Create an instance with additional non-boot disks


When you create a compute instance, you can create and attach additionalnon-boot disks to the instance at the same time. You can alsochoose existing disks to attach as non-boot disks.

If you want to create a disk in multi-writer mode, you can't create the disk atthe same time that you create the instance. You mustcreate the disk first, then you can attachthe disk to the instance.

Before you begin

Required roles

To get the permissions that you need to create an instance with added non-boot disks, ask your administrator to grant you theCompute Instance Admin (v1) (roles/compute.instanceAdmin.v1) IAM role on the project. For more information about granting roles, seeManage access to projects, folders, and organizations.

This predefined role contains the permissions required to create an instance with added non-boot disks. To see the exact permissions that are required, expand theRequired permissions section:

Required permissions

The following permissions are required to create an instance with added non-boot disks:

  • compute.instances.create on the project
  • To create a new disk for the instance: compute.disks.create on the project

You might also be able to get these permissions withcustom roles or otherpredefined roles.

Create an instance with new additional non-boot disks

To create an instance that has additional non-boot disks created and attached,follow these steps:

Console

  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to theCreate an instance page.

    Go to Create an instance

    If prompted, select your project and clickContinue.

    TheCreate an instance page appears and displays theMachine configuration pane.

  2. In theMachine configuration pane, do the following:

    1. In theName field, specify a name for your instance. For moreinformation, seeResource naming convention.
    2. Optional: In theZone field, select a zone for this instance.

      The default selection isAny. If you don't change this defaultselection, then Google automatically chooses a zone for you based onmachine type and availability.

    3. Select the machine family for your instance. The Google Cloud console thendisplays the machine series that are available for your selectedmachine family. The following machine family options are available:

      • General purpose
      • Compute optimized
      • Memory optimized
      • Storage optimized
      • GPUs

    4. In theSeries column, select the machine series for your instance.

      If you selectedGPUs as the machine family in the previous step,then select theGPU type that you want. The machine series isthen automatically selected for the selected GPU type.

    5. In theMachine type section, select the machine type for yourinstance.

  3. In the navigation menu, clickOS and storage. In theOperating system and storage pane that appears, complete the followingsteps.

    To learn more about the parameters that you can configure while addingnew disks, seeAbout Persistent Disk andAbout Google Cloud Hyperdisk.

    1. To configure your boot disk, clickChange.TheBoot disk pane appears and displays thePublic images tab.

    2. Configure the data source for the boot disk in one of the following ways:

      Note: Unless you explicitly choose a different boot disk, if the nameof the new instance matches the name of an existing disk,then the existing disk automatically attaches to the newinstance as the boot disk.
      • To choose a public image as the data source for your boot disk,in thePublic images tab, specify the following:

        1. In theOperating system list, select the OS type.
        2. In theVersion list, select the OS version.
        3. In theBoot disk type list, select the type of the boot disk.
        4. In theSize (GB) field, specify the size of the boot disk.
      • To choose a custom image as the data source for your boot disk, clickCustom images and then, in theCustom images tab that appears,specify the following:

        1. To select the image project, clickChange, and then select theproject that contains the image.
        2. In theImage list, select the image that you want to import.
        3. In theBoot disk type list, select the type of the boot disk.
        4. In theSize (GB) field, specify the size of the boot disk.
      • To choose a standard snapshot as the data source for your boot disk,clickSnapshots and then, in theSnapshots tab that appears,specify the following:

        1. In theSnapshot list, select the snapshot.
        2. In theBoot disk type list, select the type of the boot disk.
        3. In theSize (GB) field, specify the size of the boot disk.
      • To choose an archive snapshot as the data source for your boot disk,clickArchive snapshots and then, in theArchive snapshots tabthat appears, specify the following:

        1. In theArchive snapshot list, select the archive snapshot.
        2. In theBoot disk type list, select the type of the boot disk.
        3. In theSize (GB) field, specify the size of the boot disk.
      • To choose an existing disk as your boot disk, clickExisting disks. Then, in theExisting disks tab thatappears, select an existing regional Persistent Disk or Hyperdisk Balanced High Availability volumein theDisk list.

    3. Optional: For advanced configuration options, expand theShow advanced configurations section.

    4. To confirm your boot disk options and return to theOperating system and storage pane, clickSelect.

    5. To create a new non-boot disk and attach it to your instance, in theAdditional storage and VM backups section, clickAdd new disk.

