ModelRefs / Replicate — AI Glossary
Replicate — AI Glossary
A platform for running and deploying ML models in the cloud using versioned model containers with a simple API. Serverless billing per prediction-second.
Overview
Replicate hosts thousands of community and official models (Stable Diffusion, LLaMA, Whisper, SDXL) in Cog containers. Each model version is immutable; API returns predictions as URLs or streams. Serverless billing per prediction-second. Popular for image generation, speech, and experimental model deployment without infra management.
Reference details
| Topic | infrastructure |
|---|---|
| Last reviewed | 2026-06-24 |
Related terms
Commonly confused with
Differs from Together and Fireworks in unit of deployment: models are versioned containers you can publish and run, not a fixed catalogue behind one API. That makes it the option when the model you need is not on a major provider's list, and the reason cold starts are a real consideration — a container that has not run recently has to be brought up before it answers.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Replicate?
A platform for running and deploying ML models in the cloud using versioned model containers with a simple API.
What concepts are related to Replicate?
Closely related concepts include modal, runpod, serverless inference.