Check this page to learn how to work with share groups and share images. To learn about the terminology related to image sharing and an overview of the feature, see Images.

Create a share group

Create a share group to share images with other users of your account. You can create up to 100 share groups.

To create a share group:

1. Log in to Cloud Manager.
2. In the main navigation, select Compute > Images.
3. Go to the Share Groups tab.
4. Click Create Share Group.
   1. Enter a Label.
   2. Optional: Enter a detailed Description for the share group.
   3. Add images to be shared within the group. You can select multiple images. You can either do it now or after you create the group.
   4. If you selected images for the share group, by default they shared within the group with the original label and description. If you want to edit them:
      1. In the Selected images section, find the selected image you want to update.
      2. Unselect the Use original label and description checkbox.
      3. Enter a new Label and Description.
   5. Click Create Share Group. The group is created and the group’s details page opens. You can now manage the shared images and group membership.
      
      
      

Edit share group details

You can edit the share group label and description. To manage images or memberships, see the corresponding procedures: Manage shared images and Manage share group memberships.

To edit share group details:

1. Log in to Cloud Manager.
2. In the main navigation, select Compute > Images.
3. Go to the Share Groups tab.
4. Find the share group you want to edit the details of and click … > Edit Group Details.
5. Implement the changes.
6. Click Save Changes.

Delete a share group

If you’re no longer using a specific share group, you can delete it. You can delete a share group only if it has no members in it. Before deleting the share group, revoke access for all members.

To delete share group details:

1. Log in to Cloud Manager.
2. In the main navigation, select Compute > Images.
3. Go to the Share Groups tab.
4. Find the share group you want to edit the details of and click … > Delete.
5. Follow the onscreen instructions and click Delete.

Manage shared images

Once you create a share group, you can add images to the group or manage the already added images.

Add image to an existing share group

Share images with other members of the group. You can add up to 500 images in a share group. To add members to the share group, see Add members to your share group.

To add image to a share group:

1. Log in to Cloud Manager.
2. In the main navigation, select Compute > Images.
3. Go to the Share Groups tab.
4. Find the share group you want to edit the details of and click … > Add Images.
   1. Select images you want to share within the group.
   2. By default they shared within the group with the original label and description. If you want to edit them:
      1. In the Selected images section, find the selected image you want to update.
         Unselect the Use original label and description checkbox.
      2. Enter a new Label and Description.
   3. Click Add Images.

Manage images in a group

Once an image is added to a group, you can edit its details, label and description, or remove it from the share group.

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The removal of a shared image that was used to deploy a Linode, doesn’t affect the Linode itself. The Linode continues to function without any interference.

To manage images in a share group:

1. Log in to Cloud Manager.
2. In the main navigation, select Compute > Images.
3. Go to the Share Groups tab.
4. Click the share group with the image you want to manage.
   1. If you want to edit the details of the image, in its row, click … > Edit Details. Make the necessary changes and click Save.
   2. If you want to remove the image from the group, in its row, click … > Remove from the Group and confirm the decision by clicking Remove Image. The image is removed from the group. You, as the owner, can access it in the Image Library > Owned by me list.

Manage share group membership

Add members to your share group

Adding a member to a share group involves three steps:

1. An owner of the share group shares the group’s UUID with a new potential member.
2. The potential member uses the UUID value to generate a token and sends it back to the group’s owner.
3. The share group’s owner uses the generated token to add the potential member to the group.

Share the share group UUID value with potential new members

To enable a user to request a membership, an owner of a share group needs to share the UUID of the group with the new potential member.

To get the share group UUID:

1. Log in to Cloud Manager.

2. In the main navigation, select Compute > Images.

3. Go to the Share Groups tab and click the name of the share group you want to add a member to.

4. In the share group’s details section, click next to the Share group UUID value.

   

5. Share this value with a potential group member.

Request membership in a share group

In order to be able to access images in a share group, you need to request a membership to that share group.

Prerequisite
To perform this procedure, you need to have the share group UUID of the group you want to join. Contact the owner of the share group to get it.

To request membership in a share group:

1. Log in to Cloud Manager.
2. In the main navigation, select Compute > Images.
3. Go to Share Groups > My membership requests and click Request Membership.
4. Enter the Share Group UUID and click Generate Token. This generates a unique token.
5. Share the token with the group owner and ask them to proceed with your request. You can also copy the draft email and send it to the owner.

Add a user to a share group

The final step of adding a member to a share group, is to add the user’s token value to the group. You can add up to 25 users to a share group.

Prerequisite
To perform this procedure, you need to have the token value from a user who wants to join your group.

To add a user to a share group:

1. Log in to Cloud Manager.
2. In the main navigation, select Compute > Images.
3. Go to the Share Groups tab.
4. Click the name of the group you want to add a member to.
5. In the Group members section, click Add Members:
   1. Enter a unique Member name. This value will be visible only to you.
   2. Paste the Token value you got from the potential member.
   3. Click Save. The user is now added to the group and is notified about it via email. They can now work with images shared in the group.

Revoke members’ access to a share group

If you want to block members’ access to images in a share group, you need to revoke their access to the share group.

To revoke member’s access to a share group:

1. Log in to Cloud Manager.
2. In the main navigation, select Compute > Images.
3. Go to the Share Groups tab.
4. Click the name of the group you want to revoke a member’s access to.
5. In the Group members section, find the member of interest, and in its row, click Revoke Access.
6. Click Revoke Access to confirm your decision. The user will no longer be able to work with images shared in the group and they are notified about it via email.