      In theAdd new disk pane that appears, do the following:

      1. In theName field, specify a name for the non-boot disk.
      2. In theDisk source type list, select the source type for thenon-boot disk.
      3. In theDisk type list, select a type for the non-boot disk.
      4. In theSize field, specify the size of the non-boot disk.
      5. In theAttachment settings section, do the following:
      6. In theMode field, select the disk attachment mode.
      7. In theDeletion rule filed, select an option to specify whathappens to the disk when the instance is deleted.

      Repeat this step for each non-boot disk that you want to create andattach to your instance.

  4. In the navigation menu, clickData protection. In theData protection pane that appears, specify how you want to back upand replicate the data for your instance by doing the following.

    Caution: The data backup and replication settings that you specify whilecreating an instance using the Google Cloud console are applied only whenyour selected instance and disk configurations support those options. Youmust verify that your configuration for the instance and each disk meets therequirements for each data protection option that you specify. For moreinformation, seeData protection options.
    1. To specify how you want to back up data, select an option forBack up your data.
    2. To specify how you want to replicate data, do the following:

      1. If you want new disks for the instance to be synchronouslyreplicated in a second zone by usingregional disks types,select theRegional disks checkbox.
      Important: TheRegional disks checkbox doesn't affect existingdisks. If you want to change an existing zonal disk to a regionaldisk, seeChange a zonal disk to a regional diskinstead.
      1. If you want disks for the instance to be replicated in a secondregion usingPersistent Disk Asynchronous Replication, selecttheAsynchronous replication checkbox.
    3. If you only want to use the specified data protection options onnon-boot disks, select theExclude boot disks checkbox.

      Important: This option doesn't affect backup plans, which can't excludeboot disks.
  5. In the navigation menu, clickNetworking. In theNetworking panethat appears, do the following:

    1. Go to theFirewall section.
    2. To permit HTTP or HTTPS traffic to the instance, selectAllow HTTP traffic orAllow HTTPS traffic.

      The Compute Engine adds a network tag to your instance andcreates the corresponding ingress firewall rule that allows allincoming traffic ontcp:80 (HTTP) ortcp:443 (HTTPS). Thenetwork tag associates the firewall rule with the instance. For moreinformation, seeFirewall rules overviewin the Cloud Next Generation Firewall documentation.

  6. Optional: Specify other configuration options. For more information, seeConfiguration options during instance creation.

  7. To create and start the instance, clickCreate.

gcloud

  1. In the Google Cloud console, activate Cloud Shell.

    Activate Cloud Shell

    At the bottom of the Google Cloud console, aCloud Shell session starts and displays a command-line prompt. Cloud Shell is a shell environment with the Google Cloud CLI already installed and with values already set for your current project. It can take a few seconds for the session to initialize.

  2. Run thegcloud compute instances create commandto create an instance with additional non-boot disks.

    You can add up to 127 non-boot disks while you're creating yourinstance. Specify the--create-disk flag for each non-boot disk youcreate.

    To create non-boot disks from a public or stock image, specify theimageorimage-family andimage-project properties with the--create-diskflag. To create a blank disk, don't include these properties.

    You can optionally include properties for:

    • Disk size: use the--size property.
    • Disk type: use the--type property.
    • Regional disks:include thereplica-zones property.
    gcloud compute instances createINSTANCE_NAME \    --zone=ZONE \    --image-project=IMAGE_PROJECT \IMAGE_FLAG \    --create-diskDISK_IMAGE,image-project=DISK_IMAGE_PROJECT,size=SIZE_GB,type=DISK_TYPE \    --create-disk device-name=DISK_NAME,replica-zones=^:^ZONE:REMOTE-ZONE,boot=false

    Replace the following:

    • INSTANCE_NAME:nameof the new instance
    • ZONE: zone to create the instance in
    • IMAGE_PROJECT:project containing theimage
    • IMAGE_FLAG: specify one of the following:

      • Use the--imageIMAGE_NAME flag to specifya specific version of a public or custom image. For example,--image debian-12-bookworm-v20241112.

      • Use the--image-familyIMAGE_FAMILY_NAME flagto specify animage family.This creates the instance that uses the most recent, non-deprecatedOS image in the image family. For example, if you specify--image-family debian-12, then Compute Engine uses the latestversion of the OS image in the Debian 12 image family when creatingthe instance.

    • For additional disks, replace the following:

      • DISK_IMAGE: Specify one of the following:
        • image=DISK_IMAGE_NAME: name of the imagethat you want to use when creating a non-boot disk
        • image-family=DISK_IMAGE_FAMILY>: an imagefamily to use when creating a non-boot disk
      • DISK_IMAGE_PROJECT: an image project to which thedisk image belongs
      • SIZE_GB: Optional: size of the non-boot disk
      • DISK_TYPE: Optional: full or partial URL forthetype of the disk

        For example,https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/zones/ZONE/diskTypes/hyperdisk-balanced. To view the available disk types in one ormore zones, use thegcloud compute disk-types list --zones=ZONE_LIST command.ReplaceZONE_LIST with a comma-separated list ofzones.

