Prevent accidental VM deletion

---

This document describes how to protect specific VM instances from deletion by setting the deletionProtection property on an Instance resource. To learn more about VM instances, read the Instances documentation.

As part of your workload, there might be certain VM instances that are critical to running your application or services, such as an instance running a SQL server, a server used as a license manager, and so on. These VM instances might need to stay running indefinitely so you need a way to protect these VMs from being deleted.

By setting the deletionProtection flag, a VM instance can be protected from accidental deletion. If a user attempts to delete a VM instance for which you have set the deletionProtection flag, the request fails. Only a user that has been granted a role with compute.instances.create permission can reset the flag to allow the resource to be deleted.

Before you begin

• Read the Instances documentation.
• If you haven't already, then set up authentication. Authentication is the process by which your identity is verified for access to Google Cloud services and APIs. To run code or samples from a local development environment, you can authenticate to Compute Engine by selecting one of the following options:
  

  Select the tab for how you plan to use the samples on this page:

  Console

  When you use the Google Cloud console to access Google Cloud services and APIs, you don't need to set up authentication.

  gcloud

  1. Install the Google Cloud CLI, then initialize it by running the following command:

     gcloud init

     Note: If you installed the gcloud CLI previously, make sure you have the latest version by running gcloud components update.
  2. Set a default region and zone.

  Go

  To use the Go samples on this page in a local development environment, install and initialize the gcloud CLI, and then set up Application Default Credentials with your user credentials.

  1. Install the Google Cloud CLI.

  2. To initialize the gcloud CLI, run the following command:

     gcloud init

  3. If you're using a local shell, then create local authentication credentials for your user account:

     gcloud auth application-default login

     You don't need to do this if you're using Cloud Shell.

  For more information, see Set up authentication for a local development environment.

  Java

  To use the Java samples on this page in a local development environment, install and initialize the gcloud CLI, and then set up Application Default Credentials with your user credentials.

  1. Install the Google Cloud CLI.

  2. To initialize the gcloud CLI, run the following command:

     gcloud init

  3. If you're using a local shell, then create local authentication credentials for your user account:

     gcloud auth application-default login

     You don't need to do this if you're using Cloud Shell.

  For more information, see Set up authentication for a local development environment.

  Node.js

  To use the Node.js samples on this page in a local development environment, install and initialize the gcloud CLI, and then set up Application Default Credentials with your user credentials.

  1. Install the Google Cloud CLI.

  2. To initialize the gcloud CLI, run the following command:

     gcloud init

  3. If you're using a local shell, then create local authentication credentials for your user account:

     gcloud auth application-default login

     You don't need to do this if you're using Cloud Shell.

  For more information, see Set up authentication for a local development environment.

  PHP

  To use the PHP samples on this page in a local development environment, install and initialize the gcloud CLI, and then set up Application Default Credentials with your user credentials.

  1. Install the Google Cloud CLI.

  2. To initialize the gcloud CLI, run the following command:

     gcloud init

  3. If you're using a local shell, then create local authentication credentials for your user account:

     gcloud auth application-default login

     You don't need to do this if you're using Cloud Shell.

  For more information, see Set up authentication for a local development environment.

  Python

  To use the Python samples on this page in a local development environment, install and initialize the gcloud CLI, and then set up Application Default Credentials with your user credentials.

  1. Install the Google Cloud CLI.

  2. To initialize the gcloud CLI, run the following command:

     gcloud init

  3. If you're using a local shell, then create local authentication credentials for your user account:

     gcloud auth application-default login

     You don't need to do this if you're using Cloud Shell.

  For more information, see Set up authentication for a local development environment.

  REST

  To use the REST API samples on this page in a local development environment, you use the credentials you provide to the gcloud CLI.

  Install the Google Cloud CLI, then initialize it by running the following command:

  gcloud init

  For more information, see Authenticate for using REST in the Google Cloud authentication documentation.

Specifications

• Deletion prevention does not prevent the following actions:

  • Terminating an instance from within the VM (such as running the shutdown command)
  • Stopping an instance
  • Resetting an instance
  • Suspending an instance
  • Instances being removed due to fraud and abuse after being detected by Google
  • Instances being removed due to project termination

• Deletion protection can be applied to both regular VMs and preemptible VMs.

