> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rafftechnologies.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# OS templates
> The Linux distros, BSD, and Windows Server images Raff provides at VM creation, plus the marketplace one-click apps that install software on top
Updated May 8, 2026
An **OS template** is the pre-built operating system image you select when creating a VM. The template determines what's on the VM's disk **before** any of your code or config runs — kernel, init system, package manager, base packages, default users.
Two kinds of templates ship with the platform:
| Type | What it is |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **OS** | A clean operating system (Ubuntu, Debian, Rocky, Windows Server, etc.). You install your software after the VM boots |
| **Marketplace** | An OS template + pre-installed software, ready to use after the credentials prompt at create-time (Docker, WordPress, OPNsense, n8n, OpenClaw) |
Beyond these you can [save your own VM as a Custom Image](/products/build/virtual-machines/concepts/custom-images) and reuse it like an OS template.
## OS templates available today (`us-east`)
All Linux templates ship with `cloud-init` already configured for Raff's CONTEXT-disk pattern (SSH key + password injection at first boot). All Windows templates ship with `cloudbase-init` for the same.
### Ubuntu
| Version | When to pick |
| --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Ubuntu 24.04** (LTS, x64) | **Recommended for new Linux workloads** — current LTS, supported through April 2029 |
| **Ubuntu 22.04** (LTS, x64) | Existing fleets running 22.04. Supported through April 2027 |
| **Ubuntu 20.04** (LTS, x64) | Legacy workloads only — 20.04 LTS standard support ended April 2025; still bootable for migrations |
| **Ubuntu 24.10** (x64) | Interim release. Pick only if you specifically need newer kernel / userland features and are OK with the shorter support window |
### Debian
| Version | When to pick |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Debian 13** (x64) | Current stable. Pick this for new Debian workloads |
| **Debian 12** (x64) | Previous stable, oldstable. Still widely used; pick when matching an existing fleet |
| **Debian 11** (x64) | Legacy. Long-term support phase only |
### RHEL family — AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, CentOS Stream
Three RHEL-compatible distros covering the same surface — same `dnf`/`rpm` ecosystem, same SELinux defaults, same admin patterns. Pick whichever fits your shop's preference.
| Version | Notes |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **AlmaLinux 9**, **Rocky Linux 9** | Recommended RHEL-9-compatible pick. Both are downstream rebuilds; effectively identical for most workloads |
| **AlmaLinux 8**, **Rocky Linux 8** | RHEL-8-compatible. Use for matching existing RHEL 8 fleets |
| **CentOS 9 Stream** (x64) | Upstream of RHEL — useful for testing what's coming in RHEL next; not recommended as a long-term production base since it's a rolling-release variant |
### Fedora
| Version | When to pick |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Fedora 42** (x64) | Latest. Newest userland and kernel; \~13-month support window |
| **Fedora 41**, **Fedora 40** | Earlier Fedora releases for matching existing fleets |
### Alpine
| Version | When to pick |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Alpine 3.21** | Latest. Tiny base image (\~5 MB), musl libc, ideal for container hosts and resource-constrained workloads |
| **Alpine 3.20** | Previous release |
Alpine is **not glibc-compatible** — some prebuilt binaries (Java, Node native modules, proprietary databases) don't run without rebuilding for musl. Pick another distro if your stack expects glibc.
### Other Unix-like
| Template | Notes |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **OpenSUSE 15** | RPM-based with `zypper`; popular in European shops and SUSE-trained ops teams |
| **FreeBSD 14** | Real BSD (not Linux) — different kernel, different package manager (`pkg`), `jails` instead of containers. Pick for ZFS workloads, network appliances, or BSD-shop preference |
### Windows Server
| Version | Edition | When to pick |
| ----------------------- | -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Windows Server 2025** | **Datacenter** | Newest, full feature set. Pick for production Windows workloads needing the latest |
| **Windows Server 2025** | Standard | Most production Windows VMs. Cheaper-equivalent licensing than Datacenter |
| **Windows Server 2022** | **Datacenter** | One generation back, full feature set |
| **Windows Server 2022** | Standard | One generation back, mainstream |
| **Windows Server 2019** | Standard | Legacy fleets. Mainstream support has ended; extended support to 2029 |
**Datacenter vs Standard:** Datacenter unlocks Storage Spaces Direct, Software-Defined Networking, and unlimited Hyper-V VM hosting — features most cloud-VM customers don't need. **Pick Standard unless you specifically need a Datacenter feature.**
## Marketplace templates
Pre-installed apps on top of an OS image — usable straight after first boot once you fill in any credential fields the dialog asks for.
| Template | Category | What it provides |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Docker on Ubuntu 24.04** | DevOps & Containers | Latest Docker Engine + Compose, ready to run containers immediately |
| **WordPress on Ubuntu 24.04** | CMS and Website Platforms | WordPress + MySQL preconfigured. Asks for the MySQL root password and WordPress DB password at create-time |
| **n8n on Ubuntu 24.04** | Automation & Workflow | n8n workflow automation engine, accessible via `http://` after boot |
| **OPNsense 26.1** | Network & Security | OPNsense firewall appliance — also surfaced as the [VPC Firewall Appliance gateway option](/products/network/vpc/quickstart-guides/manage-vpc#firewall-appliance-499-or-999--month) |
| **OpenClaw on Ubuntu 24.04** | AI & Machine Learning | DevOps-focused AI agent — connects to an LLM provider, optionally to Telegram / Discord / Slack |
Marketplace templates each ship a Get-Started **Guides** entry (linked from the VM detail page) that walks through first use.
## Custom Images
Beyond stock and marketplace, you can save any VM's OS disk as a **Custom Image** for reuse. This is how you:
* Bake your own gold image with your packages / configs / certificates pre-installed
* Roll back to a known-good state by reinstalling from a snapshot-saved image
* Standardize a baseline across many VMs in your account
See [Save VM disk as image](/api-reference/endpoint/save-vm-disk-as-image) for the API call. Custom Images appear under their own filter in the create-VM dialog's template picker.
## Picking a template
A short decision flow:
| Need | Template |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| **General-purpose Linux**, recent LTS | **Ubuntu 24.04 LTS** |
| **Stable, conservative Linux**, RHEL-shop preference | **AlmaLinux 9** or **Rocky Linux 9** |
| **Stable Linux**, Debian preference | **Debian 13** |
| **Tiny container host** | **Alpine 3.21** |
| **Windows production workload** | **Windows Server 2025 Standard** |
| **Match an existing fleet** | Same template + version that fleet runs |
| **Pre-installed app** (Docker, WordPress, OPNsense, etc.) | The matching **Marketplace** template |
If you don't have a strong preference, **start with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS** — broadest community support, recent kernel, current LTS through 2029.
## Related
Pick a template and launch.
Re-image with a different template.
Save a configured VM as a reusable image.