Software-only Google Distributed Cloud (formerly known as
Google Distributed Cloud Virtual, previously known as Anthos clusters on bare metal) extends Google Cloud's infrastructure and services into your data center. With a software-only installation on bare metal of
Google Distributed Cloud, you deploy applications directly on your own
hardware infrastructure, which provides the best performance and
flexibility. You have direct control over application scale, security, and
network latency. You also get the benefits of containerized applications
through GKE components, including powerful features from the
enterprise tier.
Google Distributed Cloud software for bare metal includes
VM Runtime on Google Distributed Cloud, which lets you run VMs on top of Kubernetes in the
same way that you run containers. With VM Runtime on GDC, you
can run existing VM-based workloads as you also develop and run new
container-based applications.
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Last updated 2025-08-25 UTC.
[[["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."],[],[],null,["# Google Distributed Cloud (software only) for bare metal documentation\n=====================================================================\n\n[Read product documentation](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/concepts/about-bare-metal)\nSoftware-only Google Distributed Cloud (formerly known as\nGoogle Distributed Cloud Virtual, previously known as Anthos clusters on bare metal) extends Google Cloud's infrastructure and services into your data center. With a software-only installation on bare metal of\nGoogle Distributed Cloud, you deploy applications directly on your own\nhardware infrastructure, which provides the best performance and\nflexibility. You have direct control over application scale, security, and\nnetwork latency. You also get the benefits of containerized applications\nthrough GKE components, including powerful features from the\nenterprise tier.\n\n\nGoogle Distributed Cloud software for bare metal includes\nVM Runtime on Google Distributed Cloud, which lets you run VMs on top of Kubernetes in the\nsame way that you run containers. With VM Runtime on GDC, you\ncan run existing VM-based workloads as you also develop and run new\ncontainer-based applications.\n[Get started for free](https://console.cloud.google.com/freetrial) \n\n#### Start your proof of concept with $300 in free credit\n\n- Get access to Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking\n- Free monthly usage of popular products, including AI APIs and BigQuery\n- No automatic charges, no commitment \n[View free product offers](/free/docs/free-cloud-features#free-tier) \n\n#### Keep exploring with 20+ always-free products\n\n\nAccess 20+ free products for common use cases, including AI APIs, VMs, data warehouses,\nand more.\n\nDocumentation resources\n-----------------------\n\nFind quickstarts and guides, review key references, and get help with common issues. \nfollow_the_signs\n\n### Get started\n\n-\n\n [Google Distributed Cloud (software only) for bare metal overview](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/concepts/about-bare-metal)\n\n-\n\n [Create a demo cluster on Compute Engine VMs](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/try/admin-user-gce-vms)\n\n-\n\n [Getting started: Plan your installation](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/quickstart)\n\n-\n\n [Getting started: Create basic clusters](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/quickstart)\n\n-\n\n [Installation prerequisites overview](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/installing/install-prereq)\n\n-\n\n [Choose a cluster deployment model](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/installing/install-prep)\n\n-\n\n [VM Runtime for GDC overview](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/vm-runtime/overview)\n\nformat_list_numbered\n\n### Tasks\n\n-\n\n [Manage clusters from the Google Cloud console](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/how-to/anthos-ui)\n\n-\n\n [Upgrade a cluster](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/how-to/upgrade)\n\n-\n\n [Update a cluster](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/how-to/update-clusters)\n\n-\n\n [Create a Service and an Ingress](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/how-to/create-service-ingress)\n\n-\n\n [Configure logging and monitoring](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/how-to/log-monitoring)\n\n-\n\n [Quickstart: Create a VM in Google Distributed Cloud](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/vm-runtime/quickstart)\n\n-\n\n [Tutorial: Create and manage a Linux VM in VM Runtime for GDC](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/vm-runtime/tutorial-create-vm)\n\ngroup_work\n\n### Reference and resources\n\n-\n\n [Google Distributed Cloud (software only) for bare metal release notes](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/release-notes)\n\n-\n\n [Google Distributed Cloud (software only) for bare metal downloads](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/downloads)\n\n-\n\n [Cluster configuration field reference](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/reference/cluster-config-ref)\n\n-\n\n [Cluster configuration samples](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/reference/config-samples)\n\n-\n\n [Google Kubernetes Engine pricing](/kubernetes-engine/pricing)\n\n-\n\n [Get support for Google Distributed Cloud](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/bare-metal/docs/getting-support)\n\nRelated videos\n--------------"]]