      • DISK_NAME: Optional: the disk name displayedto the guest OS after the instance is created.

      • REMOTE_ZONE: the zone where the disk shouldbe replicated to

      For blank disks, don't specify theimage,image-project, orimage-family parameters.

      For zonal disks, don't specify the disk propertyreplica-zones.

Terraform

To generate the Terraform code, you can use theEquivalent code component in the Google Cloud console.
  1. In the Google Cloud console, go to theVM instances page.

    Go to VM Instances

  2. ClickCreate instance.
  3. Specify the parameters you want.
  4. At the top or bottom of the page, clickEquivalent code, and then click theTerraform tab to view the Terraform code.

Go

Before trying this sample, follow theGo setup instructions in theCompute Engine quickstart using client libraries. For more information, see theCompute EngineGo API reference documentation.

To authenticate to Compute Engine, set up Application Default Credentials. For more information, seeSet up authentication for a local development environment.

import("context""fmt""io"compute"cloud.google.com/go/compute/apiv1"computepb"cloud.google.com/go/compute/apiv1/computepb""google.golang.org/protobuf/proto")// createWithAdditionalDisk create a new VM instance with Debian 10 operating system and a 11 GB additional empty disk.funccreateWithAdditionalDisk(wio.Writer,projectID,zone,instanceNamestring)error{// projectID := "your_project_id"// zone := "europe-central2-b"// instanceName := "your_instance_name"ctx:=context.Background()instancesClient,err:=compute.NewInstancesRESTClient(ctx)iferr!=nil{returnfmt.Errorf("NewInstancesRESTClient: %w",err)}deferinstancesClient.Close()imagesClient,err:=compute.NewImagesRESTClient(ctx)iferr!=nil{returnfmt.Errorf("NewImagesRESTClient: %w",err)}deferimagesClient.Close()// List of public operating system (OS) images: https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/images/os-details.newestDebianReq:=&computepb.GetFromFamilyImageRequest{Project:"debian-cloud",Family:"debian-12",}newestDebian,err:=imagesClient.GetFromFamily(ctx,newestDebianReq)iferr!=nil{returnfmt.Errorf("unable to get image from family: %w",err)}req:=&computepb.InsertInstanceRequest{Project:projectID,Zone:zone,InstanceResource:&computepb.Instance{Name:proto.String(instanceName),Disks:[]*computepb.AttachedDisk{{InitializeParams:&computepb.AttachedDiskInitializeParams{DiskSizeGb:proto.Int64(10),SourceImage:newestDebian.SelfLink,DiskType:proto.String(fmt.Sprintf("zones/%s/diskTypes/pd-standard",zone)),},AutoDelete:proto.Bool(true),Boot:proto.Bool(true),Type:proto.String(computepb.AttachedDisk_PERSISTENT.String()),},{InitializeParams:&computepb.AttachedDiskInitializeParams{DiskSizeGb:proto.Int64(11),DiskType:proto.String(fmt.Sprintf("zones/%s/diskTypes/pd-standard",zone)),},AutoDelete:proto.Bool(true),Boot:proto.Bool(false),Type:proto.String(computepb.AttachedDisk_PERSISTENT.String()),},},MachineType:proto.String(fmt.Sprintf("zones/%s/machineTypes/n1-standard-1",zone)),NetworkInterfaces:[]*computepb.NetworkInterface{{Name:proto.String("global/networks/default"),},},},}op,err:=instancesClient.Insert(ctx,req)iferr!=nil{returnfmt.Errorf("unable to create instance: %w",err)}iferr=op.Wait(ctx);err!=nil{returnfmt.Errorf("unable to wait for the operation: %w",err)}fmt.Fprintf(w,"Instance created\n")returnnil}

Java

Before trying this sample, follow theJava setup instructions in theCompute Engine quickstart using client libraries. For more information, see theCompute EngineJava API reference documentation.

