> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vertracloud.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Use a Template Share Link on Vertra Cloud Safely

> Open a template share link, read the preview, the Not verified badge, the image copy and the slot it uses, and report abuse if something looks wrong.

A template share link lets someone give you a private template without publishing it. Open it, read the preview and, if you trust the author, create the app or stack from it. The template is **not verified by Vertra**: it comes from a person, not from the catalog.

You need an account to create anything from a link. The preview itself opens without signing in.

## The preview

Before you create anything, the link page shows:

* the author;
* what will be created (the services and the total memory);
* the required plan and the image slot it will use;
* the **Not verified by Vertra** badge;
* if the code is closed, a notice: the values you fill in (for example, your model provider key) go to code you cannot see, and you are trusting the author.

Continue only if you trust whoever sent the link. See [Closed templates](https://docs.vertracloud.app/templates/use/closed-templates.md).

## Two kinds of link

The author chooses the kind when creating the link.

| | Usage link (default) | Full-copy link |
| - | - | - |
| What you get | Apps or a stack created from the template, with your own copy of the image. | A private template of your own: manifest, code, Dockerfile and image. |
| Code | Open or closed, as the author decided. | Always visible. |
| Author's updates | Yes, when you click **Update**. | No: your copy is independent. |
| Image slot | One. | One. |
| Counts against | The requirements of the recipe. | Your limit of private templates, in addition to the recipe. |

## The image copy and your slot

When a link template runs an image, the platform creates an image record **in your account**: a copy of the image, so nothing is rebuilt and you get no Dockerfile or build context. It uses **one image slot** of your account (see [Image slots](https://docs.vertracloud.app/templates/overview.md#image-slots)); the author keeps theirs. The copy appears in your images list as, for example, "Bot X (from Agency Y)".

Because the image is yours, if the author later deletes the image, the template or their account, nothing changes for what you created. The link stops working, but your copies keep running.

**Update** copies the new version to your account, as long as the link and the template still exist.

## Revocation

The author can **revoke** the link: no new use is possible and no more updates are offered. What you already created stays yours and keeps running. The author can never stop, delete or read anything in your account.

A link can also expire, run out of uses or be revoked, and the page says which:

| Message | Meaning |
| - | - |
| `SHARE_LINK_NOT_FOUND` | The link does not exist, or its template was removed. |
| `SHARE_LINK_REVOKED` | The author revoked the link. |
| `SHARE_LINK_EXPIRED` | The link passed its validity. |
| `SHARE_LINK_EXHAUSTED` | The link reached its maximum number of uses. |

## Report a template

A link template is a way to distribute someone's code without review, so every preview and every app created from a template has a **Report** button. Pick a reason (malicious code, scam or fraud, copyright, leaked secret or other), add details of up to 1,000 characters without passwords or personal data, and send. The Vertra team reviews it, and the author is not told who reported.

For serious cases, or if you have evidence, also write to [abuse@vertracloud.app](mailto:abuse@vertracloud.app). Vertra Cloud can revoke a link or a template and, in case of malware, stop every copy, applying its terms of use.

## Create from the link

Open the link and click through the wizard, which works like [any template](https://docs.vertracloud.app/templates/use/using-a-template.md). In the CLI, use `vertra template deploy --share <link-or-token> --name my-app`. A full-copy link gives a template, not a deploy, so the CLI refuses it for `deploy`.

For the API, see [Preview a share link](https://docs.vertracloud.app/api-reference/endpoint/templates/share-links/preview.md), [Deploy from a share link](https://docs.vertracloud.app/api-reference/endpoint/templates/share-links/deploy.md), [Copy a template](https://docs.vertracloud.app/api-reference/endpoint/templates/share-links/copy.md) and [Report](https://docs.vertracloud.app/api-reference/endpoint/templates/share-links/report.md). To create your own links, see [Share links](https://docs.vertracloud.app/templates/create/share-links.md).


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