• Deletion protection cannot be applied to VMs that are part of a managed instance group but can be applied to instances that are part of unmanaged instance groups.

• Deletion prevention cannot be specified in instance templates.

Permissions

To perform this task, you must have been granted the following permissions OR one of the following IAM roles on the resource.

Permissions

• compute.instances.create

Roles

• compute.admin
• compute.instanceAdmin.v1

Setting deletion protection during instance creation

By default, deletion protection is disabled for your instance. Enable deletion protection using the instructions below.

Console

1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Create an instance page.

   Go to Create an instance

2. Expand the Advanced options section and do the following:

   1. Expand the Management section.
   2. Select the Enable deletion protection checkbox.

3. Continue with the VM creation process.

gcloud

When creating a VM instance, include either the --deletion-protection or no-deletion-protection flags. Deletion protection is disabled by default so to enable deletion protection:

gcloud compute instances create [INSTANCE_NAME] --deletion-protection

where [INSTANCE_NAME] is the name of the desired instance.

To disable deletion protection during creation:

gcloud compute instances create [INSTANCE_NAME] --no-deletion-protection

Go

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"io"

	compute "cloud.google.com/go/compute/apiv1"
	computepb "cloud.google.com/go/compute/apiv1/computepb"
	"google.golang.org/protobuf/proto"
)

// createInstance sends an instance creation request to the Compute Engine API
// and waits for it to complete.
func createInstance(w io.Writer, projectID, zone, instanceName string, deleteProtection bool) error {
	// projectID := "your_project_id"
	// zone := "europe-central2-b"
	// instanceName := "your_instance_name"
	// deleteProtection := true

	ctx := context.Background()
	instancesClient, err := compute.NewInstancesRESTClient(ctx)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("NewInstancesRESTClient: %w", err)
	}
	defer instancesClient.Close()

	req := &computepb.InsertInstanceRequest{
		Project: projectID,
		Zone:    zone,
		InstanceResource: &computepb.Instance{
			Name: proto.String(instanceName),
			// Set the delete protection bit.
			DeletionProtection: proto.Bool(deleteProtection),
			Disks: []*computepb.AttachedDisk{
				{
					// Describe the size and source image of the boot disk to attach to the instance.
					InitializeParams: &computepb.AttachedDiskInitializeParams{
						DiskSizeGb:  proto.Int64(10),
						SourceImage: proto.String("projects/debian-cloud/global/images/family/debian-12"),
					},
					AutoDelete: proto.Bool(true),
					Boot:       proto.Bool(true),
					Type:       proto.String(computepb.AttachedDisk_PERSISTENT.String()),
				},
			},
			MachineType: proto.String(fmt.Sprintf("zones/%s/machineTypes/e2-small", zone)),
			NetworkInterfaces: []*computepb.NetworkInterface{
				{
					// Use the default VPC network.
					Name: proto.String("default"),
				},
			},
		},
	}

	op, err := instancesClient.Insert(ctx, req)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("unable to create instance: %w", err)
	}

	if err = op.Wait(ctx); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("unable to wait for the operation: %w", err)
	}

	fmt.Fprintf(w, "Instance created\n")

	return nil
}

Java

import com.google.cloud.compute.v1.AttachedDisk;
import com.google.cloud.compute.v1.AttachedDiskInitializeParams;
import com.google.cloud.compute.v1.InsertInstanceRequest;
import com.google.cloud.compute.v1.Instance;
import com.google.cloud.compute.v1.InstancesClient;
import com.google.cloud.compute.v1.NetworkInterface;
import com.google.cloud.compute.v1.Operation;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeoutException;

public class CreateInstanceDeleteProtection {

  public static void main(String[] args)
      throws IOException, ExecutionException, InterruptedException, TimeoutException {
    // TODO(developer): Replace these variables before running the sample.
    // project: project ID or project number of the Cloud project you want to use.
    // zone: name of the zone you want to use. For example: “us-west3-b”
    // instanceName: name of the new virtual machine.
    // deleteProtection: boolean value indicating if the new virtual machine should be
    // protected against deletion or not.
    String projectId = "your-project-id-or-number";
    String zone = "zone-name";
    String instanceName = "instance-name";
    boolean deleteProtection = true;
    createInstanceDeleteProtection(projectId, zone, instanceName, deleteProtection);
  }

