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Working with this product via an AI agent? Datum publishes a Networks skill that teaches agents to create and manage networks with datumctl network. Datum MCP gives agents live access through its network and vpc toolsets.
gVPC is Datum’s private networking for your workloads. You create a network in your project, attach Compute workloads to it, and each Instance receives a private IPv6 address on that network. One network spans every location that your workloads run in, so you don’t create a separate network for each region.
A gVPC network in the center with an attachment port for each thing connected to it. On the left, an app on your laptop reaches the network through a datum tunnel (planned). On the right, Compute Instances in Dallas and Frankfurt (available) and a physical connection to your data center (exploring) attach to the same network. Dashed paths show the laptop app reaching the Dallas Instance, Dallas reaching Frankfurt, and Frankfurt reaching the data center, all through the network.

One network, many attachments. Compute Instances attach today. Tunnels from your laptop and physical connections are on the roadmap.

gVPC is in preview, and the networking.datumapis.com/v1alpha API can change.
For the story behind gVPC, see Meet me in the Galactic VPC on the Datum blog. gVPC runs on Datum’s global IPv6 backbone. Datum plans the addresses, carries the traffic, and keeps each network separate from every other network.

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How it works

A network belongs to a project, not to a location. You attach Compute workloads to a network, and every Instance of those workloads gets a private IPv6 address on it, in whichever location the Instance runs. Networks are isolated from each other, and public traffic reaches Instances only through Datum’s Application Load Balancer. For details, see Networks overview.

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Features

gVPC provides the following features:
  • One network across locations: A network is a single project-wide resource. Every workload that names it, in any location, attaches to the same network, and each Instance gets a private IPv6 address on it.
  • Automatic addressing: Datum assigns address space to each network and an address to each Instance. You don’t plan subnets.
  • Stable addresses when you need them: Instances keep their addresses when Datum replaces them, and a workload can keep addresses reserved when it scales down.
  • Network services: A network service gives a workload’s Instances a stable name and named ports, so a load balancer can send traffic to them.
  • Declarative: Networks are Kubernetes-style resources that you manage with the datumctl network plugin, manifests, or GitOps tooling.
To learn what Datum is working on next, see Planned capabilities.

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What’s next

Networks

How networks relate to projects, locations, and workloads.

Configuration

Create a network and attach a workload to it.

Network services

Give a workload a stable name and named ports for a load balancer.

Operations

Inspect, change, and delete networks and network services with the network plugin.

Limitations and roadmap

Review networking limitations and planned capabilities.

Deploy an app

Deploy a workload that attaches to the default network.
Last modified on October 23, 2026