A Bare Metal server is a physical machine allocated entirely to a single tenant, with no hypervisor layer. All CPU, RAM, and storage resources are dedicated — not shared with other users.
## Step 2. Select a region
Select the deployment region.
## Step 3. Select an imageSelect the architecture — **x86-64** or **ARM** — then choose an OS image from one of three tabs:
* **Distributions** - prepared OS templates (Ubuntu, CentOS, Debian, Windows, and others). * **Marketplace** - pre-configured application images. * **Custom Images** - images previously uploaded to the account. Only images built for Bare Metal servers are compatible; standard VM images do not work. Build requirements are covered in [image upload](/cloud/images/upload-an-image-to-the-storage).
## Step 4. Select a server type
Server types are grouped into three categories:
* **High frequency** - high clock-speed CPUs for latency-sensitive workloads. * **Infrastructure** - high core count and NVMe storage for compute-intensive tasks. * **Storage** - large-capacity drives for data-heavy workloads.
## Step 5. Configure network interfaces
Configure all required network interfaces before provisioning. Up to six interfaces can be attached. Public interfaces cannot be added after the server is created.
2. In the **IP Family** section, select the IP version: **IPv4**, **IPv6**, or **Dual (IPv4 + IPv6)**. IPv6 availability depends on the selected region.
3. (Optional) Enable **Use reserved IP** to assign a [reserved IP](/cloud/networking/ip-address/create-and-configure-a-reserved-ip-address) to the server.
4. (Optional) Enable **Advanced DDoS Protection** for enhanced security.
**Network**: Select an existing network from the **Network** dropdown, or click **Add a new network** to create one:
1. Enter the network name. 2. Confirm that the **Bare Metal Network** checkbox is enabled — this is required to connect Bare Metal servers to the network. 3. (Optional) Disable **Create router** if an existing router should be used instead of creating a new one. 4. (Optional) Enable **Add tags** to attach metadata to the network. 5. Click **Create & Proceed**.
**Subnetwork**: Select an existing subnetwork from the **Subnet** dropdown. Choosing **Automatic** assigns the subnetwork with the most available resources.
To create a new subnetwork, click **Add a new subnetwork** and follow the [subnetwork guide](/cloud/networking/create-and-manage-a-subnetwork#create-a-subnetwork).
(Optional) Enable **Use floating IP** to assign a floating IP to the private interface.
A dedicated public network provides an individual address pool, allowing multiple public IPs on a single network port — useful for high-traffic applications, load distribution, or virtualization scenarios where each workload needs a distinct public IP.
Bare Metal servers use LACP bonding: all physical ports are aggregated into a single bond (`bond0`). Each sub-interface added in the creation form becomes a logical port on top of that bond. The sub-interface order is fixed at creation and determines routing priority — the first sub-interface has higher priority for outbound traffic.
* **Sub-Interface 1** (public) maps to `bond0`. * **Sub-Interface 2** (private) maps to a VLAN sub-interface named `bond0.After the server is created, the **Networking** tab shows the sub-interfaces in the same order as they were added during setup. Running `ip a` in the OS confirms the mapping:
```bash theme={null}
$ ip a
1: lo: Sub-Interface 1 (`bond0`) is the public interface; Sub-Interface 2 (`bond0.2853`) is the private interface.
## Step 6. Configure accessSelect an existing [SSH key](/cloud/bare-metal-servers/connect-to-your-bare-metal-server-via-ssh) for Linux servers, or set a password for Windows servers.
For Windows servers, the password must be 8–16 characters and may contain Latin letters (`a-zA-Z`), digits (`0-9`), and special characters (`!#$%&'()*+,-./:;<=>?@[]^_{|}~`). Connect via [portal console](/cloud/virtual-instances/connect/connect-to-your-instance-via-control-panel) or RDP.
## Step 7. Configure additional options
In the **Additional options** section, optionally provide a `cloud-init` script in the **User data** field to automate initial configuration — install packages, create users, or run commands on first boot.
## Step 8. Set quantity and name
Specify the number of servers (up to 10, subject to quota) and the name template. Click **Create Server** — the server provisions in the cloud.
