Compute Engine instances should have preemptible termination disabled
Prowler's check verifies that Compute Engine VM instances are not configured as `preemptible` or `Spot` VMs. Both of these instance types can be terminated by Google at any time when resources are needed elsewhere.
Preemptible and Spot VMs may be terminated at any time by Google Cloud, causing service disruptions for production workloads. They can also cause data loss if workloads are not fault-tolerant. They are designed for batch jobs and fault-tolerant workloads only.
What this control checks
Compute Engine instances must have preemptible termination disabled
Common pitfalls
Spot VMs also fail the check
This check verifies that VM instances are not configured as preemptible or Spot VMs. Spot VMs are the newer version of preemptible VMs and are Google's recommended approach for interruptible workloads.
Audit evidence
Evidence that deployed resources meet this control: Prowler check compute_instance_preemptible_vm_disabled (prowler gcp --checks compute_instance_preemptible_vm_disabled); PowerPipe control gcp_compliance.control.compute_instance_preemptible_termination_disabled.
Tool mappings
Use these identifiers to cross-reference this control across tools, reports, and evidence.
- Compliance.tf Control:
compute_instance_preemptible_termination_disabled - Powerpipe Control:
gcp_compliance.control.compute_instance_preemptible_termination_disabled - Prowler Check:
compute_instance_preemptible_vm_disabled
Last reviewed: 2026-10-09