Compute

Run virtual machine instances to power your applications with flexible CPU, memory, storage, and networking options.

What is Compute?

Compute provides virtual machines (instances) you can tailor with different flavors (sizes), operating system images, networking, and security controls.

Key concepts

Instances — virtual machines you launch and manage
Flavors — predefined CPU/RAM/disk configurations (e.g., m1.medium, m1.large, m1.xlarge)
Images — base OS templates such as Ubuntu
Security Groups — firewall rules applied to instances
Networks — private connectivity; instances can also be made public
Volumes — persistent block storage for data
User data — cloud-init scripts for first-boot automation

When to use it

Host web apps, APIs, and backends
Run CI/CD runners, batch jobs, or test environments
Lift-and-shift workloads that need full VM control

Features

Launch instances in minutes using a guided form
Choose images and flavors to match your workload
Attach persistent volumes during creation
Enable SSH with keypairs; optionally make the instance public with a domain
Apply security groups to control ingress/egress
Provide cloud-init (user data) for automation

Next: Step-by-step Guide

Looking for a hands-on walkthrough? See the guide:

Go to the Compute Guide → Launch, configure, and manage instances