Networking model | DC VM Documentation

How the model is put together

A project can own one or more private networks.
The address range is assigned by the platform: you do not pass cidr when creating a network.
VMs attach to a network through an explicit call and receive an internal address.
Public IPs are project resources in their own right. Port forwarding rules are created inside a specific publicIpId.
When creating a VM, publicIpMode decides whether to take a new address, use an existing one, or go without a public address.
Networks and public IPs expose a status field just like VMs do, so you can tell whether the resource is ready or an operation is still running on it.

1
Create a private network or take an existing one
A network gives VMs a shared internal perimeter inside the project. The subnet is assigned automatically — there is nothing to set by hand.
2
Attach the VM and read its address
Attachment and update calls determine where the VM sits in the network. The internal address is assigned by the platform — read it from the resource state rather than deriving it yourself.
3
Allocate a public IP or find a ready one
External access is configured on a separate public IP resource, not on the network. It can be allocated up front and reused.
4
Add port forwarding rules
A rule ties an external port and protocol to a VM and a port inside the project network.

Deletion

A public IP is released by its own delete request. Deleting a network does not touch it: they are different resources. While the address is still in use, releasing it fails with 409 Conflict.

The dashboard and the API group these differently

A dashboard may show a private network and external access side by side as one thing. In the API they remain separate resources: networks own the internal topology, public IPs own the external address and its forwarding rules.

POST/projects/{projectId}/networks

Create a private project network with an assigned subnet.

POST/projects/{projectId}/networks/{networkId}/vms

Attach a VM to the network.

PUT/projects/{projectId}/networks/{networkId}/vms/{vmId}

Change a VM's attachment settings.

POST/projects/{projectId}/public-ips

Allocate a public IP in the project.

GET/projects/{projectId}/public-ips

List the project's public IPs.

POST/projects/{projectId}/public-ips/{publicIpId}/port-forwards

Create a port forwarding rule.