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Canister Creation Made Easy

· 3 min read
Byron Becker
Byron Becker
Developer

Today we're releasing the ability to create new canister smart contracts in seconds, and to manage them directly from your CycleOps dashboard.

No terminal. No dfx canister create ...<what args next?>. Just a few clicks.

What we shipped​

CycleOps now lets you create and manage Internet Computer canisters without ever leaving your browser. Add a canister and click “Create New” to:

  • Create a canister on any subnet—including low‑latency, high‑storage, or fiduciary subnets.
  • Pre‑load it with the exact number of cycles you choose.
  • Add one or more controllers (your dfx principal, teammates, or service canisters).
  • Manage lifecycle actions: start, stop, and delete.
  • Tweak settings on the fly: controllers, freezing threshold, reserved cycles.
  • Snapshot, restore, and stream live logs—straight from the UI.

Why we built it​

Creating canisters has typically meant juggling dfx, ledger transfers, and guessing which subnet will serve you best. That process costs time and invites mistakes:

  • Speed: Spin up a production‑ready canister in seconds.
  • Safety: Clear UI prevents accidental under‑funding or wrong‑subnet deploys.
  • Scale: Fleet owners can keep all canisters—old and new—visible and actionable in one place.

CycleOps already monitors and tops‑up thousands of canisters; now it can create and manage them, too

How you can use it​

  1. Open Canisters → New Canister in your CycleOps dashboard.
  2. Pick the subnet that suits your use case. Need low latency? Choose one of our fast‑lane subnets. Want high node count for fiduciary workloads? That option’s there too.
  3. Enter an initial cycles balance—CycleOps will transfer the cycles and confirm allocation.
  4. Add controllers (paste principal IDs or pick from your org’s members).
  5. Click Create. In a few seconds your new canister appears in the dashboard.

Managing Created Canisters​

After creating a canister, you can manage it by clicking on a canister and then navigating to its “Manage” tab. From here, you can:

  • Start/stop the canister as needed.
  • Adjust settings and controllers anytime.
  • Snapshots: create a point‑in‑time state backup and roll back with one click.
  • Watch live logs while you iterate.


Ready to try it? Log in and deploy your first canister today.

Have questions or feedback about CycleOps? Jump into our OpenChat or tag us on X.