---
title: "Creating Lab Profiles & Environments"
slug: "creating-lab-profiles"
updated: 2025-07-29T17:46:53Z
published: 2025-07-29T17:46:53Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.skillable.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Creating Lab Profiles & Environments

Lab Profiles are the definitions or configurations for Skillable labs. Settings such as the virtual or cloud components utilized, how networking is configured, duration of the lab, etc. are all specified on the lab profile, in addition to the lab instructions and any skill validation activities. Lab profiles can exist on their own, but cannot be launched outside of Skillable Studio without being associated to a Lab Series. In Skillable Studio, there are three common paths for creating a new lab profile:

- [Create lab profile from the Template Gallery](/v1/docs/creating-lab-profiles#create-lab-profile-from-the-template-gallery) **(Most Recommended)**
- [Create lab profile from another lab](/v1/docs/creating-lab-profiles#create-lab-profile-from-another-lab)
- [Create new custom lab profile & environment](/v1/docs/creating-lab-profiles#create-new-custom-lab-profile) **(Least Recommended)**

![](https://cdn.document360.io/a298db04-a0fe-47e0-bfe3-c52d6f9d7c8c/Images/Documentation/image(119).png)

## Create a Lab Profile from the Template Gallery

The Template Gallery allows lab developers to easily search for and select pre-created labs to use as the base for a new lab. While there are ways lab developers can do this with any lab they have access to, lab templates provide specific quick and easy starting points pre-approved by lab administrators. To create a lab from the template gallery, you must first identify a template that achieves your goals and then create a new lab profile from that template.

### Finding the Right Template

The options for templates to use as starting points is comprised of both Skillable curated templates and templates specific to your organization. As the scenarios you’re building labs on continues to grow, identifying the right template is paramount in providing maximum efficiency from the start. To identify the correct template, navigate to the [Template Gallery](https://labondemand.com/TemplateGallery) and utilize any combination of **Filters**, **Search**, **Descriptions**, **Previews**, and **Favorites**.

****Filters:**Use filters to quickly reduce the choices of templates using known properties about the labs.**

![](https://cdn.document360.io/a298db04-a0fe-47e0-bfe3-c52d6f9d7c8c/Images/Documentation/Snag_343e457a.png)

****Search:** Use the search box to limit choices by templates that match your search terms in their name or description.**

![](https://cdn.document360.io/a298db04-a0fe-47e0-bfe3-c52d6f9d7c8c/Images/Documentation/image(121).png)

****Descriptions & Preview:** **(1)** Use descriptions to gain a better understanding of what exactly that template is. **(2)** If it is still unclear, use the preview option to launch a running instance and see exactly what that lab is like before creating your own copy.**

![](https://cdn.document360.io/a298db04-a0fe-47e0-bfe3-c52d6f9d7c8c/Images/Documentation/image(122).png)

****Favorites:** Found a template you’d like to use often? Favorite it so it’s easy to come back to and use later.**

![](https://cdn.document360.io/a298db04-a0fe-47e0-bfe3-c52d6f9d7c8c/Images/Documentation/Snag_344d9381.png)

### Creating a Lab from Template

Once you have identified the template you want to use, select **Create** on it and define the following information:

| Setting | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Number** | Configure this to anything you’d like. This is often viewed as the “lab code” and represents a short hand way reference to the lab other than it’s name. Example: If your lab is “Azure 101” you may make the number “AZ-101” |
| **Name** | The name of your lab. |
| **Description** | Optional Metadata that can be added (and also retrieved over API) to provide added context about the lab. |
| **Series** | The lab series you want the lab to be organized in. |
| **Duration** | This is the value billing is based on and that controls how long a user is allowed to be in the lab environment. Ensure this is set to the appropriate desired (this can be changed later) |
| **Tags** | Remove any tags that do not apply to the new lab you are creating. |
| **Subscription Pool** **(If Applicable)** | Select the subscription pool associated with your organization for this lab to deploy in. |

Once the create form is complete, click **OK** to continue and you have a new lab! You can now further modify any of your lab profile settings using the **Edit Profile** option or further customize the environment as outlined in [create environment](/v1/docs/creating-lab-profiles#create-environment).

