cloud-init is an industry-standard tool for initializing and configuring cloud instances

cloud-init is an industry-standard tool for initializing and configuring cloud instances (virtual machines or servers). It’s widely used by cloud providers (like AWS, Azure, or DigitalOcean) to automate the setup of new systems. For example, it can configure network settings, set hostnames, install packages, or run user-defined scripts when a cloud instance boots for the first time. It’s especially handy for provisioning servers at scale.