  // Send an instance creation request to the Compute Engine API and wait for it to complete.
  public static void createInstanceDeleteProtection(String projectId, String zone,
      String instanceName, boolean deleteProtection)
      throws IOException, ExecutionException, InterruptedException, TimeoutException {

    String machineType = String.format("zones/%s/machineTypes/e2-small", zone);
    String sourceImage = String
        .format("projects/debian-cloud/global/images/family/%s", "debian-11");
    long diskSizeGb = 10L;
    String networkName = "default";

    // Instance creation requires at least one persistent disk and one network interface.
    try (InstancesClient instancesClient = InstancesClient.create()) {

      AttachedDisk disk =
          AttachedDisk.newBuilder()
              .setBoot(true)
              .setAutoDelete(true)
              .setType(AttachedDisk.Type.PERSISTENT.toString())
              .setInitializeParams(
                  // Describe the size and source image of the boot disk to attach to the instance.
                  AttachedDiskInitializeParams.newBuilder()
                      .setSourceImage(sourceImage)
                      .setDiskSizeGb(diskSizeGb)
                      .build())
              .build();

      // Use the default VPC network.
      NetworkInterface networkInterface = NetworkInterface.newBuilder()
          .setName(networkName)
          .build();

      // Collect information into the Instance object.
      Instance instanceResource =
          Instance.newBuilder()
              .setName(instanceName)
              .setMachineType(machineType)
              .addDisks(disk)
              .addNetworkInterfaces(networkInterface)
              // Set the "Delete protection" bit.
              .setDeletionProtection(deleteProtection)
              .build();

      System.out.printf("Creating instance: %s at %s %n", instanceName, zone);

      // Prepare the request to insert an instance.
      InsertInstanceRequest insertInstanceRequest = InsertInstanceRequest.newBuilder()
          .setProject(projectId)
          .setZone(zone)
          .setInstanceResource(instanceResource)
          .build();

      // Wait for the create operation to complete.
      Operation response = instancesClient.insertAsync(insertInstanceRequest)
          .get(3, TimeUnit.MINUTES);
      ;

      if (response.hasError()) {
        System.out.println("Instance creation failed ! ! " + response);
        return;
      }
      System.out.printf("Instance created : %s", instanceName);
      System.out.println("Operation Status: " + response.getStatus());
    }
  }
}

Node.js

/**
 * TODO(developer): Uncomment and replace these variables before running the sample.
 */
// const projectId = 'YOUR_PROJECT_ID';
// const zone = 'europe-central2-b';
// const instanceName = 'YOUR_INSTANCE_NAME';
// const deleteProtection = true;

const compute = require('@google-cloud/compute');

// Send an instance creation request to the Compute Engine API and wait for it to complete.
async function createInstance() {
  const instancesClient = new compute.InstancesClient();

  const [response] = await instancesClient.insert({
    project: projectId,
    zone,
    instanceResource: {
      name: instanceName,
      // Set the delete protection bit.
      deletionProtection: deleteProtection,
      disks: [
        {
          // Describe the size and source image of the boot disk to attach to the instance.
          initializeParams: {
            diskSizeGb: '10',
            sourceImage:
              'projects/debian-cloud/global/images/family/debian-11',
          },
          autoDelete: true,
          boot: true,
          type: 'PERSISTENT',
        },
      ],
      machineType: `zones/${zone}/machineTypes/e2-small`,
      networkInterfaces: [
        {
          // Use the default VPC network.
          name: 'default',
        },
      ],
    },
  });
  let operation = response.latestResponse;
  const operationsClient = new compute.ZoneOperationsClient();

  // Wait for the create operation to complete.
  while (operation.status !== 'DONE') {
    [operation] = await operationsClient.wait({
      operation: operation.name,
      project: projectId,
      zone: operation.zone.split('/').pop(),
    });
  }

  console.log('Instance created.');
}

createInstance();

Python

from __future__ import annotations

import re
import sys
from typing import Any
import warnings

from google.api_core.extended_operation import ExtendedOperation
from google.cloud import compute_v1


def get_image_from_family(project: str, family: str) -> compute_v1.Image:
    """
    Retrieve the newest image that is part of a given family in a project.

    Args:
        project: project ID or project number of the Cloud project you want to get image from.
        family: name of the image family you want to get image from.

