# How to use remote images The [`lxc`](https://canonical.com/lxd/docs/default/reference/manpages/lxc/index.html.md#lxc-md) CLI command is pre-configured with several remote image servers. See [Remote image servers](https://canonical.com/lxd/docs/default/reference/remote_image_servers/index.html.md#remote-image-servers) for an overview. #### NOTE - If you are using the API, you can interact with different LXD servers by using their exposed API addresses. See [Authenticate with the LXD server](https://canonical.com/lxd/docs/default/howto/server_expose/index.html.md#server-authenticate) for instructions on how to authenticate with the servers. [How to manage images](https://canonical.com/lxd/docs/default/howto/images_manage/index.html.md#images-manage) describes how to interact with images on any LXD server through the API. - The UI is pre-configured with several remote image servers, but does not currently support adding other servers or managing remote images. You can see the available remote images (and which server they are hosted on) when you select the base image for a new instance. ## List configured remotes To see all configured remote servers, enter the following command: ```none lxc remote list ``` Remote servers that use the [simple streams format](https://git.launchpad.net/simplestreams/tree/) are pure image servers. Servers that use the `lxd` format are LXD servers, which either serve solely as image servers or might provide some images in addition to serving as regular LXD servers. See [Remote server types](https://canonical.com/lxd/docs/default/reference/remote_image_servers/index.html.md#remote-image-server-types) for more information. ## List available images on a remote To list all remote images on a server, enter the following command: ```none lxc image list : ``` You can filter the results. See [Filter available images](https://canonical.com/lxd/docs/default/howto/images_manage/index.html.md#images-manage-filter) for instructions. ## Add a remote server How to add a remote depends on the protocol that the server uses. ### Add a simple streams server To add a simple streams server as a remote, enter the following command: ```none lxc remote add --protocol=simplestreams ``` The URL must use HTTPS. ### Add a remote LXD server To add a LXD server as a remote, enter the following command: ```none lxc remote add [flags] ``` Some authentication methods require specific flags (for example, use [`lxc remote add --auth-type=oidc`](https://canonical.com/lxd/docs/default/reference/manpages/lxc/remote/add/index.html.md#lxc-remote-add-md) for OIDC authentication). See [Authenticate with the LXD server](https://canonical.com/lxd/docs/default/howto/server_expose/index.html.md#server-authenticate) and [Remote API authentication](https://canonical.com/lxd/docs/default/authentication/index.html.md#authentication) for more information. For example, enter the following command to add a remote through an IP address: ```none lxc remote add my-remote 192.0.2.10 ``` You are prompted to confirm the remote server fingerprint and then asked for the password or token, depending on the authentication method used by the remote. ## Reference an image To reference an image, specify its remote and its alias or fingerprint, separated with a colon. For example: ```none ubuntu:24.04 ubuntu-minimal:24.04 images:alpine/edge local:ed7509d7e83f ``` ## Select a default remote If you specify an image name without the name of the remote, the default image server is used. To see which server is configured as the default image server, enter the following command: ```none lxc remote get-default ``` To select a different remote as the default image server, enter the following command: ```none lxc remote switch ```