--- title: Cloud Instance Initialisation with cloud-init description: Cloud-init provides a mechanism for separating out configuration data from both the operating system and the execution environment so that you maintain the ability to change either at any time. url: https://canonical.com/blog/cloud-instance-initialisation-with-cloud-init?format=md --- 1. [Blog](https://canonical.com/blog) 2. Article --- [Alex Cattle](https://canonical.com/blog/author/cattleaej "More about Alex Cattle") 1 July 2019 # Cloud Instance Initialisation with cloud-init [cloud](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/cloud) [cloud-init](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/cloud-init) [Hybrid & Multi cloud](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/hybrid-multi-cloud) [Server](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/server) --- Share the article [Private cloud](https://ubuntu.com/cloud/private-cloud), public cloud, [hybrid cloud](https://ubuntu.com/cloud/hybrid-cloud), [multi-cloud](https://ubuntu.com/cloud/multi-cloud)… the variety of locations, platforms and physical substrate you can start a cloud instance on is vast. Yet once you have selected an operating system which best supports your application stack, you should be able to use that operating system as an abstraction layer between different clouds. However, in order to function together an operating system and its cloud must share some critical configuration data which tells the operating system how to ‘behave’ in the particular environment. Separating out this configuration data from the operating system and the underlying cloud is the key to effortlessly launching instances across multi-cloud. Cloud-init provides a mechanism for separating out configuration data from both the operating system and the execution environment so that you maintain the ability to change either at any time. It serves as a useful abstraction which ensures that the investments you make in your application stack on a specific operating system can be leveraged across multiple clouds. This whitepaper will explain: * The background and history behind the cloud-init open source project * How cloud-init is invoked and how it configures an instance * How to get started with cloud-init To view the whitepaper sign up using the form below: First Name: Last Name: Work email: Company Name: Job Title: Phone Number: Country: I agree to receive information about Canonical’s products and services. In submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical’s Privacy Notice](https://canonical.com/legal/data-privacy/contact) and [Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/data-privacy). Download ## Sign up for our newsletter Get the latest Canonical news and updates in your inbox. Work email: \*I agree to receive information about Canonical's products and services. By submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical's Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/dataprivacy). Sign up ## Share on --- ## Related posts [### A decade of Ubuntu on IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE](https://canonical.com/blog/a-decade-of-ubuntu-on-ibm-z-and-ibm-linuxone) This year we celebrate a decade of Ubuntu Server support on the s390x architecture: marking a long-standing collaboration between Canonical and IBM that began at LinuxCon 2015.... [Pedro Lazzarotto](https://canonical.com/blog/author/pedro-lazzarotto) 12 June 2026 [### Run agentic workloads on Arm and Ubuntu](https://canonical.com/blog/run-agentic-workloads-on-arm-and-ubuntu) In the lead-up to Ubuntu Summit 26.04, Canonical and Arm are collaborating to certify the new Arm AGI CPU on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon). Learn what this means for... [Youssef Eltoukhy](https://canonical.com/blog/author/usf197) 26 May 2026 [### Building new revenue streams: 3 strategic cloud opportunities for telcos in 2026](https://canonical.com/blog/new-telco-cloud-opportunity) PWC claimed the ‘fundamental challenge’ behind slowing growth is that telecom’s ‘core products and services’ are ‘becoming commodities.’ The way forward lies in modernizing and... [Isobel Kate Maxwell](https://canonical.com/blog/author/iso-maxwell) 10 February 2026 [### Deploy your Spring Boot application to production](https://canonical.com/blog/deploy-spring-application-to-production) In this article we walk through the steps required to deploy a Spring Boot application to production using Juju and Kubernetes. The goal is to showcase the integration of the... [Javier de la Puente](https://canonical.com/blog/author/javierdelapuente) 13 January 2026