To authenticate to Compute Engine, set up Application Default Credentials. For more information, seeSet up authentication for a local development environment.

importcom.google.api.gax.longrunning.OperationFuture;importcom.google.cloud.compute.v1.AttachedDisk;importcom.google.cloud.compute.v1.AttachedDisk.Type;importcom.google.cloud.compute.v1.AttachedDiskInitializeParams;importcom.google.cloud.compute.v1.Image;importcom.google.cloud.compute.v1.ImagesClient;importcom.google.cloud.compute.v1.InsertInstanceRequest;importcom.google.cloud.compute.v1.Instance;importcom.google.cloud.compute.v1.InstancesClient;importcom.google.cloud.compute.v1.NetworkInterface;importcom.google.cloud.compute.v1.Operation;importjava.io.IOException;importjava.util.Vector;importjava.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;importjava.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;importjava.util.concurrent.TimeoutException;publicclassCreateInstancesAdvanced{/**   * Create an AttachedDisk object to be used in VM instance creation. Uses an image as the source   * for the new disk.   *   * @param diskType the type of disk you want to create. This value uses the following format:   * "zones/{zone}/diskTypes/(pd-standard|pd-ssd|pd-balanced|pd-extreme)". For example:   * "zones/us-west3-b/diskTypes/pd-ssd"   * @param diskSizeGb size of the new disk in gigabytes   * @param boot boolean flag indicating whether this disk should be used as a boot disk of an   * instance   * @param sourceImage source image to use when creating this disk. You must have read access to   * this disk. This can be one of the publicly available images or an image from one of your   * projects. This value uses the following format:   * "projects/{project_name}/global/images/{image_name}"   * @return AttachedDisk object configured to be created using the specified image.   */privatestaticAttachedDiskdiskFromImage(StringdiskType,intdiskSizeGb,booleanboot,StringsourceImage){AttachedDiskdisk=AttachedDisk.newBuilder().setBoot(boot)// Remember to set auto_delete to True if you want the disk to be deleted when// you delete your VM instance..setAutoDelete(true).setType(Type.PERSISTENT.toString()).setInitializeParams(AttachedDiskInitializeParams.newBuilder().setSourceImage(sourceImage).setDiskSizeGb(diskSizeGb).setDiskType(diskType).build()).build();returndisk;}/**   * Create an AttachedDisk object to be used in VM instance creation. The created disk contains no   * data and requires formatting before it can be used.   *   * @param diskType the type of disk you want to create. This value uses the following format:   * "zones/{zone}/diskTypes/(pd-standard|pd-ssd|pd-balanced|pd-extreme)". For example:   * "zones/us-west3-b/diskTypes/pd-ssd"   * @param diskSizeGb size of the new disk in gigabytes   * @return AttachedDisk object configured to be created as an empty disk.   */privatestaticAttachedDiskemptyDisk(StringdiskType,intdiskSizeGb){AttachedDiskdisk=AttachedDisk.newBuilder().setBoot(false)// Remember to set auto_delete to True if you want the disk to be deleted when// you delete your VM instance..setAutoDelete(true).setType(Type.PERSISTENT.toString()).setInitializeParams(AttachedDiskInitializeParams.newBuilder().setDiskSizeGb(diskSizeGb).setDiskType(diskType).build()).build();returndisk;}/**   * Send an instance creation request to the Compute Engine API and wait for it to complete.   *   * @param project project ID or project number of the Cloud project you want to use.   * @param zone name of the zone to create the instance in. For example: "us-west3-b"   * @param instanceName name of the new virtual machine (VM) instance.   * @param disks a list of compute_v1.AttachedDisk objects describing the disks you want to attach   * to your new instance.   * @param machineType machine type of the VM being created. This value uses the following format:   * "zones/{zone}/machineTypes/{type_name}".   * For example: "zones/europe-west3-c/machineTypes/f1-micro"   * @param network name of the network you want the new instance to use. For example:   * "global/networks/default" represents the network named "default", which is created   * automatically for each project.   * @param subnetwork name of the subnetwork you want the new instance to use. This value uses the   * following format: "regions/{region}/subnetworks/{subnetwork_name}"   * @return Instance object.   */privatestaticInstancecreateWithDisks(Stringproject,Stringzone,StringinstanceName,Vector<AttachedDisk>disks,StringmachineType,Stringnetwork,Stringsubnetwork)throwsIOException,InterruptedException,ExecutionException,TimeoutException{try(InstancesClientinstancesClient=InstancesClient.create()){// Use the network interface provided in the networkName argument.NetworkInterfacenetworkInterface;if(subnetwork!=null){networkInterface=NetworkInterface.newBuilder().setName(network).setSubnetwork(subnetwork).build();}else{networkInterface=NetworkInterface.newBuilder().setName(network).build();}machineType=String.format("zones/%s/machineTypes/%s",zone,machineType);// Bind `instanceName`, `machineType`, `disk`, and `networkInterface` to an instance.InstanceinstanceResource=Instance.newBuilder().setName(instanceName).setMachineType(machineType).addAllDisks(disks).addNetworkInterfaces(networkInterface).build();System.out.printf("Creating instance: %s at %s ",instanceName,zone);// Insert the instance in the specified project and zone.InsertInstanceRequestinsertInstanceRequest=InsertInstanceRequest.newBuilder().setProject(project).setZone(zone).setInstanceResource(instanceResource).build();OperationFuture<Operation,Operation>operation=instancesClient.insertAsync(insertInstanceRequest);// Wait for the operation to complete.Operationresponse=operation.get(3,TimeUnit.MINUTES);if(response.hasError()){System.out.println("Instance creation failed ! ! "+response);returnnull;}System.out.println("Operation Status: "+response.getStatus());returninstancesClient.get(project,zone,instanceName);}}/**   * Create a new VM instance with Debian 11 operating system and a 11 GB additional empty disk.   *   * @param project project ID or project number of the Cloud project you want to use.   * @param zone name of the zone to create the instance in. For example: "us-west3-b"   * @param instanceName name of the new virtual machine (VM) instance.   * @return Instance object.   */publicstaticInstancecreateWithAdditionalDisk(Stringproject,Stringzone,StringinstanceName)throwsIOException,InterruptedException,ExecutionException,TimeoutException{try(ImagesClientimagesClient=ImagesClient.create()){// List of public operating system (OS) images: https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/images/os-detailsImageimage=imagesClient.getFromFamily("debian-cloud","debian-11");StringdiskType=String.format("zones/%s/diskTypes/pd-standard",zone);Vector<AttachedDisk>disks=newVector<>();disks.add(diskFromImage(diskType,10,true,image.getSelfLink()));disks.add(emptyDisk(diskType,11));returncreateWithDisks(project,zone,instanceName,disks,"n1-standard-1","global/networks/default",null);}}

