Use images

You pick an image as part of creating an instance. This page covers browsing and filtering the image selector, choosing between container and VM images, selecting an architecture, and using OCI application images. For the full creation flow, see Create an instance.

Browse images

1. Go to Instances → Create instance.
2. Under Base Image, click Browse images.
3. The Select base image dialog opens. It merges your project's local images with the public image catalog into one list.
4. Click a row (or its Select button) to choose the image.

Each row shows the image's Distribution, Release, Variant, Type, Alias, Source, and Status:

The public catalog is deployment-dependent: air-gapped deployments may not reach it, in which case only your project's local images are listed. If the list looks incomplete, ask your administrator.

Filter the list

The dialog offers a search box and filters:

• Search — matches alias, distribution, release, and architecture.
• Distribution and Release — pick a distribution first; the release filter then lists that distribution's releases.
• Variant — for example default, cloud, or desktop. Cloud variants ship with cloud-init preinstalled, which you need for cloud-init customization.
• Architecture — defaults to amd64; only architectures your deployment supports are offered.
• Type — Any, Container, or VM.
• Show only cached images — hides remote catalog entries and shows only images already present locally.

Container vs VM images

The image you choose determines which instance types you can create:

• Container-only images are hidden when you filter for VMs, and vice versa.
• Some images support only one type — desktop variants, for example, are VM-only. Selecting such an image locks the Instance type field on the create form.
• Images marked all can create either type; pick Container or VM on the create form.

Cached remote images are downloaded once and reused; the first instance from a Remote image takes longer to create while the image downloads. Downloaded images then appear on your project's Images page.

Use a specific architecture

Set the Architecture filter in the selector to the target architecture before choosing an image. The instance is created for that architecture; it must be one your deployment supports (the filter only lists supported values).

Use an OCI application image

To run an application container directly from an OCI registry:

1. Go to Instances → Create instance.
2. Under Base Image, click Use OCI.
3. Enter the Registry URL and the Image name.
4. Continue with the normal create flow.

The result is an application container, shown as type Container (App) in the instance list.

Launch from a project image

You can also start from an image you already have: go to Images, find the image, and click its Create instance action. The create form opens with that image preselected.

Related

• Create an instance
• Manage images
• About images
• Use cloud-init