## Multi-bond network configuration
Bare Metal servers support multiple network bonds, where each bond is a group of LACP-aggregated physical ports. With a multi-bond setup, traffic for different networks is isolated at the hardware level, which improves availability and throughput. Multi-bond configuration is available on request — contact [Gcore support](https://gcore.com/contact-us) to enable it.
After the server is deployed, open the server details and go to the **Networking** tab. Each bond appears as a separate interface block labeled **Interface N (Trunk Interface N)**.
Each interface block shows the sub-interfaces assigned to that bond — a sub-interface is the logical port that carries traffic for a specific network. The table for each sub-interface includes the IP address, network, subnetwork, MAC address, CIDR, and floating IP assignment.
To add a sub-interface to a bond, click **Add Sub-Interface** in the corresponding interface block and configure the network settings.
## Limitations * External volumes cannot be attached to Bare Metal servers. * Volume configuration cannot be changed after provisioning. * No more than six networks can be attached. * After deployment, private network interfaces can only be attached or detached manually via the OS.A Bare Metal server is a physical machine allocated entirely to one tenant — no hypervisor, no shared resources. Provisioning takes 4–5 minutes.
Open a bash terminal and set these as environment variables before running the examples:
```bash theme={null} export GCORE_API_KEY="{YOUR_API_KEY}" export GCORE_CLOUD_PROJECT_ID="{YOUR_PROJECT_ID}" export GCORE_CLOUD_REGION_ID="{YOUR_REGION_ID}" ```Bare Metal servers have per-region quotas. [Check your quota](/cloud/getting-started/request-a-quota-increase) before provisioning.
## QuickstartThe scripts below list available flavors and images, provision a Bare Metal server with a public interface, and print its IP address. Replace `my-key` with an existing SSH key name from the project.
The server is provisioned in about 4–5 minutes.
Each step below explains what the call does, which parameters matter, and what the response looks like. Use this section to understand the flow or to debug a specific step.
BM [flavors](/api-reference/cloud/bare-metal-servers/list-baremetal-flavors) describe the physical hardware: CPU model, core count, RAM, local storage, and NIC speed. The `capacity` field shows how many machines of that type are physically available in the region.
`capacity: 0` means the flavor is temporarily unavailable in the region. Flavor IDs are region-specific — run this call to see what is available in the target region. Save the chosen flavor ID for the next step:
```bash theme={null} export FLAVOR_ID="{YOUR_FLAVOR_ID}" ```BM images use a dedicated [endpoint](/api-reference/cloud/bare-metal-servers/list-baremetal-images) — standard VM images from GET /cloud/v1/images are not compatible. Each BM image name ends with `-ironic` and contains `"is_baremetal": true` in the response.
Pick an image that matches the server architecture (x86-64 or ARM) and the target OS, then save its ID for the next step:
```bash theme={null} export IMAGE_ID="{YOUR_IMAGE_ID}" ```The [create](/api-reference/cloud/bare-metal-servers/create-baremetal-server) call submits a provisioning request and returns a task ID. The Python and Go SDKs block until the task completes (4–5 minutes), then return the server object. With curl, poll the task manually.
Retrieve the server to confirm `status: ACTIVE` and find the assigned [IP address](/api-reference/cloud/bare-metal-servers/get-baremetal-server).
`security_groups: []` is expected — Bare Metal servers have no security groups, so all ports are accessible by default. Restrict traffic with `ufw` or `iptables` after connecting.
Use the public IP from the response to connect. The default user for Ubuntu images is `ubuntu`:
```bash theme={null} ssh -i ~/.ssh/my-key ubuntu@Bare Metal servers use LACP bonding, so interfaces are named `bond0` rather than `eth0`. If a private network was attached at creation, it appears as `bond0.
Bare Metal servers have per-region quotas tracked separately for `baremetal_hf`, `baremetal_basic`, `baremetal_storage`, `baremetal_network`, and `baremetal_infrastructure` categories. Before creating a server, verify [quota usage](/cloud/getting-started/check-resource-quota) is below the limit.
