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This page describes how to view the operating system (OS) images available for
the virtual machine (VM) instances that run Batch jobs.
Specifically, this page describes how to view a list and details of VM OS images
from Batch. To learn more about VM OS images and which
VM OS images you can use with Batch, see
VM OS environment overview.
If you want to view other VM OS images, such as public
images from Compute Engine or custom images, see the
Compute Engine images documentation instead.
IMAGE_NAME: the name of the image.
An image name represents a specific version of a VM OS image.
For example, the image name batch-debian-11-official-20230802-00-p00
represents image version -20230802-00-p00
(the version from August 2, 2023) for the image family
batch-debian-11-official.
IMAGE_PROJECT_ID: the
project ID
of the project that contains the image. For example, all images from
Batch images are in the batch-custom-image project.
IMAGE_FAMILY: the family of the image.
An image family includes one or more specific images and represents the
type and major version
of the OS. For example, the batch-debian-11-official image family
contains Batch images based on OS version 11 of
Debian from Compute Engine.
API
To list all supported VM OS images from Batch, make the
following request to the images.list method:
GET https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/batch-custom-image/global/images?filter=(-deprecated%3A*)%20OR%20(deprecated.state%3D%22ACTIVE%22)
The batch-custom-image project is required to list images from
Batch.
The
?filter=(-deprecated%3A*)%20OR%20(deprecated.state%3D%22ACTIVE%22)
query parameter omits deprecated images by using
URL-encoding
to set the filter field to (-deprecated:*) OR (deprecated.state="ACTIVE").
Optional: if you need to see deprecated Batch
images, remove the
?filter=(-deprecated%3A*)%20OR%20(deprecated.state%20%3D%20%22ACTIVE%22)
query parameter.
The output for each VM OS image is similar to the following:
IMAGE_NAME: the name of the image.
An image name represents a specific version of a VM OS image.
For example, the image name batch-debian-11-official-20230802-00-p00
represents image version -20230802-00-p00
(the version from August 2, 2023) for the image family
batch-debian-11-official.
IMAGE_PROJECT_ID: the
project ID
of the project that contains the image. For example, all images from
Batch images are in the batch-custom-image project.
IMAGE_FAMILY: the family of the image.
An image family includes one or more specific images and represents the
type and major version
of the OS. For example, the batch-debian-11-official image family
contains Batch images based on OS version 11 of
Debian from Compute Engine.
View details of a VM OS image from Batch
You can view all the details of a VM OS image
using the gcloud CLI or Batch API.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-25 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eThis page outlines the process for viewing available operating system (OS) images for virtual machine (VM) instances that run Batch jobs.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eYou can use either the gcloud CLI or the Batch API to list all supported VM OS images from Batch, with the \u003ccode\u003ebatch-custom-image\u003c/code\u003e project being required for the listing operation.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eEach VM OS image output provides an image name (a specific version), an image project ID, and an image family (the OS type and major version).\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eTo get detailed information on a specific VM OS image from Batch, use the \u003ccode\u003egcloud compute images describe\u003c/code\u003e command in the CLI or the \u003ccode\u003eimages.get\u003c/code\u003e method in the API, specifying \u003ccode\u003ebatch-custom-image\u003c/code\u003e as the project.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eIf you wish to explore other types of VM images, such as public or custom images, you can view the Compute Engine images documentation.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# View VM OS images for Batch\n\nThis page describes how to view the operating system (OS) images available for\nthe virtual machine (VM) instances that run Batch jobs.\n\nSpecifically, this page describes how to view a list and details of VM OS images\nfrom Batch. To learn more about VM OS images and which\nVM OS images you can use with Batch, see\n[VM OS environment overview](/batch/docs/vm-os-environment-overview).\nIf you want to view other VM OS images, such as public\nimages from Compute Engine or custom images, see the\n[Compute Engine images documentation](/compute/docs/images) instead.\n\nBefore you begin\n----------------\n\n1. If you haven't used Batch before, review [Get started with Batch](/batch/docs/get-started) and enable Batch by completing the [prerequisites for projects and users](/batch/docs/get-started#prerequisites).\n\nView a list of VM OS images from Batch\n--------------------------------------\n\nYou can view a list of all the VM OS images from Batch using\nthe gcloud CLI or Batch API. \n\n### gcloud\n\nTo list all supported VM OS images from Batch, use the\nfollowing [`gcloud compute images list` command](/sdk/gcloud/reference/compute/images/list): \n\n gcloud compute images list \\\n --project=batch-custom-image \\\n --no-standard-images\n\n- The `--project=batch-custom-image` flag is required to list images from Batch.\n- The `--no-standard-images` flag omits the standard images from Compute Engine.\n- Optional: if you need to see deprecated Batch images, also include the `--show-deprecated` flag.