Configure instances
How to edit instance configuration in the console, including devices, resource limits, security policies, profile inheritance, and the YAML editor.
Open an instance and go to its Configuration tab to change its settings. The form loads read-only and switches to edit mode as soon as you change a value; use Save in the footer to apply. Editing requires the edit permission on the instance — otherwise all fields are read-only with a tooltip explaining why.
Configuration sections
The left menu groups the configuration:
| Section | Contents |
|---|---|
| Main configuration | Description, profiles, SSH keys. The name is not editable here — see Rename an instance. |
| Devices → Disk | Root disk (pool and size) and additional disks: custom storage volumes and host-path mounts. See Volumes. |
| Devices → Network | Network interfaces attached to managed networks. Each NIC needs a device name (eth0, eth1, ...). |
| Devices → GPU | Physical GPU passthrough from host resources. |
| Devices → Proxy | Proxy devices that forward traffic to or from the instance. NAT mode defaults to on for VMs and off for containers. |
| Devices → Other | Additional device types (availability depends on your deployment). |
| Resource limits | CPU, memory, disk priority, and container process limits (below). |
| Security policies | Deletion protection and type-specific isolation settings (below). |
| Snapshots | Snapshot naming, expiry, and schedule — see Instance snapshots. |
| Migration | Stateful migration (VMs only) and the cluster evacuation mode. |
| Boot | Autostart, autostart delay and priority, host shutdown timeout, stop priority. |
| Cloud init | User data, network config, vendor data — see Use cloud-init. |
| User properties | Free-form user.* key/value pairs, shown on the Overview tab. |
| YAML configuration | The full instance configuration as editable YAML. |
Profile inheritance and overrides
Instances inherit configuration from their profiles. Each option in the form shows the effective inherited value and its source (a profile name, or the default). To change a value for this instance only, use the Override control next to it; to return to the inherited value, use Clear override.
Profile order matters: when multiple profiles set the same key, the later profile in the instance's list wins. If you lack permission to view some applied profiles, the form warns you that inherited values may display incorrectly.
Resource limits
- CPU (
limits.cpu) — either a number of exposed cores (minimum 1), or fixed pinning to specific host cores given as comma-separated core numbers and ranges (for example0,2,4-7). - Memory (
limits.memory) — either an absolute value with a unit (fromBup toEiB;GiBby default) or a percentage (0–100) of the host memory. The form shows how much memory is available in the project. - Memory swap (
limits.memory.swap) — containers only, allow or deny. - Disk priority (
limits.disk.priority) — 0–10. - Max number of processes (
limits.processes) — containers only.
Security policies
Options apply per instance type; controls for the other type are disabled:
- Both types:
Protect deletion(security.protection.delete). - Containers only:
Privileged(security.privileged),Nesting(security.nesting), UID/GID shift protection and idmap settings (security.idmap.*). - VMs only:
Enable secureboot(security.secureboot),Enable CSM(security.csm).
Stateful migration (migration.stateful, in the Migration section) is also VM-only and is a prerequisite for stateful snapshots.
Edit as YAML
The YAML configuration section shows the full instance configuration and lets you edit it directly — useful for keys the form does not expose. Custom NIC devices with non-standard settings can only be edited here.
Concurrent-edit protection
Saves are version-checked: if someone else changed the instance after you loaded the form, your save is rejected instead of silently overwriting their change. Reload the page and re-apply your edit.