Launch virtual machines from an image
Create virtual machines from a catalog image or your own image, create bootable volumes from images, and meet each image's requirements.
An image provides the operating system for an instance's OS disk. You select it in the creation wizard, or you create a bootable volume from it and boot an instance from that volume.
Before you begin
- You need the Owner or Contributor role, or a custom role with Manage access to Compute / Instances, on the subscription or on the project.
- The image must be ready. Images that are still being captured aren't listed.
Launch an instance from an image
In the console, go to ComputeInstances, and select Create instance.
On the Basics step, under Boot source, keep Image.
Search the image list, and select the image. Each image shows where it comes from, Region catalogue or Your project, and, if it has one, its minimum memory.
Complete the other steps of the wizard, and create the instance. See Create a virtual machine.
To launch several identical instances from the image at once, enter a number in Number of instances. See Create several identical instances.
Create a bootable volume from an image
In the volume form, select From image as the source, and select the image. The new volume is bootable. See Create a volume. To create an instance that boots from it, select the Volume boot source in the creation wizard. See Boot sources.
Image requirements
| Requirement | Where it applies |
|---|---|
| Minimum memory | On the Size step, sizes with less memory are disabled. |
| Minimum disk size | The OS disk, or the volume that you create from the image, must be at least this size. |
| Software license | A license that comes with a catalog image is selected and locked on the Add-ons & licenses step, and it's billed on every instance that boots from the image. |
For how images, volumes, and snapshots compare as boot sources, see Boot sources.