> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.platform9.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.platform9.com/managed-openstack/images/images-supported-types-formats.md). # Supported Image Types and File Formats When you add an image to the PMO image catalog, you can specify its disk and container format. This article describes the various supported disk and file formats and what subset is supported by PMO. You can find more info on supported disk and container formats in the OpenStack documentation here: [http://docs.openstack.org/image-guide/content/image-formats.html](http://docs.openstack.org/image-guide/index.html) | **Format Type** | **Description** | **Supported by Platform9** | **Our Comments** | | --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | raw/img | An unstructured disk image format; if you have a file without an extension it is possibly a raw format. | **Yes** (given .raw, .img, .dat, .bin extensions) | Common extensions .raw, .img, .dat, .bin | | qcow2 | Supported by the QEMU emulator that can expand dynamically and supports Copy-on-Write | **Yes** | Most common file format used with Linux/KVM | | vmdk | Common disk format supported by many common virtual machine monitors | **Yes** (for VMware vSphere hypervisor) | VMDK format is commonly associated with VMware | | vdi | Supported by VirtualBox virtual machine monitor and the QEMU emulator | **Not recommended** (Will be recognized, but may or may not work depending on driver availability) | VirtualBox image files in practice may or may not work with Linux/KVM hypervisor. You might run into compatibility issues due to missing required virtualization drivers) | | iso | An archive format for the data contents of an optical disc, such as CD-ROM | **Yes** | - | | aki | An Amazon kernel image | **No** | Amazon image types are not popularly used with Linux/KVM | | ari | An Amazon ramdisk image | **No** | Amazon image types are not popularly used with Linux/KVM | | ami | An Amazon machine image | **No** | Amazon image types are not popularly used with Linux/KVM | | vhd | The VHD disk format, a common disk format used by virtual machine monitors from VMware, Xen, Microsoft, VirtualBox, and others | **No** | Not a popular image format | --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters: ``` GET https://docs.platform9.com/managed-openstack/images/images-supported-types-formats.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.