## Attach a private network interfaceTo connect a server to a private network, add an interface with `"type": "subnet"` and provide the `network_id` and `subnet_id`. The network must have Bare Metal support enabled — create one following the [network guide](/cloud/networking/create-and-manage-a-network) and check the **Bare Metal network** option. Both public and private interfaces can be added at creation time; the interface order determines routing priority.
Inside the OS, the public interface maps to `bond0` and the private interface to `bond0.
Standard BM servers aggregate all physical ports into a single LACP bond (`bond0`). Multi-bond separates traffic across multiple independent bonds, isolating networks at the hardware level for higher availability and throughput. Multi-bond must be enabled for the server by [Gcore support](https://gcore.com/contact-us) before provisioning.
Once enabled, control bond assignment with the `port_group` parameter on each interface. Interfaces sharing the same `port_group` value are placed on the same trunk port. Each distinct value creates a separate trunk.
After provisioning, retrieve the server details with `GET /cloud/v1/bminstances/{project_id}/{region_id}/{server_id}` — each trunk appears as a separate interface block in the `addresses` map.
## Clean upBare Metal deletion is asynchronous and takes 3–5 minutes — the server must be fully deprovisioned before the hardware is released. Local NVMe storage is wiped during deprovisioning.
These constraints apply to all Bare Metal servers regardless of the provisioning method.
* External block volumes cannot be attached. All storage is the local NVMe included with the server. * Local storage configuration (RAID, disk layout) cannot be changed after provisioning. * No more than six network interfaces can be attached at creation time. * Private network interfaces added after deployment must be configured manually inside the OS — they are not managed by the Gcore control plane. * The interface order set at creation determines routing priority and cannot be changed after provisioning.Provision a dedicated Bare Metal server — physical hardware with no virtualization layer — using [`gcore_cloud_baremetal_server`](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/G-Core/gcore/latest/docs/resources/cloud_baremetal_server). Provisioning is asynchronous and may take several minutes to complete.
## Create a Bare Metal serverDeclares a server with a public IPv4 interface and an SSH key. Creation takes 4–5 minutes.
```hcl theme={null} resource "gcore_cloud_baremetal_server" "example" { project_id = var.project_id region_id = var.region_id flavor = var.flavor_id # region-specific; find with the Customer Portal or flavors API name = "my-bare-metal" image_id = var.image_id # region-specific; find with the Customer Portal or images API ssh_key_name = "my-keypair" interfaces = [{ type = "external" ip_family = "ipv4" }] # terraform import gcore_cloud_baremetal_server.example 'After `terraform apply`, `status` is `ACTIVE` and `addresses` contains the assigned public IP. Use the IP to connect over SSH.
## Attach a private networkPrivate networks for Bare Metal require `type = "vlan"` on the network resource — add both interfaces at creation, as interface order determines routing priority.
```hcl theme={null} resource "gcore_cloud_network" "bm_net" { project_id = var.project_id region_id = var.region_id name = "my-bm-network" type = "vlan" # required for Bare Metal } resource "gcore_cloud_network_subnet" "bm_subnet" { project_id = var.project_id region_id = var.region_id name = "my-bm-subnet" network_id = gcore_cloud_network.bm_net.id cidr = "192.168.10.0/24" } resource "gcore_cloud_baremetal_server" "example" { project_id = var.project_id region_id = var.region_id flavor = var.flavor_id name = "my-bare-metal" image_id = var.image_id ssh_key_name = "my-keypair" interfaces = [ { type = "external" ip_family = "ipv4" }, { type = "subnet" network_id = gcore_cloud_network.bm_net.id subnet_id = gcore_cloud_network_subnet.bm_subnet.id }, ] } ```The Terraform provider does not support power state operations (`start`, `stop`, `reboot`, `reboot_hard`) for Bare Metal servers. Use the Customer Portal or the REST API tab to perform these actions.
## Delete a Bare Metal serverRemove the resource block — Terraform deletes the server on the next `terraform apply`. Deprovisioning takes 3-5 minutes and permanently wipes local NVMe storage.
```hcl theme={null} # Remove or comment out this block: # resource "gcore_cloud_baremetal_server" "example" { ... } ``` ```bash theme={null} terraform apply ```