Node.js

Before trying this sample, follow theNode.js setup instructions in theCompute Engine quickstart using client libraries. For more information, see theCompute EngineNode.js API reference documentation.

To authenticate to Compute Engine, set up Application Default Credentials. For more information, seeSet up authentication for a local development environment.

/** * TODO(developer): Uncomment and replace these variables before running the sample. */// const projectId = 'YOUR_PROJECT_ID';// const zone = 'europe-central2-b';// const instanceName = 'YOUR_INSTANCE_NAME';constcompute=require('@google-cloud/compute');// Create a new VM instance with Debian 10 operating system and a 11 GB additional empty disk.asyncfunctioncreateWithAdditionalDisk(){constinstancesClient=newcompute.InstancesClient();constimagesClient=newcompute.ImagesClient();// List of public operating system (OS) images: https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/images/os-details.const[newestDebian]=awaitimagesClient.getFromFamily({project:'debian-cloud',family:'debian-11',});const[response]=awaitinstancesClient.insert({project:projectId,zone,instanceResource:{name:instanceName,disks:[{initializeParams:{diskSizeGb:'10',sourceImage:newestDebian.selfLink,diskType:`zones/${zone}/diskTypes/pd-standard`,},autoDelete:true,boot:true,type:'PERSISTENT',},{initializeParams:{diskSizeGb:'11',diskType:`zones/${zone}/diskTypes/pd-standard`,},autoDelete:true,boot:false,type:'PERSISTENT',},],machineType:`zones/${zone}/machineTypes/n1-standard-1`,networkInterfaces:[{name:'global/networks/default',},],},});letoperation=response.latestResponse;constoperationsClient=newcompute.ZoneOperationsClient();// Wait for the create operation to complete.while(operation.status!=='DONE'){[operation]=awaitoperationsClient.wait({operation:operation.name,project:projectId,zone:operation.zone.split('/').pop(),});}console.log('Instance created.');}createWithAdditionalDisk();

Python

Before trying this sample, follow thePython setup instructions in theCompute Engine quickstart using client libraries. For more information, see theCompute EnginePython API reference documentation.

