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.