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Google Cloud Shell Tutorial

Introduction to Google Cloud Shell

Google Cloud Shell is an online development and operations environment accessible through the Google Cloud Console. It provides you with a command-line interface to manage your Google Cloud resources directly from your web browser. Cloud Shell comes pre-configured with essential tools and libraries, making it a powerful tool for developers and system administrators.

Starting Google Cloud Shell

To start Google Cloud Shell, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to the Google Cloud Console.
  2. Click on the Cloud Shell icon Cloud Shell icon in the top right corner of the console.
  3. A new window will open at the bottom of the console, initializing your Cloud Shell session.

Basic Commands in Cloud Shell

Once your Cloud Shell session is active, you can start using it to manage your Google Cloud resources. Below are some basic commands:

gcloud projects list: Lists all projects you have access to.

gsutil ls: Lists all Cloud Storage buckets in your project.

bq query 'SELECT * FROM dataset.table': Runs a BigQuery SQL query.

Managing Resources with Cloud Shell

Google Cloud Shell allows you to manage various resources like Compute Engine instances, Kubernetes clusters, and more. Below are some examples:

Creating a Compute Engine Instance

To create a new Compute Engine instance, use the following command:

gcloud compute instances create my-instance --zone=us-central1-a

Output:

Created [https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/my-project/zones/us-central1-a/instances/my-instance].
NAME         ZONE           MACHINE_TYPE  PREEMPTIBLE  INTERNAL_IP  EXTERNAL_IP    STATUS
my-instance  us-central1-a  n1-standard-1               10.128.0.2   34.123.45.67   RUNNING

Deploying a Kubernetes Cluster

To deploy a new Kubernetes cluster, use the following command:

gcloud container clusters create my-cluster --zone us-central1-a

Output:

Creating cluster my-cluster...done.
Created [https://container.googleapis.com/v1/projects/my-project/zones/us-central1-a/clusters/my-cluster].
kubeconfig entry generated for my-cluster.
NAME        LOCATION       MASTER_VERSION  MASTER_IP      MACHINE_TYPE   NODE_VERSION   NUM_NODES  STATUS
my-cluster  us-central1-a  1.18.20-gke.1500 34.123.45.67   e2-medium      1.18.20-gke.1500  3         RUNNING

Advanced Usage

Cloud Shell is not just limited to basic commands; it also supports advanced usage:

  • Setting up and using Cloud SDK to interact with Google Cloud services programmatically.
  • Running interactive tutorials to learn more about Google Cloud services.
  • Using code editors and version control systems like Git to manage your code.

Conclusion

Google Cloud Shell is a powerful tool that provides a fully featured development environment directly from your browser. It simplifies the process of managing Google Cloud resources and offers a range of tools to enhance your development workflow. Whether you are a developer or a system administrator, Cloud Shell can greatly improve your productivity and efficiency.