To authenticate to Compute Engine, set up Application Default Credentials. For more information, seeSet up authentication for a local development environment.

from__future__importannotationsimportreimportsysfromtypingimportAnyimportwarningsfromgoogle.api_core.extended_operationimportExtendedOperationfromgoogle.cloudimportcompute_v1defget_image_from_family(project:str,family:str)->compute_v1.Image:"""    Retrieve the newest image that is part of a given family in a project.    Args:        project: project ID or project number of the Cloud project you want to get image from.        family: name of the image family you want to get image from.    Returns:        An Image object.    """image_client=compute_v1.ImagesClient()# List of public operating system (OS) images: https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/images/os-detailsnewest_image=image_client.get_from_family(project=project,family=family)returnnewest_imagedefdisk_from_image(disk_type:str,disk_size_gb:int,boot:bool,source_image:str,auto_delete:bool=True,)->compute_v1.AttachedDisk:"""    Create an AttachedDisk object to be used in VM instance creation. Uses an image as the    source for the new disk.    Args:         disk_type: the type of disk you want to create. This value uses the following format:            "zones/{zone}/diskTypes/(pd-standard|pd-ssd|pd-balanced|pd-extreme)".            For example: "zones/us-west3-b/diskTypes/pd-ssd"        disk_size_gb: size of the new disk in gigabytes        boot: boolean flag indicating whether this disk should be used as a boot disk of an instance        source_image: source image to use when creating this disk. You must have read access to this disk. This can be one            of the publicly available images or an image from one of your projects.            This value uses the following format: "projects/{project_name}/global/images/{image_name}"        auto_delete: boolean flag indicating whether this disk should be deleted with the VM that uses it    Returns:        AttachedDisk object configured to be created using the specified image.    """boot_disk=compute_v1.AttachedDisk()initialize_params=compute_v1.AttachedDiskInitializeParams()initialize_params.source_image=source_imageinitialize_params.disk_size_gb=disk_size_gbinitialize_params.disk_type=disk_typeboot_disk.initialize_params=initialize_params# Remember to set auto_delete to True if you want the disk to be deleted when you delete# your VM instance.boot_disk.auto_delete=auto_deleteboot_disk.boot=bootreturnboot_diskdefempty_disk(disk_type:str,disk_size_gb:int,boot:bool=False,auto_delete:bool=True)->compute_v1.AttachedDisk():"""    Create an AttachedDisk object to be used in VM instance creation. The created disk contains    no data and requires formatting before it can be used.    Args:         disk_type: the type of disk you want to create. This value uses the following format:            "zones/{zone}/diskTypes/(pd-standard|pd-ssd|pd-balanced|pd-extreme)".            For example: "zones/us-west3-b/diskTypes/pd-ssd"        disk_size_gb: size of the new disk in gigabytes        boot: boolean flag indicating whether this disk should be used as a boot disk of an instance        auto_delete: boolean flag indicating whether this disk should be deleted with the VM that uses it    Returns:        AttachedDisk object configured to be created as an empty disk.    """disk=compute_v1.AttachedDisk()initialize_params=compute_v1.AttachedDiskInitializeParams()initialize_params.disk_type=disk_typeinitialize_params.disk_size_gb=disk_size_gbdisk.initialize_params=initialize_params# Remember to set auto_delete to True if you want the disk to be deleted when you delete# your VM instance.disk.auto_delete=auto_deletedisk.boot=bootreturndiskdefwait_for_extended_operation(operation:ExtendedOperation,verbose_name:str="operation",timeout:int=300)->Any:"""    Waits for the extended (long-running) operation to complete.    If the operation is successful, it will return its result.    If the operation ends with an error, an exception will be raised.    If there were any warnings during the execution of the operation    they will be printed to sys.stderr.    Args:        operation: a long-running operation you want to wait on.        verbose_name: (optional) a more verbose name of the operation,            used only during error and warning reporting.        timeout: how long (in seconds) to wait for operation to finish.            If None, wait indefinitely.    Returns:        Whatever the operation.result() returns.    Raises:        This method will raise the exception received from `operation.exception()`        or RuntimeError if there is no exception set, but there is an `error_code`        set for the `operation`.        In case of an operation taking longer than `timeout` seconds to complete,        a `concurrent.futures.TimeoutError` will be raised.    """result=operation.result(timeout=timeout)ifoperation.error_code:print(f"Error during{verbose_name}: [Code:{operation.error_code}]:{operation.error_message}",file=sys.stderr,flush=True,)print(f"Operation ID:{operation.name}",file=sys.stderr,flush=True)raiseoperation.exception()orRuntimeError(operation.error_message)ifoperation.warnings:print(f"Warnings during{verbose_name}:\n",file=sys.stderr,flush=True)forwarninginoperation.warnings:print(f" -{warning.code}:{warning.message}",file=sys.stderr,flush=True)returnresultdefcreate_instance(project_id:str,zone:str,instance_name:str,disks:list[compute_v1.AttachedDisk],machine_type:str="n1-standard-1",network_link:str="global/networks/default",subnetwork_link:str=None,internal_ip:str=None,external_access:bool=False,external_ipv4:str=None,accelerators:list[compute_v1.AcceleratorConfig]=None,preemptible:bool=False,spot:bool=False,instance_termination_action:str="STOP",custom_hostname:str=None,delete_protection:bool=False,)->compute_v1.Instance:"""    Send an instance creation request to the Compute Engine API and wait for it to complete.    