\n\nThe output for each VM OS image is similar to the following: \n\n NAME: \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"devsite-syntax-n\"\u003eIMAGE_NAME\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/var\u003e\n PROJECT: \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"devsite-syntax-n\"\u003eIMAGE_PROJECT_ID\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/var\u003e\n FAMILY: \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"devsite-syntax-n\"\u003eIMAGE_FAMILY\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/var\u003e\n ...\n\nThis output includes the following values:\n\n- \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eIMAGE_NAME\u003c/var\u003e: the name of the image. An image name represents a specific version of a VM OS image. For example, the image name `batch-debian-11-official-20230802-00-p00` represents image version `-20230802-00-p00` (the version from August 2, 2023) for the image family `batch-debian-11-official`.\n- \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eIMAGE_PROJECT_ID\u003c/var\u003e: the [project ID](/resource-manager/docs/creating-managing-projects#identifying_projects) of the project that contains the image. For example, all images from Batch images are in the `batch-custom-image` project.\n- \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eIMAGE_FAMILY\u003c/var\u003e: the family of the image. An image family includes one or more specific images and represents the type and [major version](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_versioning) of the OS. For example, the `batch-debian-11-official` image family contains Batch images based on OS version 11 of [Debian from Compute Engine](/compute/docs/images/os-details#debian).\n\n### API\n\nTo list all supported VM OS images from Batch, make the\nfollowing request to the [`images.list` method](/compute/docs/reference/rest/v1/images/list): \n\n GET https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/batch-custom-image/global/images?filter=(-deprecated%3A*)%20OR%20(deprecated.state%3D%22ACTIVE%22)\n\n- The `batch-custom-image` project is required to list images from Batch.\n- The `?filter=(-deprecated%3A*)%20OR%20(deprecated.state%3D%22ACTIVE%22)` query parameter omits deprecated images by using [URL-encoding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/URL_encoding) to set the `filter` field to `(-deprecated:*) OR (deprecated.state=\"ACTIVE\")`.\n - Optional: if you need to see deprecated Batch images, remove the `?filter=(-deprecated%3A*)%20OR%20(deprecated.state%20%3D%20%22ACTIVE%22)` query parameter.\n\nThe output for each VM OS image is similar to the following: \n\n {\n ...\n \"name\": \"\u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eIMAGE_NAME\u003c/var\u003e\",\n ...\n \"family\": \"\u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eIMAGE_FAMILY\u003c/var\u003e\",\n \"selfLink\": \"https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/\u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eIMAGE_PROJECT_ID\u003c/var\u003e/global/images/\u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eIMAGE_NAME\u003c/var\u003e\",\n ...\n }\n\nThis output includes the following values:\n\n- \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eIMAGE_NAME\u003c/var\u003e: the name of the image. An image name represents a specific version of a VM OS image. For example, the image name `batch-debian-11-official-20230802-00-p00` represents image version `-20230802-00-p00` (the version from August 2, 2023) for the image family `batch-debian-11-official`.\n- \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eIMAGE_PROJECT_ID\u003c/var\u003e: the [project ID](/resource-manager/docs/creating-managing-projects#identifying_projects) of the project that contains the image. For example, all images from Batch images are in the `batch-custom-image` project.\n- \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eIMAGE_FAMILY\u003c/var\u003e: the family of the image. An image family includes one or more specific images and represents the type and [major version](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_versioning) of the OS. For example, the `batch-debian-11-official` image family contains Batch images based on OS version 11 of [Debian from Compute Engine](/compute/docs/images/os-details#debian).\n\nView details of a VM OS image from Batch\n----------------------------------------\n\nYou can view all the details of a VM OS image\nusing the gcloud CLI or Batch API. \n\n### gcloud\n\nTo view the details of a VM OS image from Batch, use the\n[`gcloud compute images describe` command](/sdk/gcloud/reference/compute/images/describe)\nand specify `batch-custom-image` as the image project: \n\n```\ngcloud compute images describe IMAGE_NAME --project=batch-custom-image\n```\n\nReplace \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eIMAGE_NAME\u003c/var\u003e with the name of the\nVM OS image from Batch that you want to describe.\n\n### API\n\nTo view the details of a VM OS image from Batch, make a\nrequest to the\n[`images.get` method](/compute/docs/reference/rest/v1/images/get)\nand specify `batch-custom-image` as the image project: \n\n GET https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/batch-custom-image/global/images/\u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eIMAGE_NAME\u003c/var\u003e\n\nReplace \u003cvar translate=\"no\"\u003eIMAGE_NAME\u003c/var\u003e with the name of the\nVM OS image from Batch that you want to describe.\n\nWhat's next\n-----------\n\n- Learn more about VM OS images for Batch:\n - [VM OS environment overview](/batch/docs/vm-os-environment-overview)\n - [Specify the VM OS image for a job](/batch/docs/specify-vm-os-image)"]]
