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{: #getting-started} [comment]: # (linked help topic)

To get started with {{site.data.keyword.cloud}} Virtual Private Cloud:

1. Create a Virtual Private Cloud.
2. Create one or more subnets in the Virtual Private Cloud in one or more zones.
3. Create a public gateway (PGW) on a subnet if you want resources on your subnet to have access to the internet or vice-versa.
4. Select the profiles of virtual server instances (VSIs) you'd like to run, and instantiate them.
5. Reserve a floating IP address, and associate it with a virtual server instance if you want to reach it from the internet.
6. Deploy your service or applications across the virtual server instances.

• User Permissions: Be sure that your user has sufficient permissions to create and manage resources in your VPC. For a list of required permissions, see Granting permissions needed for VPC users.

• Have your SSH key ready: You will use an SSH key to connect to your virtual server instance(s).

  • Look for a file called id_rsa.pub under an .ssh directory under your home directory, for example, /Users/<USERNAME>/.ssh/id_rsa.pub. The file starts with ssh-rsa and ends with your email address.

  • Or Generate an SSH Key: If you do not have a public SSH key or if you forgot the password of an existing one, generate a new one by running the ssh-keygen command and following the prompts. For example, you can generate an SSH key on your Linux server by running the command ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "user_ID". That command generates two files. The generated public key is in the <your key>.pub file.

You can provision and manage all of your VPC resources through the UI, CLI, or REST API.

If you're new to IBM Cloud Virtual Private Cloud, choose any of the links below, which lead you through the process of creating your IBM Cloud VPC and its resources, from start to finish. You can choose whether to get started from the Console UI, the command line (CLI), or REST APIs.

• For access through the user interface, log into the IBM Cloud Console {: new_window}. For more information, see Creating a VPC using the IBM Cloud console.
• To use the command line interface, follow the Hello World example.
• For more advanced users, you can call the REST APIs directly. Follow the example code tutorial to get started with the REST APIs.

If you're ready to dig in, go directly to the detailed documentation about Networking for VPC, VSIs for VPC, and Block Storage for VPC:

• Networking for Virtual Private Cloud
• Virtual Servers for Virtual Private Cloud
• Block Storage for Virtual Private Cloud