****Expand to see recommended lab profile settings to review****

| Setting | Location | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Prompt User to Extend Time** | Basic Information | If you leave this setting enabled, consider the **# Minutes**and **Minutes Remaining** values for this setting. Make sure they align with your intended use case. |
| **Owner Name & Email** | Basic Information | This associates the lab with a specific person as the **Owner** and provides contact information for either Skillable Support or other internal peers if an issue is identified with the lab. |
| **Deployment Failure** **(If Applicable)** | Cloud | This option determines what happens if your lab fails to deploy for any reason. For production labs, we recommend this is set to **Terminate Lab** to avoid learners entering an experience with issues. While a lab is in development, **other options can assist with troubleshooting**. |
| **Datacenter Availability** **(If Applicable)** | Cloud | Configure whatever regions you would like this lab to be able to be delivered in. This enables the labs to use [Geolocation](/v1/docs/geolocation) so they deploy in the region closest to the user. ***NOTE:****Compute Gallery images must be replicated in all selected regions.* |
| **Resource Group** **(If Applicable)** | Cloud | When Skillable creates a Cloud Slice, they will generate a resource group with a format of **{prefix}-#####**. **You must create at least one.** When created, a default prefix is defined, but this can be changed to a value of your choosing. |
| **Network** **(If Applicable)** | Networks | Create a network, this is required for your virtual machine(s). If virtual machines (VM) in your lab(s) use a custom UUID or static MAC address, and uses a public IP address, you may encounter issues with subsequent launches after the lab has been launched. The public IP will be associated with the custom UUID or static MAC address, and will prevent the VM from being launched in more than one lab at a time. |
| **User Save & Cancel Options** | Advanced | Ensure these settings align with the desired values for your organization. The following have similar values in the Azure Labs, as specified: - **Save/Cancel Labs When Last Lab Client Heartbeat Exceeds:** Azure’s *Shutdown virtual machines when users disconnect* - **Save/Cancel Labs When Last Activity Exceeds:** Azure’s *Shutdown idle virtual machines* - **Activity Required to Enable Auto-Save:** Azure’s *Shutdown virtual machines when users do not connect* Learn more about [Cost Controls for Cloud Labs](/v1/docs/cost-controls-for-cloud-labs). |
| **Publish to Organization Template Gallery** | Advanced | Enable this setting to make the lab a [template](https://docs.skillable.com/docs/using-the-template-gallery) that appears in the template gallery to function as a quicker starting point for other lab developers or migrating additional labs. ***NOTE:****Only Lab Administrators can enable or disable this option.* |

## Create Lab Profile from Another Lab

After your organization has started creating a number of labs, you may desire to create a lab based on another that is not a template. To create a lab profile from an already existing lab profile, complete the following steps:

1. **Navigate to the lab profile** you would like to copy.
2. From the lab profile details screen, click **Edit Profile**.
3. From the lab profile edit screen, click **Save As**.
4. If you would like the virtual machines in the lab to be different than the original lab, select the **Create New** option.
5. If you would like the virtual machines to be identical to the original lab, select **Reuse the virtual machines**.
6. To close the dialog and create the your new lab, click **OK**.
7. On the new lab profile, edit any profile settings, instructions, or environment components as desired.

## Create New Custom Lab Profile

If a lab does not already exist that functions as a starting point for the lab you are desiring to create, creating one from scratch is always an option, but constitutes several additional steps. Due to the added complexity of this method, it is recommended to avoid when possible. In many cases a template or existing lab in your organization will help expedite desired configuration of both settings and environment, even in the case it only helps with settings or environment it still reduces the items required to configure.

### Create New Lab Profile

To create a new custom lab profile, navigate to the [Template Gallery](https://labondemand.com/TemplateGallery) and select **+Create Custom Environment**. Then configure settings as desired, see the [Lab Profile documentation](/v1/docs/lab-profile) for details on each setting.

### Create Environment

When creating environments, determine the type of lab you are making and the types of components you may require:

- **Skillable Virtual Machines:**
  - [Best Practices for Building Virtual Machines](/v1/docs/best-practices-for-building-virtual-machines)
- **Azure/AWS Virtual Machines:**
  - [Setup Azure Compute Gallery for deploying custom VMs](/v1/docs/setup-azure-compute-gallery-for-deploying-custom-vms)
  - [Managing Azure Compute Gallery Virtual Machine Images](/v1/docs/manage-azure-compute-gallery-vms)
  - [AWS Virtualization](/v1/docs/aws-virtualization)
- **Azure/AWS Full Cloud Slice:**
  - [Configuring a Resource Template to a Resource Group](/v1/docs/configure-a-resource-template-to-a-resource-group)
  - [Create A Restriction Policy](/v1/docs/create-a-restriction-policy)
- **Docker:**
  - [Container Images](/v1/docs/container-images)

## Next Steps

Now that you have your base profile and environment ready, you can begin [creating lab instructions](/v1/docs/creating-lab-instructions) that align with the lab scenario and use case.

Labs in Skillable Studio are housed in a Lab Profile. The Lab Profile contains the information about the configurable settings and the virtual machines that make up a lab. For a Lab Profile to be published it must be part of a Lab Series.

A Lab Series is a container that holds one or more Lab Profiles. The Lab Series contains Lab Profiles and settings for the Lab Series. It is like the cover of a book, while the Lab Profiles are like the chapters within the book.

Skillable's lab building & authoring platform.

The template gallery allows lab authors to easily search for and select pre-created lab profile templates to use as the base for a new lab.

Cloud Slice is Skillable's proprietary technology that enables you to take a single cloud subscription and provide isolated access to a high volume of users at a single time.