---
title: How to Retrieve an Instance Template
url: https://docs.vultr.com/products/compute/clusters/instance-templates/how-to-retrieve-an-instance-template
description: Retrieve the full configuration of a Vultr instance template including the plan, OS, SSH keys, startup script, and VPC settings via the API.
publish_date: 2026-04-17T14:11:16.295302Z
last_updated: 2026-04-23T16:45:29.762009Z
---

Retrieving an instance template returns its full configuration including the plan, OS, SSH keys, startup script, VPC, and storage settings. This is useful for reviewing a template's details before using it to create a cluster or instance.

This guide explains how to retrieve an instance template using the Vultr API.

1. Send a `GET` request to the [**List Instance Templates** endpoint](https://www.vultr.com/api/#tag/instance-templates/operation/list-instance-templates) to retrieve all templates.

    ```console
    $ curl "https://api.vultr.com/v2/instances/templates" \
        -X GET \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer ${VULTR_API_KEY}"
    ```

    Note the `id` of the template you want to retrieve.

1. Send a `GET` request to the [**Get Instance Template** endpoint](https://www.vultr.com/api/#tag/instance-templates/operation/get-instance-template) to retrieve the template details. Replace `{template-id}` with the template id.

    ```console
    $ curl "https://api.vultr.com/v2/instances/templates/{template-id}" \
        -X GET \
        -H "Authorization: Bearer ${VULTR_API_KEY}"
    ```

    The response contains the template configuration details.