    Returns:
        An Image object.
    """
    image_client = compute_v1.ImagesClient()
    # List of public operating system (OS) images: https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/images/os-details
    newest_image = image_client.get_from_family(project=project, family=family)
    return newest_image


def disk_from_image(
    disk_type: str,
    disk_size_gb: int,
    boot: bool,
    source_image: str,
    auto_delete: bool = True,
) -> compute_v1.AttachedDisk:
    """
    Create an AttachedDisk object to be used in VM instance creation. Uses an image as the
    source for the new disk.

    Args:
         disk_type: the type of disk you want to create. This value uses the following format:
            "zones/{zone}/diskTypes/(pd-standard|pd-ssd|pd-balanced|pd-extreme)".
            For example: "zones/us-west3-b/diskTypes/pd-ssd"
        disk_size_gb: size of the new disk in gigabytes
        boot: boolean flag indicating whether this disk should be used as a boot disk of an instance
        source_image: source image to use when creating this disk. You must have read access to this disk. This can be one
            of the publicly available images or an image from one of your projects.
            This value uses the following format: "projects/{project_name}/global/images/{image_name}"
        auto_delete: boolean flag indicating whether this disk should be deleted with the VM that uses it

    Returns:
        AttachedDisk object configured to be created using the specified image.
    """
    boot_disk = compute_v1.AttachedDisk()
    initialize_params = compute_v1.AttachedDiskInitializeParams()
    initialize_params.source_image = source_image
    initialize_params.disk_size_gb = disk_size_gb
    initialize_params.disk_type = disk_type
    boot_disk.initialize_params = initialize_params
    # Remember to set auto_delete to True if you want the disk to be deleted when you delete
    # your VM instance.
    boot_disk.auto_delete = auto_delete
    boot_disk.boot = boot
    return boot_disk


def wait_for_extended_operation(
    operation: ExtendedOperation, verbose_name: str = "operation", timeout: int = 300
) -> Any:
    """
    Waits for the extended (long-running) operation to complete.

    If the operation is successful, it will return its result.
    If the operation ends with an error, an exception will be raised.
    If there were any warnings during the execution of the operation
    they will be printed to sys.stderr.

    Args:
        operation: a long-running operation you want to wait on.
        verbose_name: (optional) a more verbose name of the operation,
            used only during error and warning reporting.
        timeout: how long (in seconds) to wait for operation to finish.
            If None, wait indefinitely.

    Returns:
        Whatever the operation.result() returns.

    Raises:
        This method will raise the exception received from `operation.exception()`
        or RuntimeError if there is no exception set, but there is an `error_code`
        set for the `operation`.

        In case of an operation taking longer than `timeout` seconds to complete,
        a `concurrent.futures.TimeoutError` will be raised.
    """
    result = operation.result(timeout=timeout)

    if operation.error_code:
        print(
            f"Error during {verbose_name}: [Code: {operation.error_code}]: {operation.error_message}",
            file=sys.stderr,
            flush=True,
        )
        print(f"Operation ID: {operation.name}", file=sys.stderr, flush=True)
        raise operation.exception() or RuntimeError(operation.error_message)

    if operation.warnings:
        print(f"Warnings during {verbose_name}:\n", file=sys.stderr, flush=True)
        for warning in operation.warnings:
            print(f" - {warning.code}: {warning.message}", file=sys.stderr, flush=True)

    return result


def create_instance(
    project_id: str,
    zone: str,
    instance_name: str,
    disks: list[compute_v1.AttachedDisk],
    machine_type: str = "n1-standard-1",
    network_link: str = "global/networks/default",
    subnetwork_link: str = None,
    internal_ip: str = None,
    external_access: bool = False,
    external_ipv4: str = None,
    accelerators: list[compute_v1.AcceleratorConfig] = None,
    preemptible: bool = False,
    spot: bool = False,
    instance_termination_action: str = "STOP",
    custom_hostname: str = None,
    delete_protection: bool = False,
) -> compute_v1.Instance:
    """
    Send an instance creation request to the Compute Engine API and wait for it to complete.

