An image is a digital template of a system that can be used to deploy virtual machines (VMs) quickly, uniformly, and reproducibly. Various Linux distributions (e.g., Ubuntu or openSUSE) are available with the basic images provided.

The Linux distributions offered differ primarily in terms of package management, update strategy, and resource requirements. With identical kernel versions, the same kernel functionality is generally available; differences arise primarily from different configurations and activated modules. Nearly every functionality can be replicated in each distribution by installing additional packages. However, differences in repositories and dependencies can lead to increased maintenance effort or package conflicts.

The choice of image depends on the intended use and the available resources (flavor of the VM and quota of the project).