Operating System Images
ZCP operating system images are the base images you start an instance from. ZSoftly builds and maintains every image, rebuilds and re-validates it for each release, and tunes it to boot fast and run cleanly on the platform.
This is different from the Marketplace, where each image is an application (WordPress, GitLab, a database, …) pre-installed and auto-configured on top of Ubuntu. Use an OS image when you want a clean operating system to build on. Use a Marketplace image when you want a ready-to-run app.
How ZCP images work
Section titled “How ZCP images work”Every OS image, Linux or Windows, behaves the same way on first boot:
- Maintained base: ZSoftly builds each image from the vendor’s official release and adds the paravirtual drivers and a guest agent for fast I/O, graceful shutdown/reboot, and application-consistent VM snapshots. Each image is validated before publishing.
- First-boot setup: the image sets a unique hostname and a unique administrator credential per instance automatically, so no two instances ship with the same password.
- Access: Linux images accept an SSH key (recommended) or a portal-generated password. Windows images use RDP with an auto-generated administrator password. Regenerate the password from the portal at any time (it applies after the next reboot).
- Right-sized: pick any plan that meets the image’s needs. Linux runs comfortably on the smallest plans, Windows needs at least 4 GB RAM and 2 vCPUs.
For the end-to-end deploy flow, see Create Instance. To switch an existing instance to a different image, see Change OS.
Default login user
Section titled “Default login user”Each image has a default administrative user. Confirm the exact name in the portal when you create the instance.
| Image | Default user | Connect with |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu | ubuntu | SSH |
| Rocky Linux | rocky | SSH |
| AlmaLinux | almalinux | SSH |
| Oracle Linux | cloud-user | SSH |
| Windows | Administrator | RDP |
Every instance also has a browser-based VNC console for access without SSH or RDP, useful for first boot and troubleshooting. See Console Access.
Catalog
Section titled “Catalog”Free and open-source, with no license or activation required.
| Image | Versions available | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu | 26.04, 24.04, 22.04, 20.04 LTS | ✅ Available |
| Rocky Linux | 9 | ✅ Available |
| AlmaLinux | 9 | ✅ Available |
| Oracle Linux | 9 | ✅ Available |
Windows
Section titled “Windows”Licensed bring-your-own-license (BYOL). You supply and activate your own license.
| Image | Editions / versions | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Server | 2022 Standard, 2025 Std/DC | ✅ Available |
| Windows Server | 2022 Datacenter | 🚧 Pending |
| Windows 11 Pro | 11 Pro | ✅ Available |