A TeamCity build agent is the Java service that polls your TeamCity server and runs builds. On TeamCity On-Premises you provide every agent; on TeamCity Cloud you choose between JetBrains-hosted agents and your own. cirunner.dev plans to run agents for you on bigger machines, one fresh VM per build. TeamCity is on our roadmap and does not work with cirunner.dev today. GitHub Actions and GitLab CI are live in early access. Vote for TeamCity on the early-access form if you want it next.
Where TeamCity agents get expensive
On TeamCity Cloud, JetBrains-hosted agents come in a few sizes for Linux, Windows, macOS and ARM, and they bill build credits per minute. Bigger sizes burn credits faster, so a long C++ or Unreal build on a large agent drains the monthly credit allowance. Self-hosted agents on TeamCity Cloud use a flat monthly slot per concurrent build and no credits for build time.
On TeamCity On-Premises there is no hosted option. You buy agent licenses beyond the three included ones and run the machines. Static agents sit idle at night and drift between builds; cloud profiles fix the idle time and hand you AMIs, Kubernetes pod specs and IAM permissions to look after.
What running TeamCity agents yourself involves
- Install the agent from the zip on your server's Agents page or run the
jetbrains/teamcity-agentimage, setserverUrlandnameinbuildAgent.properties, and authorize the agent in the UI. - Put agents in pools per project and route builds with agent requirements such as
equals("system.gpu", "a10"). - For agents on demand, create a cloud profile for Amazon EC2, Kubernetes or vSphere, bake an image with Java and the agent, and set the "after first build finished" termination condition for one build per instance.
- Watch licensing: on On-Premises, cloud agents count against agent licenses while connected, so a profile with an instance limit of 20 needs 20 free licenses.
Our TeamCity build agents guide covers installation, pools, requirements, cloud profiles and licensing.
How a custom TeamCity agent from cirunner.dev will work
Once we support TeamCity, you will create a pool for our agents and give cirunner.dev your server URL and an access token for a TeamCity user who can authorize agents in that pool. New agents connect unauthorized; we authorize each one through the TeamCity REST API. Then you pick the machine: more cores and memory, x86 or ARM, a GPU if you need one. Each agent advertises a parameter such as system.cirunner, so build configurations opt in with an agent requirement. For each queued build we start a fresh VM with the agent, it runs that build, and we remove the VM afterwards. A build cache persists between builds. You pay us per compute minute; your TeamCity license or self-hosted slots still apply.
TeamCity Cloud agents vs. your own agents vs. cirunner.dev
| JetBrains-hosted agents | Your own agents and cloud profiles | cirunner.dev (planned) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Availability | TeamCity Cloud only | On-Premises and TeamCity Cloud | On-Premises and TeamCity Cloud |
| Billing | Build credits per minute, more for bigger sizes | Licenses or slots, plus compute and your hours | Licenses or slots, plus our per-minute price |
| Machine | JetBrains' size catalog | Whatever you provision | Bigger machines, x86 or ARM, optional GPU |
| Isolation | Managed by JetBrains | One build per instance if you configure it | Fresh VM per build, removed afterwards |
| Upkeep | None | AMIs or images, profiles, agent upgrades | None on the agent side |
Who it is for
A good fit if:
- You build C, C++, Rust, Android/Gradle, a game engine or CUDA code on TeamCity, and builds get faster with more cores and memory.
- You want one-build agents on fresh VMs without maintaining EC2 or Kubernetes cloud profiles.
Not a fit if:
- A small JetBrains-hosted agent finishes your builds in a few minutes.
- Your agents must run inside a network that no outside machine can join.
FAQ
How many TeamCity build agents are free?
TeamCity On-Premises Professional includes 3 agents at no cost, and Enterprise also includes 3. You buy agent licenses for more. On TeamCity Cloud, the trial covers up to 3 concurrent self-hosted builds.
Do TeamCity cloud agents count against agent licenses?
Yes, on On-Premises. Licenses limit authorized agents of any origin, so EC2 and Kubernetes agents count while they stay connected. The guide explains how cloud profiles draw from the same pool.
Can I use self-hosted agents with TeamCity Cloud?
Yes. You register them against your instance URL the same way as on-premises and pay a flat monthly slot per concurrent self-hosted build, with no build credits for build time.
Is there a managed TeamCity agent service?
JetBrains runs hosted agents for TeamCity Cloud. cirunner.dev plans managed agents for both On-Premises and Cloud; TeamCity is on our roadmap. Vote for it on the early-access form.
Want managed TeamCity agents?
TeamCity is on the roadmap. Vote for it on the early-access form and tell us what your builds compile.
Vote for TeamCity runners