Can I use Custom Images on my server?

Yes, it is possible to use a Custom Image on your server. They can be installed on Contabo Virtual Private Servers (VPS) or Contabo Virtual Dedicated Servers (VDS).

To use Custom Images on your Contabo server, you must have purchased the Custom Images add-on when you purchased your server. You can buy a new server with a Custom Image here.

If you want to install a Custom Image on a Contabo server you have already purchased, without having purchased the Custom Images add-on, you will need to contact Customer Support.

You can contact the customer support team via the "Get in Touch" section of the support home page here. 

Are Custom Images provided by Contabo?

No, Custom Images are not provided directly by Contabo. You would have to create the custom image yourself and install it on your Contabo server.

What formats for my Custom Image are supported by Contabo?

The supported formats for Custom Images are ISO and QCOW2. The qcow2 images can be compressed internally, i.e. compressing qcow2 images as an archive like image.qcow2.gz or similar is not supported.

Please note that ISO formats should be considered as installation CDs/DVDs/Bluerays/bootable USB sticks. They must be bootable and contain an operating system installer. So ISO images are mounted and used to install the operating system on the hard disk of the Cloud VPS or VDS.

QCOW2 images are like a bootable copy of a hard disk where the operating system and other software is already installed. So the copy of these images becomes the hard disk of the Cloud VPS or VDS.

Please note that the system checks if an image is either an ISO or QCOW2 image. It is not sufficient to have file extensions .iso or .qcow2 images.

Which operating systems are supported? 

The Custom Image must use the x86-64 (aka amd64) architecture and must include support for VirtIO drivers, i.e. virtio_scsi for the hard disk and virtio_net for networking.

Can I use a Windows Custom Image on my Contabo server?

Due to Microsoft licensing rules, a custom Windows license cannot be used.