This topic describes how to create an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance by using a custom image. You can use a custom image to create an ECS instance that has the same operating system, applications, and data as those of the custom image to make the process more efficient.
Prerequisites
A custom image is created in the account and region where you want to create an instance.Background information
If you do not have a custom image in the account and region where you want to create an instance, you can use one of the following solutions.| Scenario | Solution |
|---|---|
| You have an image on the local device. | Import the local image to Alibaba Cloud as a custom image. For more information, see Import an image. |
| You do not have custom images but have an instance as a template. | For more information, see Create a custom image from an instance. |
| You do not have custom images but have a snapshot as a template. | For more information, see Create a custom image from a snapshot. |
| You have a custom image in another region. | Copy the custom image to the region where you want to create an instance. For more information, see Copy an image. |
| You have a custom image in another account. | Share the custom image with the account under which you want to create an instance. For more information, see Share a custom image. |
Note If you use a custom image to create ECS instances, you are charged for other resources that you occupy, such as vCPUs, memory size, storage capacity, public bandwidth, and snapshots. For more information about the billing details, see Billing overview and Images.
Procedure
- Log on to the ECS console.
- In the left-side navigation pane, choose .
- In the top navigation bar, select a region.
- Based on the image source, use one of the following methods to go to the image list tab:
- Custom image created or exported: Go to the Custom Images tab.
- Custom image obtained by copying another image: Go to the Custom Images tab.
- Custom image shared from another account: Go to the Shared Images tab.
- Find the image that you want to use. Click Create Instance in the Actions column.
- Configure the parameters and create the instance.Information of the region and image sections is automatically filled. Configure other parameters based on your needs. For more information, see Create an instance by using the wizard.Note If the selected custom image contains one or more data disk snapshots, an equal number of data disks are automatically created from these snapshots. Each disk has the same size as the snapshot from which the disk is created. You can extend a data disk but cannot shrink it.