# Compute Instance

A Compute Instance is a virtual server in the cloud that functions similarly to a physical computer. It has its own CPU, memory, and storage, allowing you to install software, run applications, or host websites. Compute Instances are a fundamental component of ZSoftly Public Cloud, enabling you to launch and scale servers as needed.

## Creating a Compute Instance

- From the left-hand menu, click on the Instances tab.
- To create an instance, click the plus (+) icon located on the right side of the page.

![Starting a new compute instance from the Instances tab](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/_astro/create-instance-creating-a-compute-instance.BaYj9cVP_ZNo5BB.webp)

## Assign to a Project

Assign the server to one of your projects to organize resources.

![Assigning the server to a project](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/_astro/create-instance-assign-to-a-project.BIChW8sd_Mz0Kn.webp)

## Choose a Location

Select the data center location where your server will be physically hosted.

![Choosing a data center location](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/_astro/create-instance-choose-a-location.CapqfEwF_2bLjQK.webp)

## Choose the Type of CPU Allocation

- Shared CPU: Affordable, with resources shared among users. Ideal for development, testing, and low-performance workloads like small websites.
- Dedicated CPU: Provides exclusive resources for consistent performance. Perfect for production environments, high-traffic applications, and databases.
- High-Frequency Compute: Offers high clock speeds for compute-intensive tasks like simulations, financial modeling, and low-latency applications.
- Cloud GPU: Delivers GPU acceleration for demanding tasks like machine learning, AI, video rendering, and scientific simulations.

![Choosing the type of CPU allocation](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/_astro/create-instance-choose-the-type-of-cpu-allocation.BCR6pgki_Z1XCLXF.webp)

## Choose an Image

Select an OS or application template. Import a custom ISO if needed.

Supported Windows images:

| Image | Status |
| --- | --- |
| Windows Server 2025 | Available |
| Windows Server 2022 | Available |
| Windows 11 Pro | Available |

Browse the full catalogs: [OS Images](https://zcp.zsoftly.ca/marketplace/os-images) and [One-Click Apps](https://zcp.zsoftly.ca/marketplace/apps).

![Choosing an operating system image](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/_astro/create-instance-choose-an-image.B8HAlVsD_18IyJR.webp)

## Choose a Root Disk

On the OS Disk Offering step, first pick the tier that fits your workload, for example `b2.g1` (shared replicated NVMe) for general use or `b2.g2` (shared replicated SSD) for a budget disk. Then enter the size. Plans cover CPU and memory only, so the root disk is billed separately per GB. The minimum is the template size. Grow the disk later. You cannot shrink it. See [Instance Types](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/instance-types#root-disk) for the per-GB rates.

## Choose a Plan

- General Compute (GC): Balanced workloads with a mix of CPU, memory, storage, and bandwidth. Ideal for general-purpose applications, web servers, and testing environments.
- Compute Optimized (CO): Prioritizes CPU performance for compute-intensive tasks like batch processing, analytics, and high-speed processing workloads.
- Memory Optimized (RO): Tailored for applications requiring high memory capacity, such as in-memory databases, big data processing, and real-time caching systems.

Plans cover CPU and memory only. You choose and pay for the root disk separately on the OS Disk Offering step. Custom plans are retired, so choose a fixed size. See [Instance Types](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/instance-types) for families and storage tiers, and the [pricing page](https://zcp.zsoftly.ca/pricing) for per-size specs and pricing.

![Choosing a plan](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/_astro/create-instance-choose-a-plan.DRzkW1qP_24wT8K.webp)

## Choose a Network

- Public Network: A simple, pre-configured network for external connectivity. Includes cloud firewall protection, port forwarding, and remote access VPN.
- VPC Network: A Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) offering complete control over traffic routing and enhanced security. Supports VPN gateway, site-to-site VPN connections, and traffic segregation.

By default, a VPC is created with a random CIDR block and one network tier.

![Choosing a network](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/_astro/create-instance-choose-a-network.DcaTPM0x_1uFJRU.webp)

## Public IP

Choose whether to enable a public IPv4 address. Enable it if the instance needs to be reachable directly from the internet. You can also assign one later from the [Public IPs](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/networking/public-network/public-ips) page.

## Affinity Groups

Optionally place the instance in an affinity group to control how instances are distributed across physical hosts. See [Affinity Groups](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/affinity-groups).

## Configure Server Settings

- In Server Settings, click Add now beside Add SSH Key To Your Instance. In the dialog, either enter a key name and paste your public key, or select an existing key. For some OS images (e.g., Arch Linux), an SSH key is required.
- Add a startup script to automate actions during initialization.

![Configuring server settings](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/_astro/create-instance-configure-server-settings.YQHgBTVk_1xCiey.webp)

## Advanced Settings (Optional)

- Boot Mode: Select Legacy or Secure boot.
- Boot Type: Choose between UEFI or BIOS.
- Enable Dynamic Scaling: Allows automatic resource scaling.

![Advanced settings (optional)](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/_astro/create-instance-advanced-settings-optional.CyM7MHca_1QxREA.webp)

## Server Hostname

Provide a unique Server Name and valid Server Hostname.

![Setting the server name and hostname](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/_astro/create-instance-server-hostname.DECct8-x_Z13vE0y.webp)

## Review and Deploy

- Choose the desired Billing Cycle: Hourly, Monthly, or Yearly.
- Verify all configuration details. The summary lists compute, network, public IP, and block storage root as separate lines.
- Click Review & Deploy.

## Connect to your instance

Once the instance is running, open Instance Overview to get its IP address, the default username (depends on the OS image: `ubuntu` for Ubuntu, `rocky` for Rocky Linux, and so on; see [Connect With SSH](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/connect-ssh)), and, if you did not add an SSH key, the Provisioning Password.

To reach it over SSH (port 22) from the internet, the instance needs a public IP and a rule that allows the traffic. This is not opened automatically:

Public Network

- Make sure the instance has a public IPv4 address; see [Public IPs](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/networking/public-network/public-ips).
- Allow SSH: add a [firewall](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/settings/firewall) rule for TCP 22, then a [port-forwarding](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/settings/port-forwarding) rule mapping port 22 on the public IP to port 22 on the instance.

VPC Network

- Assign a [public IP](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/networking/vpc/public-ips) and add a [port-forwarding](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/settings/port-forwarding) rule for port 22.
- Allow the traffic inbound in your [Network ACL](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/networking/vpc/network-acls) (TCP 22).

Then connect:

- SSH key: use the key you added under Configure Server Settings.
- Password: if you did not add a key, use the Provisioning Password from the instance’s Overview tab (see [Connect With SSH](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/connect-ssh#where-to-find-the-password)); change it after your first login.

See [Connect With SSH](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/connect-ssh) for the exact commands. No network rules are needed for [Console Access](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/console-access) (browser-based), and Windows instances use [Connect With RDP](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/connect-rdp).

## See also

- [Instance Overview](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/instance-overview)
- [Activity Logs](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/activity-logs)