Instance states (running, stopped, terminated) in GCP - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Instance states (running, stopped, terminated)

Instance Created

↓

State: RUNNING

↓

Stop Instance

→State: STOPPED

↓

Terminate Instance

→State: TERMINATED

↓

No further actions allowed on TERMINATED

This flow shows how a cloud instance moves between states: created as running, stopped to stopped, started back to running, or terminated permanently.

Execution Sample

GCP

Create instance
Stop instance
Start instance
Terminate instance

This sequence shows an instance changing states from running to stopped, back to running, then terminated.

Process Table

Step	Action	Previous State	New State	Notes
1	Create instance	None	RUNNING	Instance is created and starts running
2	Stop instance	RUNNING	STOPPED	Instance is powered off but can be restarted
3	Start instance	STOPPED	RUNNING	Instance boots up and is ready to use
4	Terminate instance	RUNNING	TERMINATED	Instance is deleted and cannot be restarted
5	Start instance	TERMINATED	TERMINATED	No action: terminated instance cannot be started

💡 Instance reaches TERMINATED state; no further state changes allowed

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 4	After Step 5
Instance State	None	RUNNING	STOPPED	RUNNING	TERMINATED	TERMINATED

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why can't we start the instance after it is terminated?

Because the execution_table row 5 shows the state remains TERMINATED after trying to start; terminated means deleted and cannot be restarted.

What is the difference between STOPPED and TERMINATED states?

STOPPED means the instance is powered off but can be started again (row 2), while TERMINATED means the instance is deleted permanently (row 4).

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table at step 2, what is the instance state after stopping?

A STOPPED

B RUNNING

C TERMINATED

D None

💡 Hint

Check the 'New State' column at step 2 in execution_table

At which step does the instance become permanently unusable?

A Step 2

B Step 4

C Step 3

D Step 5

💡 Hint

Look for when the state changes to TERMINATED in execution_table

If we skip stopping and try to terminate directly from RUNNING, what would be the new state?

A RUNNING

B STOPPED

C TERMINATED

D None

💡 Hint

Termination always leads to TERMINATED state regardless of previous state

Concept Snapshot

Instance states in GCP:
- STOPPED: instance is off, can start
- RUNNING: instance is on and usable
- TERMINATED: instance deleted, no restart
Actions: create -> running, stop -> stopped, start -> running, terminate -> terminated

Full Transcript

This visual execution shows how a Google Cloud instance changes states. When created, it starts in RUNNING state, where it is active. Stopping it powers it off to STOPPED, from which it can be restarted to RUNNING. Terminating deletes the instance permanently, moving it to TERMINATED state where it cannot be restarted. Trying to start a terminated instance has no effect. This flow helps beginners understand instance lifecycle and allowed actions.

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