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 buying your server. You can purchase a new server with a Custom Image here.

If you would like to install a Custom Image on a Contabo server you have already purchased without buying the Custom Images add-on you would need to reach out to the customer support team. 

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 need to setup the Custom Image yourself and install them onto your Contabo Server. 

What formats for my Custom Image are supported by Contabo?

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

Please note that ISO formats should be seen as installation CDs/DVDs/Bluerays/bootable USB flash drives. They need to 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 those images becomes the hard disk of the Cloud VPS or VDS.

Please be aware that the system will check if an image is either ISO or QCOW2 image. Having file endings being .iso or .qcow2 images is not sufficient. 

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 license regulations no custom Windows license can be used so it is not recommended.

It is very likely that custom Windows images won't work as they are usually missing VirtIO drivers to make the hard disk of the Cloud VPS or VDS available.