Instance states (running, stopped, terminated) in GCP - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the running state mean for a Compute Engine instance?

The instance is powered on and actively working. It can process tasks and respond to network requests.

beginner

What happens when a Compute Engine instance is in the stopped state?

The instance is powered off but still exists. You are not charged for the instance's CPU or memory, but storage costs remain.

beginner

Explain the terminated state of a Compute Engine instance.

The instance has been deleted and no longer exists. All resources tied to it are released and you stop paying for it.

beginner

Can you restart a Compute Engine instance from the stopped state?

Yes, you can start a stopped instance again. It will boot up and return to the running state.

intermediate

What is the difference between stopping and terminating an instance?

Stopping powers off the instance but keeps it saved for later use. Terminating deletes the instance permanently.

What state is a Compute Engine instance in when it is powered on and ready to use?

A Terminated

B Stopped

C Running

D Paused

The running state means the instance is powered on and active.

If you want to save costs but keep your instance data, which state should you use?

A Stopped

B Suspended

C Terminated

D Running

Stopped instances do not incur CPU or memory charges but keep storage data.

What happens to your instance when it is terminated?

A It pauses temporarily

B It is powered off but saved

C It restarts automatically

D It is deleted permanently

Terminated means the instance is deleted and resources are released.

Can you restart an instance that is stopped?

A Yes, it will return to running

B No, you must create a new instance

C No, stopped means terminated

D Only if you pause it first

Stopped instances can be started again to become running.

Which state means you are still charged for storage but not for CPU or memory?

A Running

B Stopped

C Terminated

D Suspended

Stopped instances keep storage and incur storage costs only.

Describe the differences between running, stopped, and terminated states of a Compute Engine instance.

Think about what happens to the instance and billing in each state.

Explain why you might choose to stop an instance instead of terminating it.

Stopping is like pausing, terminating is like deleting.

Practice

1. What does the RUNNING state of a Google Cloud VM instance indicate?

easy

A. The VM is paused and cannot be restarted

B. The VM is permanently deleted

C. The VM is active and ready to use

D. The VM is being created

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand VM states

   The RUNNING state means the virtual machine is powered on and operational.

2. Step 2: Compare with other states

   TERMINATED means stopped but restartable; DELETED means removed permanently.

3. Final Answer:

   The VM is active and ready to use -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   RUNNING = active and ready [OK]

Hint: RUNNING means VM is active and ready [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing TERMINATED with RUNNING
• Thinking DELETED means stopped
• Assuming RUNNING means VM is paused

2. Which command correctly stops a running Google Cloud VM instance named my-vm using gcloud CLI?

easy

A. gcloud compute instances stop my-vm

B. gcloud compute instances delete my-vm

C. gcloud compute instances terminate my-vm

D. gcloud compute instances suspend my-vm

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct stop command

   The command to stop a VM is gcloud compute instances stop.

2. Step 2: Check other commands

   delete removes the VM, terminate is not a valid gcloud command, suspend preserves memory state but is different from stop.

3. Final Answer:

   gcloud compute instances stop my-vm -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Stop VM = gcloud compute instances stop [OK]

Hint: Use 'stop' to halt VM without deleting [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using delete instead of stop
• Typing terminate which is invalid
• Confusing suspend with stop

3. Given this gcloud command output:

NAME    ZONE       STATUS
vm-1    us-central1-a  TERMINATED
vm-2    us-central1-a  RUNNING
vm-3    us-central1-a  TERMINATED

Which VM(s) can be restarted without creating a new instance?

medium

A. Only vm-2

B. vm-1 and vm-3

C. All vm-1, vm-2, and vm-3

D. None of them

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand TERMINATED state

   TERMINATED means the VM is stopped but can be restarted later.

2. Step 2: Identify which VMs are TERMINATED

   vm-1 and vm-3 are TERMINATED, so they can be restarted; vm-2 is already RUNNING.

3. Final Answer:

   vm-1 and vm-3 -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   TERMINATED = restartable VMs [OK]

Hint: TERMINATED means stopped but restartable [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking RUNNING VMs need restart
• Assuming TERMINATED means deleted
• Selecting all VMs regardless of state

4. You tried to restart a VM but got an error saying the instance does not exist. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The VM was DELETED and no longer exists

B. The VM is in SUSPENDED state

C. The VM is in TERMINATED state

D. The VM is in RUNNING state

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze error message

   Error 'instance does not exist' means the VM resource is gone.

2. Step 2: Match with VM states

   Only DELETED means the VM is removed permanently; RUNNING, TERMINATED, SUSPENDED still exist.

3. Final Answer:

   The VM was DELETED and no longer exists -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Deleted VM = does not exist error [OK]

Hint: Deleted VM no longer exists, causing errors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing TERMINATED with DELETED
• Assuming STOPPED means deleted
• Ignoring error message meaning

5. You want to save costs by stopping a VM but keep its data and configuration intact for later use. Which state should you put the VM in, and why?

hard

A. RUNNING, because it keeps the VM active and ready

B. SUSPENDED, because it pauses the VM without data loss

C. DELETED, because it frees all resources immediately

D. TERMINATED, because it stops the VM but preserves data and allows restart

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand cost-saving states

   Stopping a VM saves costs but keeps data if the VM is TERMINATED.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options

   RUNNING uses full resources; DELETED removes VM and data; SUSPENDED preserves memory but standard stop uses TERMINATED.

3. Final Answer:

   TERMINATED, because it stops the VM but preserves data and allows restart -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Stop VM = TERMINATED state for cost saving [OK]

Hint: TERMINATED stops VM but keeps data for restart [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing RUNNING to save costs
• Deleting VM to save costs but losing data
• Choosing SUSPENDED instead of TERMINATED