---
name: "cloud-localds"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "cloud-image-utils"
version: "0.34-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/cloud-localds"
---

# cloud-localds(1)

create a disk for cloud-init to utilize nocloud

## NAME

cloud-localds - create a disk for cloud-init to utilize nocloud

## SYNOPSIS

**cloud-localds** \[options\] output user-data \[meta-data\]

## DESCRIPTION

**cloud-localds** creates a disk-image with user-data and/or meta-data for [**cloud-init**(1)](/cloud-init/1.md). user-data can contain everything which is supported by [**cloud-init**(1)](/cloud-init/1.md)

## OPTIONS

- **-d**, **--disk\_format**=*DISKFORMAT*

  Disk format to output. See [**qemu-img**(1)](/qemu-img/1.md) for allowed disk formats. Default is raw.

- **-f**, **--filesystem**=*FORMAT*

  Filesystem format. Allowed formats are vfat and iso. Default is iso9660.

- **-h**, **--help**

  Show usage.

- **-i**, **--interfaces**

  Write network interfaces file into metadata.

- **-m**, **--dsmode**=*MODE*

  Add dsmode to the metadata. Allowed are local or net. Default in [**cloud-init**(1)](/cloud-init/1.md) is net.

## EXAMPLES

This example creates a disk image with user-data which can be used to start a cloud image which supports [**cloud-init**(1)](/cloud-init/1.md).

- Create some user-data:

  -

  ```
cat > my-user-data <<EOF
password: passw0rd
chpasswd: { expire: False }
ssh_pwauth: True
EOF
```

- Create the disk image which contains the user-data:

  -

  ```
cloud-localds my-seed.img my-user-data
```

- Boot the cloud-image:

  -

  ```
qemu -net nic -net user -hda cloud-image.img -hdb my-seed.img -m 512
```

cloud-image.img is a image which supports [**cloud-init**(1)](/cloud-init/1.md) during the boot process.

## SEE ALSO

[**cloud-init**(1)](/cloud-init/1.md), [**qemu-img**(1)](/qemu-img/1.md), [**qemu**(1)](/qemu/1.md)

## AUTHOR

This manpage was written by Thomas Bechtold \<thomasbechtold@jpberlin.de\> for Debian systems (but may be used by others). Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU General Public License, Version 3 published by the Free Software Foundation.