Args:        project_id: project ID or project number of the Cloud project you want to use.        zone: name of the zone to create the instance in. For example: "us-west3-b"        instance_name: name of the new virtual machine (VM) instance.        disks: a list of compute_v1.AttachedDisk objects describing the disks            you want to attach to your new instance.        machine_type: machine type of the VM being created. This value uses the            following format: "zones/{zone}/machineTypes/{type_name}".            For example: "zones/europe-west3-c/machineTypes/f1-micro"        network_link: name of the network you want the new instance to use.            For example: "global/networks/default" represents the network            named "default", which is created automatically for each project.        subnetwork_link: name of the subnetwork you want the new instance to use.            This value uses the following format:            "regions/{region}/subnetworks/{subnetwork_name}"        internal_ip: internal IP address you want to assign to the new instance.            By default, a free address from the pool of available internal IP addresses of            used subnet will be used.        external_access: boolean flag indicating if the instance should have an external IPv4            address assigned.        external_ipv4: external IPv4 address to be assigned to this instance. If you specify            an external IP address, it must live in the same region as the zone of the instance.            This setting requires `external_access` to be set to True to work.        accelerators: a list of AcceleratorConfig objects describing the accelerators that will            be attached to the new instance.        preemptible: boolean value indicating if the new instance should be preemptible            or not. Preemptible VMs have been deprecated and you should now use Spot VMs.        spot: boolean value indicating if the new instance should be a Spot VM or not.        instance_termination_action: What action should be taken once a Spot VM is terminated.            Possible values: "STOP", "DELETE"        custom_hostname: Custom hostname of the new VM instance.            Custom hostnames must conform to RFC 1035 requirements for valid hostnames.        delete_protection: boolean value indicating if the new virtual machine should be            protected against deletion or not.    Returns:        Instance object.    """instance_client=compute_v1.InstancesClient()# Use the network interface provided in the network_link argument.network_interface=compute_v1.NetworkInterface()network_interface.network=network_linkifsubnetwork_link:network_interface.subnetwork=subnetwork_linkifinternal_ip:network_interface.network_i_p=internal_ipifexternal_access:access=compute_v1.AccessConfig()access.type_=compute_v1.AccessConfig.Type.ONE_TO_ONE_NAT.nameaccess.name="External NAT"access.network_tier=access.NetworkTier.PREMIUM.nameifexternal_ipv4:access.nat_i_p=external_ipv4network_interface.access_configs=[access]# Collect information into the Instance object.instance=compute_v1.Instance()instance.network_interfaces=[network_interface]instance.name=instance_nameinstance.disks=disksifre.match(r"^zones/[a-z\d\-]+/machineTypes/[a-z\d\-]+$",machine_type):instance.machine_type=machine_typeelse:instance.machine_type=f"zones/{zone}/machineTypes/{machine_type}"instance.scheduling=compute_v1.Scheduling()ifaccelerators:instance.guest_accelerators=acceleratorsinstance.scheduling.on_host_maintenance=(compute_v1.Scheduling.OnHostMaintenance.TERMINATE.name)ifpreemptible:# Set the preemptible settingwarnings.warn("Preemptible VMs are being replaced by Spot VMs.",DeprecationWarning)instance.scheduling=compute_v1.Scheduling()instance.scheduling.preemptible=Trueifspot:# Set the Spot VM settinginstance.scheduling.provisioning_model=(compute_v1.Scheduling.ProvisioningModel.SPOT.name)instance.scheduling.instance_termination_action=instance_termination_actionifcustom_hostnameisnotNone:# Set the custom hostname for the instanceinstance.hostname=custom_hostnameifdelete_protection:# Set the delete protection bitinstance.deletion_protection=True# Prepare the request to insert an instance.request=compute_v1.InsertInstanceRequest()request.zone=zonerequest.project=project_idrequest.instance_resource=instance# Wait for the create operation to complete.print(f"Creating the{instance_name} instance in{zone}...")operation=instance_client.insert(request=request)wait_for_extended_operation(operation,"instance creation")print(f"Instance{instance_name} created.")returninstance_client.get(project=project_id,zone=zone,instance=instance_name)defcreate_with_additional_disk(project_id:str,zone:str,instance_name:str)->compute_v1.Instance:"""    Create a new VM instance with Debian 10 operating system on a 20 GB disk    and a 25 GB additional empty disk.    Args:        project_id: project ID or project number of the Cloud project you want to use.        zone: name of the zone to create the instance in. For example: "us-west3-b"        instance_name: name of the new virtual machine (VM) instance.    Returns:        Instance object.    """newest_debian=get_image_from_family(project="debian-cloud",family="debian-12")disk_type=f"zones/{zone}/diskTypes/pd-standard"disks=[disk_from_image(disk_type,20,True,newest_debian.self_link),empty_disk(disk_type,25),]instance=create_instance(project_id,zone,instance_name,disks)returninstance