    Args:
        project_id: project ID or project number of the Cloud project you want to use.
        zone: name of the zone to create the instance in. For example: "us-west3-b"
        instance_name: name of the new virtual machine (VM) instance.
        disks: a list of compute_v1.AttachedDisk objects describing the disks
            you want to attach to your new instance.
        machine_type: machine type of the VM being created. This value uses the
            following format: "zones/{zone}/machineTypes/{type_name}".
            For example: "zones/europe-west3-c/machineTypes/f1-micro"
        network_link: name of the network you want the new instance to use.
            For example: "global/networks/default" represents the network
            named "default", which is created automatically for each project.
        subnetwork_link: name of the subnetwork you want the new instance to use.
            This value uses the following format:
            "regions/{region}/subnetworks/{subnetwork_name}"
        internal_ip: internal IP address you want to assign to the new instance.
            By default, a free address from the pool of available internal IP addresses of
            used subnet will be used.
        external_access: boolean flag indicating if the instance should have an external IPv4
            address assigned.
        external_ipv4: external IPv4 address to be assigned to this instance. If you specify
            an external IP address, it must live in the same region as the zone of the instance.
            This setting requires `external_access` to be set to True to work.
        accelerators: a list of AcceleratorConfig objects describing the accelerators that will
            be attached to the new instance.
        preemptible: boolean value indicating if the new instance should be preemptible
            or not. Preemptible VMs have been deprecated and you should now use Spot VMs.
        spot: boolean value indicating if the new instance should be a Spot VM or not.
        instance_termination_action: What action should be taken once a Spot VM is terminated.
            Possible values: "STOP", "DELETE"
        custom_hostname: Custom hostname of the new VM instance.
            Custom hostnames must conform to RFC 1035 requirements for valid hostnames.
        delete_protection: boolean value indicating if the new virtual machine should be
            protected against deletion or not.
    Returns:
        Instance object.
    """
    instance_client = compute_v1.InstancesClient()

    # Use the network interface provided in the network_link argument.
    network_interface = compute_v1.NetworkInterface()
    network_interface.network = network_link
    if subnetwork_link:
        network_interface.subnetwork = subnetwork_link

    if internal_ip:
        network_interface.network_i_p = internal_ip

    if external_access:
        access = compute_v1.AccessConfig()
        access.type_ = compute_v1.AccessConfig.Type.ONE_TO_ONE_NAT.name
        access.name = "External NAT"
        access.network_tier = access.NetworkTier.PREMIUM.name
        if external_ipv4:
            access.nat_i_p = external_ipv4
        network_interface.access_configs = [access]

    # Collect information into the Instance object.
    instance = compute_v1.Instance()
    instance.network_interfaces = [network_interface]
    instance.name = instance_name
    instance.disks = disks
    if re.match(r"^zones/[a-z\d\-]+/machineTypes/[a-z\d\-]+$", machine_type):
        instance.machine_type = machine_type
    else:
        instance.machine_type = f"zones/{zone}/machineTypes/{machine_type}"

    instance.scheduling = compute_v1.Scheduling()
    if accelerators:
        instance.guest_accelerators = accelerators
        instance.scheduling.on_host_maintenance = (
            compute_v1.Scheduling.OnHostMaintenance.TERMINATE.name
        )

    if preemptible:
        # Set the preemptible setting
        warnings.warn(
            "Preemptible VMs are being replaced by Spot VMs.", DeprecationWarning
        )
        instance.scheduling = compute_v1.Scheduling()
        instance.scheduling.preemptible = True

    if spot:
        # Set the Spot VM setting
        instance.scheduling.provisioning_model = (
            compute_v1.Scheduling.ProvisioningModel.SPOT.name
        )
        instance.scheduling.instance_termination_action = instance_termination_action

    if custom_hostname is not None:
        # Set the custom hostname for the instance
        instance.hostname = custom_hostname

    if delete_protection:
        # Set the delete protection bit
        instance.deletion_protection = True

    # Prepare the request to insert an instance.
    request = compute_v1.InsertInstanceRequest()
    request.zone = zone
    request.project = project_id
    request.instance_resource = instance

    # Wait for the create operation to complete.
    print(f"Creating the {instance_name} instance in {zone}...")

    operation = instance_client.insert(request=request)

    wait_for_extended_operation(operation, "instance creation")

    print(f"Instance {instance_name} created.")
    return instance_client.get(project=project_id, zone=zone, instance=instance_name)


def create_protected_instance(
    project_id: str, zone: str, instance_name: str
) -> compute_v1.Instance:
    """
    Create a new VM instance with Debian 10 operating system and delete protection
    turned on.

