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This topic is specific to distributed compute regions. If you are looking for help with creating and deploying a Compute Instance to a core compute region, see Create a Compute Instance.

Creating a Compute Instance in a distributed compute region is similar to creating a Compute Instance in a core compute region, with some differences in the available plan types and services.

To deploy a Dedicated CPU Compute Instance in a distributed compute region, you can use Cloud Manager, the Linode API, or the Linode CLI. You can also use our official Terraform Provider to provision Akamai cloud computing Environments.

This guide walks you through creating a Compute Instance in a distributed compute region using Cloud Manager.

To create a Compute Instance, you will:

1. Open the Create form in Cloud Manager
2. Select a region
3. Choose a distribution or image
4. Choose a plan
5. Set the label and add tags
6. Create a password and add SSH keys
7. Assign to a Cloud Firewall (recommended)
8. Assign to a VLAN (optional)
9. Add user data
10. Deploy your Compute Instance
11. Verify your Compute Instance

Open the Create form in Cloud Manager

Log in to Cloud Manager, click Create in the top navigation bar, then select Linode. This opens the Create form.

Select a region

Regions correspond with individual data centers, each located in a different geographical area. To minimize latency and optimize connection speed and quality, select the distributed compute region closest to your users. All distributed regions support the same set of features and services.

To create a Compute Instance in a distributed region, select the Distributed tab. Selecting a continent from the Geographic Area dropdown list narrows the list of regions. Select the appropriate distributed region from the Regions dropdown list.

Choose a distribution or image

One of the first steps when deploying a Compute Instance is to decide what you actually wish to deploy. You can select a Linux distribution for a barebones install, or a Custom Image stored on your account.

• Distributions: Akamai supports many Linux distributions, including the latest LTS releases of Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS Stream, RHEL-derivatives (such AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux). When you select a distribution from the list, you'll be starting with a stable Linux operating system and building your own software stack from scratch. Each distribution comes with its own set of preinstalled software and commands. See Choose a Linux distribution for the list of distributions.

• Images: Custom Images are created based on existing Compute Instances or image files. You can select any Custom Image stored on your account. Recovery Images are not supported.

This guide assumes you are creating a Compute Instance from a Distribution. If you are creating a Compute Instance from a Custom Image, see the appropriate guide.

Choose a plan

Dedicated CPU Compute Instances can be deployed to distributed compute regions. These plans reserve physical CPU cores that you can utilize at 100% load, full-time, for as long as you need. To learn more, seeDistributed Compute Region plans.

Dedicated CPU plans are priced differently for distributed versus core regions.

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You can resize to a different plan size at any time. See Resize a Compute Instance for instructions.

Set the label and add tags

Set the label and add tags for your Compute Instance:

• Label: The label is the name of the Compute Instance, allowing you to easily identify it from other Compute Instances. A good label should provide some indication as to what the Compute Instance is used for. As an example, a label of acme-web-prod may indicate that the Compute Instance is the production website for the company Acme. If you have already implemented your own naming conventions for your cloud infrastructure, follow those conventions. Labels must only use letters, numbers, underscores, dashes, and periods.

• Tags: Adding tags gives you the ability to categorize your services however you wish. If you're a web development agency, you could add a tag for each client you have. You could also add tags for which services are for development, staging, or production.

Create a password and add SSH keys

• Root Password: The password used to log in to the system as the root user. The root user is the main account and has access to the entire system, including files and commands. This password should be very strong to prevent attackers from gaining access to your system.

• SSH Keys: Add any SSH Keys to the root user account on the server. This enables you to log in through SSH without needing a password. SSH keys are created as a pair: a private key stored on your local computer and a public key that you can upload to remote systems and services. Since you only share your public key and your private key is kept safe and secure, this is a much more secure method for authentication than passwords. Learn more about uploading SSH keys through Cloud Manager in the Manage SSH keys guide.

Assign to a Cloud Firewall (recommended)

To protect your new Compute Instance from unwanted traffic, consider using a Cloud Firewall. This service enables you to cascade firewall rules across multiple services, and manage those rules within Cloud Manager, Linode CLI, and Linode API.

To assign your Compute Instance to a Cloud Firewall, select the firewall from the Assign Firewall dropdown menu. If you do not have a firewall or wish to create a new one, click the Create Firewall link and follow the instructions in the Create a Cloud Firewall guide. You can skip this step and assign a firewall at a later time by following the instructions in the Apply firewall rules to a service guide.

Assign to a VLAN (optional)

Add this Compute Instance to an isolated private L2 network. VLANs are available at no additional cost in all distributed compute regions. See VLANs to learn more.

Add user data

User data can be provided to the Metadata service, which is then consumed by cloud-init when your Compute Instance boots up for the first time. For information on the Metadata service, user data formats, and our cloud-init integration, see Metadata Service.

Deploy your Compute Instance

Confirm the details for this Compute Instance in the Linode Summary section. Once satisfied, click Create Linode to start the deployment process. This process can take anywhere from 3 to 30 minutes. After the creation process has started, you're automatically redirected to the details page for your Compute Instance. Here, you can follow the status as your Compute Instance is deployed. You can also see information about your new Compute Instance, such as the IP addresses.

Verify your Compute Instance

To verify that your Compute Instance has been set up successfully, log in to Cloud Manager, click Linodes in the left menu, and find your newly created Compute Instance in the list that appears.

The status column shows whether the Compute Instance is running.

To see more information, click your Compute Instance in the Label column. This opens a details page with key information and additional configuration options. By default, the details page opens to the Analytics tab containing graphs to assist with performance monitoring.

Next steps

Once the Compute Instance has been created and is done initializing, you can start configuring and using it. See Set up and secure a Compute Instance for guidance on connecting your Compute Instance, performing any initial configuration steps on your Linux system, and securing your server.

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Email restrictions on our Platform

In an effort to fight spam originating from our platform, outbound connections on ports 25, 465, and 587 are blocked by default on Compute Instances for some new accounts. These restrictions prevent applications from sending email. If you intend to send email from a Compute Instance, see Send email on the Linode platform to learn more about our email policies and to request the removal of these restrictions.