Ubuntu on GCP

Ubuntu on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a set of customized Ubuntu images that allow easy access to a wide range of products and services - offered by both Google Cloud and Canonical. These images have an optimized kernel that boots faster, has a smaller footprint and includes GCP-specific drivers.

These images provide a foundation for deploying cloud-based software solutions, specifically for software built on Ubuntu and running on Google cloud. They focus on providing the optimal tools and features needed to run specific workloads.

The images create a stable and secure cloud platform that is ideal for scaling development work done on Ubuntu-based systems. Since Ubuntu is one of the most favored operating systems among developers, using an Ubuntu-based image for the corresponding cloud deployment becomes the simplest option.

Everyone from individual developers to large enterprises use these images for developing and deploying their softwares. For highly regulated industries from the government, medical and finance sectors, various security-certified images are also available.


In this documentation

How this documentation is organized

This documentation uses the Diátaxis documentation structure.

  • How-to guides assume you have basic familiarity with Ubuntu images on GCP and want to achieve specific goals. They are instructions covering key operations and common tasks involving the use of Ubuntu on GCP.

  • Explanation includes topic overviews, background and context and detailed discussion. These include key topics, such as our offerings, security features, Google’s ‘guest agents’ on Ubuntu and our image retention policy.


Project and community

Ubuntu on GCP is a member of the Ubuntu family and the project warmly welcomes community projects, contributions, suggestions, fixes and constructive feedback.

Get involved

Governance and policies