    Args:
        project_id: project ID or project number of the Cloud project you want to use.
        zone: name of the zone to create the instance in. For example: "us-west3-b"
        instance_name: name of the new virtual machine (VM) instance.

    Returns:
        Instance object.
    """
    newest_debian = get_image_from_family(project="debian-cloud", family="debian-11")
    disk_type = f"zones/{zone}/diskTypes/pd-standard"
    disks = [disk_from_image(disk_type, 10, True, newest_debian.self_link)]
    instance = create_instance(
        project_id, zone, instance_name, disks, delete_protection=True
    )
    return instance

REST

In the API, when creating a VM instance, include the deletionProtection property in your request body. For example:

POST https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/[PROJECT_ID]/zones/[ZONE]/instances

{
  "name": "[INSTANCE_NAME]",
  "deletionProtection": "true",
  ...
}

To disable deletion protection, set deletionProtection to false.

Determining if an instance has deletion protection enabled

You can determine if an instance has deletion protection enabled in the gcloud tool or in the API.

Console

1. Go to the VM instances page.

   Go to VM instances

2. If prompted, select your project and click Continue.

3. On the VM instances page, pull down the Columns menu and enable Deletion protection.

   

4. A new column appears with the deletion protection icon. If a VM has deletion protection enabled, the icon appears next to the instance name.

gcloud

In the gcloud CLI, run the instances describe command and search for the deletion protection field. For example:

gcloud compute instances describe example-instance | grep "deletionProtection"

The tool returns the value of the deletionProtection property, either set to true or false:

deletionProtection: false

Go

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"io"

	compute "cloud.google.com/go/compute/apiv1"
	computepb "cloud.google.com/go/compute/apiv1/computepb"
)

// getDeleteProtection prints the state of delete protection flag of given instance.
func getDeleteProtection(w io.Writer, projectID, zone, instanceName string) error {
	// projectID := "your_project_id"
	// zone := "europe-central2-b"
	// instanceName := "your_instance_name"

	ctx := context.Background()
	instancesClient, err := compute.NewInstancesRESTClient(ctx)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("NewInstancesRESTClient: %w", err)
	}
	defer instancesClient.Close()

	req := &computepb.GetInstanceRequest{
		Project:  projectID,
		Zone:     zone,
		Instance: instanceName,
	}

	instance, err := instancesClient.Get(ctx, req)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("unable to get instance: %w", err)
	}

	fmt.Fprintf(w, "Instance %s has DeleteProtection value: %v", instanceName, instance.GetDeletionProtection())

	return nil
}

Java

import com.google.cloud.compute.v1.Instance;
import com.google.cloud.compute.v1.InstancesClient;
import java.io.IOException;

public class GetDeleteProtection {

  public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
    // TODO(developer): Replace these variables before running the sample.
    // project: project ID or project number of the Cloud project you want to use.
    // zone: name of the zone you want to use. For example: “us-west3-b”
    // instanceName: name of the new virtual machine.
    String projectId = "your-project-id-or-number";
    String zone = "zone-name";
    String instanceName = "instance-name";
    getDeleteProtection(projectId, zone, instanceName);
  }

  // Returns the state of delete protection flag of given instance.
  public static boolean getDeleteProtection(String projectId, String zone,
      String instanceName) throws IOException {

    try (InstancesClient instancesClient = InstancesClient.create()) {
      Instance instance = instancesClient.get(projectId, zone, instanceName);
      boolean deleteProtection = instance.getDeletionProtection();
      System.out.printf("Retrieved Delete Protection setting for instance: %s : %s", instanceName,
          deleteProtection);

      return deleteProtection;
    }
  }
}

Node.js

/**
 * TODO(developer): Uncomment and replace these variables before running the sample.
 */
// const projectId = 'YOUR_PROJECT_ID';
// const zone = 'europe-central2-b';
// const instanceName = 'YOUR_INSTANCE_NAME';

const compute = require('@google-cloud/compute');

// Print the state of delete protection flag of given instance.
async function getDeleteProtection() {
  const instancesClient = new compute.InstancesClient();

  const [instance] = await instancesClient.get({
    project: projectId,
    zone,
    instance: instanceName,
  });

  console.log(
    `Instance ${instanceName} has deletionProtection value: ${instance.deletionProtection}`
  );
}

getDeleteProtection();

