# Virtual machines (VMs)

Source: https://docs.quake.ai/docs/compute/concepts/virtual-machines
Markdown: https://docs.quake.ai/docs/compute/concepts/virtual-machines.md

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# Virtual machines (VMs)

On Quake AI, a **virtual machine (VM)** is an **[instance](/docs/compute/concepts/instances)**: an isolated guest OS running on the Compute service with its own vCPU, memory, disk, and network attachments. Console copy, billing, and most documentation use **instance** as the product noun; **VM** is the same entity described in industry-generic language.

## On Quake AI

In the Console, you create and manage instances under **Compute**. The OpenStack CLI and Nova API still use **server** in resource names (`openstack server list`, `/servers` API paths). Those commands operate on instances.

Each instance combines a **flavor** (size), an **image** (OS template), network ports, and optional **key pairs**, **security groups**, and **volumes**.

## What other providers call this

| Provider | Their term | On Quake AI |
|---|---|---|
| AWS | EC2 instance | [Instance](/docs/compute/concepts/instances) |
| Azure | Virtual machine | [Instance](/docs/compute/concepts/instances) |
| Google Cloud | VM instance | [Instance](/docs/compute/concepts/instances) |
| Hetzner | Cloud server | [Instance](/docs/compute/concepts/instances) |
| DigitalOcean | Droplet | [Instance](/docs/compute/concepts/instances) |
| Linode (Akamai) | Linode / compute instance | [Instance](/docs/compute/concepts/instances) |
| Vultr | Cloud compute instance | [Instance](/docs/compute/concepts/instances) |

## What to read next

- [Instances](/docs/compute/concepts/instances): lifecycle, flavors, images, and platform integration (canonical deep dive)
- [Create an instance](/docs/compute/how-to/create-instance): Console, CLI, and API walkthrough
- [Coming from AWS](/resources/migration/coming-from-aws): map EC2 habits to Quake AI compute