Skip to content

Images

An image is a saved system disk that new instances start from. There are two kinds:

  • The location's images: the operating systems NubeStack publishes in each location, such as Ubuntu or Debian. You choose one when you create an instance; you cannot change or delete them.
  • Your images: private to the project. Either an instance of yours saved as it is, to start new instances with the same setup, or an image file you imported from an address.

Find your own under Compute → Images.

Your images: name, operating system, size and status
Your images: name, operating system, size and status

Before you start

A role of project admin or project member. To save an instance, a running or stopped instance; to import, an https address of the image file.

Save an instance as an image

  1. Choose Save an instance, or Manage → Create image on an instance.
  2. Choose the instance and name the image.
  3. Choose Create image and follow the operation.
Save an instance as an image: the instance and the image's name
Save an instance as an image: the instance and the image's name
curl -sS -X POST "$NUBESTACK_API/v1/orgs/$ORG/projects/$PROJECT/servers/srv_01jbweb1:create-image" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NUBESTACK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"display_name": "web-golden"}'

The image is the instance's system disk as it is at that moment. Attached volumes are not part of it. For a consistent copy, stop the instance first, or at least stop what writes to its disk.

Import an image file

The location downloads the file from an address you give, such as a distribution's cloud image.

  1. Choose Import image.
  2. Image name: up to 255 characters.
  3. Image file:
    • Address: an https address the location can download without signing in. An address with a token or signature in it is refused: NubeStack Cloud keeps no secrets.
    • Disk format: qcow2 for most cloud images (.img, .qcow2), or raw, vmdk, vdi, vhd, vhdx or iso.
  4. What it needs (optional): the minimum disk and memory, so sizes too small for it are not offered, and its operating system and version, such as ubuntu and 24.04.
  5. Check the summary, with the price estimate per GiB stored for owners, admins and the billing role, and choose Import image.
Import an image: name, address, disk format and what it needs
Import an image: name, address, disk format and what it needs
curl -sS -X POST "$NUBESTACK_API/v1/orgs/$ORG/projects/$PROJECT/images" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NUBESTACK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "location": "loc_01jbkhi",
    "display_name": "ubuntu-24-04-custom",
    "source_url": "https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/noble/current/noble-server-cloudimg-amd64.img",
    "disk_format": "qcow2",
    "min_disk_gb": 10
  }'

Optional: min_ram_mb, os_distro, os_version. The answer is 202 Accepted with an operation.

The image reads importing until the download ends. An import that fails leaves nothing behind. Manage → Stop import deletes an image still importing.

Start an instance from an image

Choose Manage → Start an instance from it on the image, or pick it under Your images when you create an instance. In the API, pass image_id instead of image. You can also make a bootable volume from it.

Rename or delete an image

Open the image for Rename, or choose Manage → Delete and confirm.

curl -sS -X DELETE "$NUBESTACK_API/v1/orgs/$ORG/projects/$PROJECT/images/img_01jbgolden" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NUBESTACK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)"

PATCH …/images/{id} with {"display_name": "…"} renames it.

Instances already started from a deleted image keep running; no new ones can start from it.

What blocks a delete

Refusal Why Resolve
image_protected The image is marked protected in the location Remove the protection with the location's own tools, then delete

Limits and good practice

  • An image stays in its project's location. To use the same setup in the other location, import the file again in a project there, or set up an instance there and save it.
  • Images made with the location's own tools appear in the list too, marked outside Nexus.
  • Your images are kept, and their size counted in your usage, until you delete them. Delete old ones you no longer launch.
  • Prefer building instances from a public image plus user data or a launch template; keep saved images for setups that take long to rebuild.