diff --git a/doc/source/user/index.rst b/doc/source/user/index.rst
index edc410679b7f..2ecf4730ae72 100644
--- a/doc/source/user/index.rst
+++ b/doc/source/user/index.rst
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ End user guide
    metadata-service
    certificate-validation
    resize
+   reboot
 
 .. todo:: The rest of this document should probably move to the admin guide.
 
diff --git a/doc/source/user/reboot.rst b/doc/source/user/reboot.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..832673c3187f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/source/user/reboot.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+==================
+Reboot an instance
+==================
+
+You can soft or hard reboot a running instance. A soft reboot attempts a
+graceful shut down and restart of the instance. A hard reboot power
+cycles the instance.
+
+To reboot a server, use the :command:`openstack server reboot` command:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+   $ openstack server reboot SERVER
+
+By default, when you reboot an instance it is a soft reboot.
+To perform a hard reboot, pass the ``--hard`` parameter as follows:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+   $ openstack server reboot --hard SERVER
+
+It is also possible to reboot a running instance into rescue mode. For example,
+this operation may be required if a filesystem of an instance becomes
+corrupted with prolonged use.
+
+.. note::
+
+   Pause, suspend, and stop operations are not allowed when an instance
+   is running in rescue mode, as triggering these actions causes the
+   loss of the original instance state and makes it impossible to
+   unrescue the instance.
+
+Rescue mode provides a mechanism for access, even if an image renders
+the instance inaccessible. By default, it starts an instance from the
+initial image attaching the current boot disk as a secondary one.
+
+To perform an instance reboot into rescue mode, use the :command:`openstack
+server rescue` command:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+   $ openstack server rescue SERVER
+
+.. note::
+
+   On running the :command:`openstack server rescue` command,
+   an instance performs a soft shutdown first. This means that
+   the guest operating system has a chance to perform
+   a controlled shutdown before the instance is powered off.
+   The shutdown behavior is configured by the
+   :oslo.config:option:`shutdown_timeout` parameter that can be set in the
+   ``nova.conf`` file.
+   Its value stands for the overall period (in seconds)
+   a guest operating system is allowed to complete the shutdown.
+
+   The timeout value can be overridden on a per image basis
+   by means of ``os_shutdown_timeout`` that is an image metadata
+   setting allowing different types of operating systems to specify
+   how much time they need to shut down cleanly.
+
+To restart the instance from the normal boot disk, run the following
+command:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+   $ openstack server unrescue SERVER
+
+If you want to rescue an instance with a specific image, rather than the
+default one, use the ``--image`` parameter:
+
+.. code-block:: console
+
+   $ openstack server rescue --image IMAGE_ID SERVER