A community image is a public image. You can publish your custom image as a community image for others to use. You can also find and use community images that others have published.
Overview
Community images involve three parties:
Where:
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Alibaba Cloud: Provides only the platform. The image provider is responsible for publishing and managing the community image.
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Image provider: Creates custom images and publishes them as community images for other users.
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Image user: Finds a wider variety of images using community images.
Publish a community image
You can publish an active custom image as a community image.
Only enterprise users who have verified their identity can submit a ticket to request permission to publish community images.
Precautions
Before you publish a community image, note the following:
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Encrypted images cannot be published as community images.
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Community images are public. All Alibaba Cloud accounts in the image's region can use them.
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Community images cannot be shared, exported, or copied.
Publishing guidelines
When you publish a community image, you must set an image name and description. The name and description must follow these guidelines to help users select the appropriate community image.
The publishing guidelines are as follows:
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Image name
The name must include the operating system type, kernel version, architecture, publishing date (the date the image was published as a community image), and an optional image version. For example, ubuntu20.04_kernel4.18_x86_64_20230101_v1.0.
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Image description
Provide a detailed description of the image to help users select and use the community image. The description can include the following information:
Content
Description
Example description
Iteration version number
Each iteration must have a version number to distinguish changes between versions.
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
Feature changes
Describe the features that are added, modified, or deleted in each iteration. Explain the purpose and effect of new features, and the improvements or adjustments to existing features.
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Added a graphical interface toolkit to simplify graphical operations.
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Updated the package manager to improve software installation and updates.
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Optimized network settings to improve network connectivity and speed.
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Added automated deployment scripts to simplify the image deployment flow.
Bug fixes
List the fixed bugs and describe the effects of the fixes.
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Fixed a kernel crash that occurred in specific hardware environments.
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Fixed a bug that prevented drivers from loading after a system restart in some cases.
Performance optimizations
Specify the performance optimizations and their results, such as faster startup times or reduced resource usage.
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Optimized the system startup to reduce boot time.
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Reduced system resource usage to improve overall performance.
Security enhancements
Describe the patches and improvements that address potential security risks or vulnerabilities.
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Upgraded the kernel version to fix known security vulnerabilities.
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Strengthened identity verification and permission management to improve system security.
Dependency updates
If dependencies or libraries are updated in an iteration, describe the updates and the reasons for them.
Updated the software source list to include the latest package and library versions.
Compatibility notes
If an iteration is incompatible with previous versions, clearly state this and provide a solution.
Note that this version no longer supports 32-bit systems. It only supports 64-bit systems.
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Security confirmation
You must confirm that the image name and description do not contain sensitive words. You must also confirm that the image does not contain Trojans, viruses, vulnerabilities, weak security tokens, or other non-compliant information.
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Image detection
Publishing a community image triggers image detection. Information such as the operating system version, system architecture, and kernel version is then automatically added as system tags to provide more details about the image.
Procedure
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Go to the Images page.
Log on to the ECS console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose .
In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.
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On the Custom Images tab, find the active custom image that you want to publish. In the Actions column, choose
> Publish as Community Image. -
In the Publish as Community Image dialog box, publish the community image.
After the image is published, you can go to the Images page and click the Community Images tab to view information about the community image.
Create an ECS instance from a community image
You can use a community image to quickly deploy an ECS instance that includes an operating system, applications, and data to meet your business needs. For more information, see Create an instance from a community image.
Delist a community image
If you want to update a published community image or no longer want to maintain it, you can delist the image.
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After a community image is delisted, it is no longer public. However, if the image was previously shared with other Alibaba Cloud accounts, the sharing relationship is maintained.
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After a community image is delisted, you cannot re-initialize the system disks of ECS instances that were created from that image.
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Go to the Images page.
Log on to the ECS console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose .
In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.
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On the Custom Images tab, find the custom image that was published as a community image. In the Actions column, choose
> Delist Community Image. -
In the Unpublish Community Image dialog box, confirm the image information and click OK.
A message appears, indicating that the image has been delisted from community images. This means the operation is successful.
References
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A community image is a publicly shared custom image. If the source of the custom image is a paid image, you are charged a license fee when you use the community image to create an ECS instance. For more information, see Image billing.
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After you create an ECS instance from a community image, you can change the operating system if the image does not meet your business needs. For more information, see Change the operating system (replace the system disk).
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For more information about community image families, see Image family overview.