Python

from google.cloud import compute_v1


def get_delete_protection(project_id: str, zone: str, instance_name: str) -> bool:
    """
    Returns the state of delete protection flag of given instance.
    Args:
        project_id: project ID or project number of the Cloud project you want to use.
        zone: name of the zone you want to use. For example: “us-west3-b”
        instance_name: name of the virtual machine to check.
    Returns:
        The boolean value of the delete protection setting.
    """
    instance_client = compute_v1.InstancesClient()
    instance = instance_client.get(
        project=project_id, zone=zone, instance=instance_name
    )
    return instance.deletion_protection

REST

In the API, make a GET request and look for the deletionProtection field:

GET https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/[PROJECT_ID]/zones/[ZONE]/instances/[INSTANCE_NAME]

Toggling deletion protection for existing instances

You can toggle deletion protection for an existing instance, irrespective of the instance's current status. Specifically, you do not have to stop the instance before you can enable or disable deletion protection.

Console

1. Go to the VM instances page.

   Go to VM instances

2. If prompted, select your project and click Continue.

3. Click the name of the instance for which you want to toggle deletion protection. The instance details page displays.

4. From the instance details page, complete the following steps:

   1. Click the Edit button at the top of the page.

   2. Under Deletion Protection, check the box to enable or uncheck the box to disable deletion protection.

      

   3. Save your changes.

gcloud

Using the gcloud CLI, run the update command with either the --deletion-protection or --no-deletion-protection flag:

gcloud compute instances update [INSTANCE_NAME] \
    [--deletion-protection | --no-deletion-protection]

For example, to enable deletion protection for an instance named example-vm:

gcloud compute instances update example-vm --deletion-protection

Go

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"io"

	compute "cloud.google.com/go/compute/apiv1"
	computepb "cloud.google.com/go/compute/apiv1/computepb"
	"google.golang.org/protobuf/proto"
)

// setDeleteProtection updates the delete protection setting of given instance.
func setDeleteProtection(w io.Writer, projectID, zone, instanceName string, deleteProtection bool) error {
	// projectID := "your_project_id"
	// zone := "europe-central2-b"
	// instanceName := "your_instance_name"
	// deleteProtection := true

	ctx := context.Background()
	instancesClient, err := compute.NewInstancesRESTClient(ctx)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("NewInstancesRESTClient: %w", err)
	}
	defer instancesClient.Close()

	req := &computepb.SetDeletionProtectionInstanceRequest{
		Project:            projectID,
		Zone:               zone,
		Resource:           instanceName,
		DeletionProtection: proto.Bool(deleteProtection),
	}

	op, err := instancesClient.SetDeletionProtection(ctx, req)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("unable to set deletion protection: %w", err)
	}

	if err = op.Wait(ctx); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("unable to wait for the operation: %w", err)
	}

	fmt.Fprintf(w, "Instance updated\n")

	return nil
}

Java

import com.google.cloud.compute.v1.InstancesClient;
import com.google.cloud.compute.v1.SetDeletionProtectionInstanceRequest;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeoutException;

public class SetDeleteProtection {

  public static void main(String[] args)
      throws IOException, ExecutionException, InterruptedException, TimeoutException {
    // TODO(developer): Replace these variables before running the sample.
    // project: project ID or project number of the Cloud project you want to use.
    // zone: name of the zone you want to use. For example: “us-west3-b”
    // instanceName: name of the new virtual machine.
    // deleteProtection: boolean value indicating if the new virtual machine should be
    // protected against deletion or not.
    String projectId = "your-project-id-or-number";
    String zone = "zone-name";
    String instanceName = "instance-name";
    boolean deleteProtection = true;
    setDeleteProtection(projectId, zone, instanceName, deleteProtection);
  }

  // Updates the "Delete Protection" setting of given instance.
  public static void setDeleteProtection(String projectId, String zone,
      String instanceName, boolean deleteProtection)
      throws IOException, ExecutionException, InterruptedException, TimeoutException {

    try (InstancesClient instancesClient = InstancesClient.create()) {

      SetDeletionProtectionInstanceRequest request =
          SetDeletionProtectionInstanceRequest.newBuilder()
              .setProject(projectId)
              .setZone(zone)
              .setResource(instanceName)
              .setDeletionProtection(deleteProtection)
              .build();

      instancesClient.setDeletionProtectionAsync(request).get(3, TimeUnit.MINUTES);
      ;
      // Retrieve the updated setting from the instance.
      System.out.printf("Updated Delete Protection setting: %s",
          instancesClient.get(projectId, zone, instanceName).getDeletionProtection());
    }
  }
}

