> ## 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.
# Create a VPC
> Open the VPCs tab, click Create VPC, pick a network size (Recommended / Small / Large / Custom), and confirm
Updated May 8, 2026
A VPC is a private network you can attach multiple VMs to so they can talk to each other directly. Every VM created without a VPC selection gets its own private VPC; you create a **shared VPC** here when you want two or more VMs on the same private subnet.
This page walks the dashboard create flow. The full concept of why CIDRs can overlap, what VXLAN does, and how isolation is enforced is on [VXLAN, CIDR, and isolation](/products/network/vpc/concepts/cidr-and-isolation).
## Before you start
* A Raff account
* A clear idea of how many VMs this VPC will hold (the size you pick today is fixed — no resize)
**Region.** Every VPC is created in the region your dashboard is currently set to, and today that's **`us-east`** (the only region available). The VPC and every VM you attach to it must share that region — see [Regions](/products/build/virtual-machines/concepts/regions). There is no region picker inside the Create VPC dialog because there's nothing to pick yet.
## 1. Open the VPCs tab
In the left sidebar, click **Networking** → switch to the **VPCs** tab. The list shows every VPC in your account with its CIDR, IP usage, gateway state, DNS, and attached VM count.
Click **+ Create VPC** in the top-right. The Create VPC dialog opens.
## 2. Name the VPC
Pick a label that's descriptive — `prod-services`, `staging`, `analytics` — so the VPC is easy to spot in the diagram and the list. Names must be unique across your account.
## 3. Pick a network size
Four choices, each pre-fills a CIDR you can keep or override:
| Option | CIDR | Usable IPs | When to use |
| --------------- | ------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Recommended** | `10.0.0.0/20` | \~4,093 | **Default** — fits most workloads with room to grow |
| **Small** | `10.0.0.0/24` | \~253 | Tight scope — bastion + a handful of app VMs |
| **Large** | `10.0.0.0/16` | \~65,533 | Big fleet, many subnets, future expansion |
| **Custom CIDR** | You type it | Depends on prefix | Use when the auto-suggested ranges conflict with your on-prem network or you want a specific RFC 1918 block |
The dialog updates the summary line live as you change the choice — **Network**, **Gateway** (always `.1`), and **IPs** (usable count, after subtracting `.0` / `.1` / `.255`).
A few rules the validator enforces if you pick **Custom CIDR**:
* Prefix between **`/16` and `/28`**
* Must fall inside a private range — `10.0.0.0/8`, `172.16.0.0/12`, `192.168.0.0/16`, or `100.64.0.0/10`
* Must be **CIDR-aligned** — `192.168.1.50/20` is rejected; the correct form is `192.168.0.0/20`
You **don't** need to avoid CIDRs already used by your other VPCs. Two VPCs in the same account can use the same range — they're isolated by their VXLAN VNI, not by IP. See [VXLAN, CIDR, and isolation](/products/network/vpc/concepts/cidr-and-isolation#why-this-matters-cidr-overlap-is-a-non-issue).
## 4. Click Create VPC
The VPC is created in seconds and appears in the list. The new row shows:
| Column | Value |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name** | What you typed, plus the region (`us-east`) underneath |
| **Network** | The chosen CIDR with `0/ IPs` (no VMs yet) |
| **Gateway** | `No Gateway` until you enable an internet gateway — see [Manage a VPC](/products/network/vpc/quickstart-guides/manage-vpc#internet-gateway) |
| **DNS** | `8.8.8.8` (Google Public DNS, default) |
| **VMs** | `0 VMs` until you attach one |
## 5. Attach VMs
A VPC with zero VMs doesn't do anything yet. Two ways to add members:
* **From the row's `⋮` menu → Add VM** — opens the VM-attach flow scoped to this VPC
* **From the VPC detail page → VMs tab → + Attach VM** — same flow, different entry point
* **From the create-VM flow** — when launching a new VM, pick this VPC under the network section
See [Attach a VM](/products/network/vpc/quickstart-guides/attach-vm) for the full flow.
## What you cannot change after creation
| Setting | Mutable? |
| ------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name** | ✅ Yes — rename anytime via the row menu or the pencil icon on the detail page |
| **DNS** | ✅ Yes — change via row menu → Edit DNS, or detail page → Update DNS |
| **CIDR** | ❌ No — fixed at create. To change, create a new VPC and migrate VMs |
| **Region** | ❌ No — locked to the dashboard's selected region |
| **VXLAN VNI** | ❌ No — auto-assigned; never visible in the UI |
## Pricing
The VPC itself is **free**. You pay only for VMs and any optional **Firewall Appliance** gateway (a paid OPNsense VM). The default **Platform Router** gateway, the Public IPs you attach to VMs, and any same-region private traffic between VMs in the VPC are all free. See [Features & limits](/products/network/vpc/details/features-and-limits) for the full pricing table.
## Next steps
Detail page tour — internet gateway, port forwarding, DNS.
Add an existing VM to this VPC.
Visualize and act on the whole network at once.