent moves on to the next task without waiting for the previous one to complete. This mode is intended for running resource-sparse tasks that are usually idling, such as periodic cleanup services or a pipeline controller.

To run a clearml-agent in services mode, run:

clearml-agent daemon --services-mode --queue services --create-queue --docker <docker_name> --cpu-only

To limit the number of simultaneous tasks run in services mode, pass the maximum number immediately after the --services-mode option (for example: --services-mode 5).

:::note Notes

• services-mode currently only supports Docker mode. Each service spins on its own Docker image.
• The default clearml-server configuration already runs a single clearml-agent in services mode that listens to the services queue. :::

Launch a service task like any other task, by enqueuing it to the appropriate queue.

:::warning Do not enqueue training or inference tasks into the services queue. They will put an unnecessary load on the server. :::

Setting Server Credentials

Self-hosted ClearML Server comes by default with a services queue. By default, the server is open and does not require username and password, but it can be password-protected. In case it is password-protected, the services agent will need to be configured with server credentials (associated with a user).

To do that, set these environment variables on the ClearML Server machine with the appropriate credentials:

CLEARML_API_ACCESS_KEY
CLEARML_API_SECRET_KEY