Node.js

/**
 * TODO(developer): Uncomment and replace these variables before running the sample.
 */
// const projectId = 'YOUR_PROJECT_ID';
// const zone = 'europe-central2-b';
// const instanceName = 'YOUR_INSTANCE_NAME';
// const deleteProtection = True;

const compute = require('@google-cloud/compute');

// Update the delete protection setting of given instance.
async function setDeleteProtection() {
  const instancesClient = new compute.InstancesClient();

  const [response] = await instancesClient.setDeletionProtection({
    project: projectId,
    zone,
    // Set the delete protection bit.
    deletionProtection: deleteProtection,
    resource: instanceName,
  });
  let operation = response.latestResponse;
  const operationsClient = new compute.ZoneOperationsClient();

  // Wait for the create operation to complete.
  while (operation.status !== 'DONE') {
    [operation] = await operationsClient.wait({
      operation: operation.name,
      project: projectId,
      zone: operation.zone.split('/').pop(),
    });
  }

  console.log('Instance updated.');
}

setDeleteProtection();

Python

from __future__ import annotations

import sys
from typing import Any

from google.api_core.extended_operation import ExtendedOperation
from google.cloud import compute_v1


def wait_for_extended_operation(
    operation: ExtendedOperation, verbose_name: str = "operation", timeout: int = 300
) -> Any:
    """
    Waits for the extended (long-running) operation to complete.

    If the operation is successful, it will return its result.
    If the operation ends with an error, an exception will be raised.
    If there were any warnings during the execution of the operation
    they will be printed to sys.stderr.

    Args:
        operation: a long-running operation you want to wait on.
        verbose_name: (optional) a more verbose name of the operation,
            used only during error and warning reporting.
        timeout: how long (in seconds) to wait for operation to finish.
            If None, wait indefinitely.

    Returns:
        Whatever the operation.result() returns.

    Raises:
        This method will raise the exception received from `operation.exception()`
        or RuntimeError if there is no exception set, but there is an `error_code`
        set for the `operation`.

        In case of an operation taking longer than `timeout` seconds to complete,
        a `concurrent.futures.TimeoutError` will be raised.
    """
    result = operation.result(timeout=timeout)

    if operation.error_code:
        print(
            f"Error during {verbose_name}: [Code: {operation.error_code}]: {operation.error_message}",
            file=sys.stderr,
            flush=True,
        )
        print(f"Operation ID: {operation.name}", file=sys.stderr, flush=True)
        raise operation.exception() or RuntimeError(operation.error_message)

    if operation.warnings:
        print(f"Warnings during {verbose_name}:\n", file=sys.stderr, flush=True)
        for warning in operation.warnings:
            print(f" - {warning.code}: {warning.message}", file=sys.stderr, flush=True)

    return result


def set_delete_protection(
    project_id: str, zone: str, instance_name: str, delete_protection: bool
) -> None:
    """
    Updates the delete protection setting of given instance.
    Args:
        project_id: project ID or project number of the Cloud project you want to use.
        zone: name of the zone you want to use. For example: “us-west3-b”
        instance_name: name of the instance to update.
        delete_protection: boolean value indicating if the virtual machine should be
            protected against deletion or not.
    """
    instance_client = compute_v1.InstancesClient()

    request = compute_v1.SetDeletionProtectionInstanceRequest()
    request.project = project_id
    request.zone = zone
    request.resource = instance_name
    request.deletion_protection = delete_protection

    operation = instance_client.set_deletion_protection(request)
    wait_for_extended_operation(operation, "changing delete protection setting")

REST

In the API, make a POST request to the setDeletionProtection method with the deletionProtection query parameter. For example:

POST https://compute.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/[PROJECT_ID]/zones/[ZONE]/instances/[INSTANCE_NAME]/setDeletionProtection?deletionProtection=true

To disable deletion protection, set deletionProtection to false. Do not provide a request body with the request.

What's next

• Learn how to stop an instance.
• Delete your instances if you no longer need them.