Compute

Compute covers OS images, running instances, and cloud-init user-data. The usual path is Images → Launch → Instances → Shell.

Images

Open Compute → Images. Each card is a distribution:

1. Choose a version from the dropdown (for example 24.04 LTS or 3.24.1).
2. Check Minimum disk against free space on the host (see Home → System overview or Storage).
3. Click Launch for a quick start with defaults.
4. Use Configure when you need custom CPUs, memory, disk, or name before create.
5. Use Cloud-init on the card to attach a saved user-data config at launch time.

Orange Launch is the happy path. Configure opens the full form; Cloud-init picks a YAML profile from your library.

Common images include Ubuntu Server/Core, Fedora, Debian, AlmaLinux, Rocky, Alpine, openSUSE, CentOS Stream, Amazon Linux, and Oracle Linux.

Instances

Compute → Instances lists VMs on this host.

Before you act

• Read the System resources bars and Core allocation grid. LaunchPad shows claimed VM cores vs free cores so you do not oversubscribe blindly.
• Filters: Show running instances only, Group by composition, composition dropdown, search, and Columns.

Lifecycle

1. Select one or more rows with the checkbox.
2. Use the toolbar: Start, Stop, Suspend, Delete, Force delete (enabled only when a selection exists).
3. Click the instance name (or the shell icon) to open the detail / shell view.
4. Launch (top right) jumps back to image selection.

Columns include state, CPU / memory / disk usage, image, private IP, and public IP. Totals at the bottom sum the visible list.

Instance shell

Inside an instance you get two views: Shells and Details.

1. Open the instance from the table.
2. Stay on Shells for an in-app terminal. Use + to open another tab.
3. Watch the header gauges (CPU, memory, disk) while you work.
4. Use Actions for lifecycle operations without returning to the table.

Switch to Details for metadata. On Alpine images, the MOTD often reminds you that sudo may be missing — use doas instead.

CLI equivalent

The same VM can be managed with elp:

elp launch alpine
elp list
elp shell priceless-barbel
elp stop priceless-barbel
elp delete priceless-barbel
elp purge

See Create an instance and CLI reference.

Cloud-init

Compute → Cloud-init stores reusable user-data YAML:

1. Click + New to create a config in the editor, or Import an existing file.
2. Select a config in the left list to edit it on the right.
3. Attach it when launching from Images (card → Cloud-init) or from a composition service that expects first-boot setup.

Marketplace services under Catalogue also inject cloud-init automatically when you Deploy — you do not have to hand-write YAML for those packs.

Next

• AI models — run a local LLM beside your VM
• Compositions — launch several compute pieces together