Create Your First Stack

Overview

A is the fundamental unit of Xloud Orchestration. You describe the desired infrastructure in an orchestration template, submit it to the Orchestration API, and the engine provisions every resource in dependency order, reporting the overall stack status when complete.

Prerequisites

A project with member or admin role
At least one image available in the Xloud Image Service
At least one flavor available for your project
A network available in your project
xloud CLI installed and authenticated (see CLI Setup)

What Is a Stack?

A stack groups related cloud resources into a single deployable unit:

Concept	Description
Template	A YAML file declaring the resources, parameters, and outputs for a deployment
Stack	The live instantiation of a template — the actual running resources
Parameter	A runtime variable that customizes a template without editing it
Output	A value produced by the stack (e.g., an IP address) returned after creation
Resource	A single cloud object managed by the stack (instance, network, volume, etc.)

Example Template

The following template launches a single compute instance with a configurable flavor. Save it as first-stack.yaml:

first-stack.yaml

xloud_template_version: "2025-10-15"

description: >
  A minimal orchestration template that launches a single compute
  instance with a parameterized flavor and key pair.

parameters:
  instance_name:
    type: string
    label: Instance Name
    description: Display name for the compute instance
    default: my-first-instance

  flavor:
    type: string
    label: Flavor
    description: Compute flavor (vCPU and RAM profile)
    default: m1.small

  image:
    type: string
    label: Image
    description: OS image name or ID to boot from
    default: Ubuntu-22.04

  key_name:
    type: string
    label: Key Pair
    description: SSH key pair for instance access

  network:
    type: string
    label: Network
    description: Network to attach the instance to
    default: default

resources:
  my_instance:
    type: Xloud::Compute::Server
    properties:
      name: { get_param: instance_name }
      flavor: { get_param: flavor }
      image: { get_param: image }
      key_name: { get_param: key_name }
      networks:
        - network: { get_param: network }

outputs:
  instance_id:
    description: The ID of the created instance
    value: { get_resource: my_instance }

  instance_ip:
    description: The assigned IP address
    value: { get_attr: [my_instance, first_address] }

Create a Stack

Dashboard
CLI

Navigate to Orchestration

Log in to the Xloud Dashboard (https://connect.<your-domain>) and navigate to Project → Orchestration → Stacks.

Launch stack creation

Click Launch Stack. The stack creation wizard opens.

Provide the template

On the Select Template page, select how to provide the template:

Source	Description
File	Upload a `.yaml` file from your local machine
URL	Reference a template hosted at an accessible HTTP/HTTPS URL
Direct Input	Paste the template YAML directly into the editor

Select File and upload first-stack.yaml, then click Next.

The Dashboard validates template syntax when you click Next. Syntax errors are reported inline before the stack is submitted.

Configure parameters

Fill in the parameter values for your stack:

Parameter	Example Value
Stack Name	`my-first-stack`
Instance Name	`demo-instance`
Flavor	`m1.small`
Image	`Ubuntu-22.04`
Key Pair	`my-keypair`
Network	`default`

Click Launch to submit the stack.

The stack appears in the list with status Create In Progress.

Monitor progress

Click the stack name to open the detail view. The Topology tab shows a visual graph of resources. The Events tab streams real-time provisioning events.

Status transitions to Create Complete when all resources are successfully provisioned.

Authenticate

Source credentials

source openrc.sh

Validate the template

Validate template syntax

openstack orchestration template validate -t first-stack.yaml

A valid template returns the parsed parameter and resource definitions. Fix any reported errors before proceeding.

Create the stack

Create stack with parameters

openstack stack create \
  --template first-stack.yaml \
  --parameter key_name=my-keypair \
  --parameter flavor=m1.small \
  --parameter network=default \
  --wait \
  my-first-stack

The --wait flag blocks until the stack reaches a terminal state.

Flag	Description
`--template`	Path to local template file (or `--template-url` for remote)
`--parameter`	Override a template parameter (repeat for each parameter)
`--wait`	Wait for stack creation to complete before returning
`--timeout`	Maximum minutes to wait before marking as failed (default: 60)

Verify stack status

Show stack details

openstack stack show my-first-stack

List stack resources

openstack stack resource list my-first-stack

Show stack outputs

openstack stack output list my-first-stack
openstack stack output show my-first-stack instance_ip

stack_status shows CREATE_COMPLETE. Every resource in the list displays CREATE_COMPLETE.

List and Inspect Stacks

Dashboard
CLI

Navigate to Project → Orchestration → Stacks to see all stacks in your project. Click any stack to view its topology, resources, events, and outputs.

List all stacks

openstack stack list

Show stack detail

openstack stack show my-first-stack

List stack events

openstack stack event list my-first-stack

Delete a Stack

Deleting a stack permanently deletes all resources it manages. This includes instances, volumes, networks, and any other resources created by the template. This operation cannot be undone.

Dashboard
CLI

In the Stacks list, check the box next to your stack and click Delete Stacks. Confirm the deletion in the dialog.

Stack status transitions to Delete In Progress, then disappears from the list.

Delete a stack

openstack stack delete --yes --wait my-first-stack

openstack stack list no longer shows the deleted stack.

Next Steps

Template Guide

Learn template structure, parameter types, and intrinsic functions

Resource Types

Explore compute, network, storage, and identity resource definitions

Manage Stacks

Update, suspend, resume, and manage the stack lifecycle

Auto-Scaling

Scale instance groups automatically with alarm-driven policies

Core Services

Other Services

Create Your First Stack

Overview

What Is a Stack?

Example Template

Create a Stack

Navigate to Orchestration

Launch stack creation

Provide the template

Configure parameters

Monitor progress

Authenticate

Validate the template

Create the stack

Verify stack status

List and Inspect Stacks

Delete a Stack

Next Steps

Template Guide

Resource Types

Manage Stacks

Auto-Scaling

Core Services

Other Services

​Overview

​What Is a Stack?

​Example Template

​Create a Stack

Navigate to Orchestration

Launch stack creation

Provide the template

Configure parameters

Monitor progress

Authenticate

Validate the template

Create the stack

Verify stack status

​List and Inspect Stacks

​Delete a Stack

​Next Steps

Template Guide

Resource Types

Manage Stacks

Auto-Scaling

Overview

What Is a Stack?

Example Template

Create a Stack

List and Inspect Stacks

Delete a Stack

Next Steps