REST

You can create up to 127 non-boot disks at the time you create aninstance by using theinitializeParams property for each additionaldisk. Create additional disks with a public or private image.To add a blank disk, define theinitializeParams entry with nosourceImage value. Include the disk propertyreplicaZones to createregional disks instead of zonal disks.

POST https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/zones/ZONE/instances{   "machineType":"zones/MACHINE_TYPE_ZONE/machineTypes/MACHINE_TYPE",   "name":"VM_NAME",      "disks":[      {         "initializeParams":{            "sourceImage":"projects/IMAGE_PROJECT/global/images/IMAGE"         },         "boot":true      },      {         "initializeParams":{            "diskSizeGb":"SIZE_GB",            "sourceImage":"projects/DISK_IMAGE_PROJECT/global/images/DISK_IMAGE",            "diskType":"DISK_TYPE"         }      },      {         "initializeParams":{            "diskSizeGb":"SIZE_GB",            "diskType":"DISK_TYPE"         },      },      {         "boot": false,         "deviceName":"DISK_NAME",         "initializeParams": {            "diskType": "DISK_TYPE",            "replicaZones": [               "projects/PROJECT_ID/zones/ZONE",               "projects/PROJECT_ID/zones/REMOTE_ZONE"            ]         }      }   ],         "networkInterfaces":[      {         "network":"global/networks/NETWORK_NAME"      }   ],        "shieldedInstanceConfig":{      "enableSecureBoot":"ENABLE_SECURE_BOOT"   }}

Replace the following:

  • PROJECT_ID: ID of the project to create the VM in
  • ZONE: zone to create the VM in
  • MACHINE_TYPE_ZONE: zone containing the machine type to use for the new VM
  • MACHINE_TYPE: machine type,predefined orcustom, for the new VM
  • VM_NAME:name of the new VM
  • IMAGE_PROJECT:project containing the image
    For example, if you specifydebian-10 as the image family, specifydebian-cloud as the image project.
  • IMAGE: specify one of the following:
    • IMAGE: a specific version of a public image

      For example,"sourceImage": "projects/debian-cloud/global/images/debian-10-buster-v20200309"

    • IMAGE_FAMILY: animage family

      This creates the VM from the most recent, non-deprecated OS image. For example, if you specify"sourceImage": "projects/debian-cloud/global/images/family/debian-10", Compute Engine creates a VM from the latest version of the OS image in theDebian 10 image family.

  • For additional disks, replace the following:

    • SIZE_GB: disk size
    • DISK_IMAGE or
    • DISK_IMAGE_FAMILY: Specify either a source image or image family for the non-boot disk:
      • DISK_IMAGE: name of the image that you want to use as a non-boot disk. For example,"sourceImage": "projects/DISK_IMAGE_PROJECT/global/images/DISK_IMAGE".
      • DISK_IMAGE_FAMILY: an image family to use as a non-boot disk. For example,"sourceImage": "projects/DISK_IMAGE_PROJECT/global/images/family/DISK_IMAGE_FAMILY".
    • DISK_TYPE: full or partial URL for thetype of the disk type. For example,https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/zones/ZONE/diskTypes/hyperdisk-balanced.
    • DISK_NAME: Optional. The disk name displayed to the guest OS after the VM is created.
    • REMOTE_ZONE: the zone to replicate the regional disk to

    For blank disks, don't specify thesourceImage property.

    For zonal disks, don't specify thereplicaZones property.

  • NETWORK_NAME: the VPC network that you want to use for the VM. You can specifydefault to use your default network.
  • ENABLE_SECURE_BOOT: Optional: If you chose an image that supportsShielded VM features, Compute Engine, by default, enables thevirtual trusted platform module (vTPM) andintegrity monitoring. Compute Engine does not enableSecure Boot by default.

    If you specifytrue forenableSecureBoot, Compute Engine creates a VM with all three Shielded VM features enabled. After Compute Engine starts your VM, tomodify Shielded VM options, you must stop the VM.

Format and mountthe disks before using them.

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Last updated 2025-07-16 UTC.