Cloud Shell and gcloud CLI in GCP - Commands & Configuration

Introduction

Sometimes you need a ready-to-use command line tool to manage your cloud resources without installing anything on your computer. Cloud Shell is a browser-based terminal with gcloud CLI pre-installed, letting you control Google Cloud easily from anywhere.

When you want to quickly try Google Cloud commands without setup on your computer

When you need to manage cloud resources from a device that does not have gcloud installed

When you want a consistent environment with all Google Cloud tools ready to use

When you want to run scripts or commands securely without exposing your local machine

When you want to learn Google Cloud commands interactively with instant access

Commands

This command opens a browser window to log in to your Google account and authorize gcloud CLI to manage your cloud resources.

Terminal

gcloud auth login

Expected Output

Your browser has been opened to visit:

https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth?...

You are now logged in as [[e-mail]].



To set the active project, run:

  $ gcloud config set project PROJECT_ID

This sets the default project for your gcloud commands so you don't have to specify it every time.

Terminal

gcloud config set project example-project-123

Expected Output

Updated property [core/project].

This lists all the virtual machine instances in your current project, showing their status and zone.

Terminal

gcloud compute instances list

Expected Output

NAME          ZONE           MACHINE_TYPE   PREEMPTIBLE  INTERNAL_IP  EXTERNAL_IP     STATUS

example-vm    us-central1-a  e2-medium                   10.128.0.2   34.68.123.45    RUNNING

Shows help information about gcloud commands and usage, useful when you want to learn what commands are available.

Terminal

gcloud help

Expected Output

gcloud is a tool to manage resources and applications hosted on Google Cloud.



Usage: gcloud [optional flags] <GROUP | COMMAND> [args]



Available groups:

  auth        Manage authentication credentials for the gcloud tool

  compute     Manage Google Compute Engine resources

  config      View and edit Cloud SDK properties

  help        Display detailed help



Run 'gcloud help COMMAND' for detailed information on a command.

Key Concept

If you remember nothing else, remember: Cloud Shell gives you instant access to gcloud CLI in a browser, so you can manage Google Cloud without setup.

Common Mistakes

Trying to run gcloud commands without logging in first

gcloud commands require authentication to access your cloud resources, so they will fail if you are not logged in.

Always run 'gcloud auth login' first to authenticate before running other commands.

Not setting the active project before running commands

Without setting the project, gcloud commands may fail or act on the wrong project.

Use 'gcloud config set project PROJECT_ID' to set your working project.

Summary

Use Cloud Shell to get a ready-to-use terminal with gcloud CLI in your browser.

Run 'gcloud auth login' to authenticate your session.

Set your active project with 'gcloud config set project' to target commands correctly.

Use 'gcloud compute instances list' to see your virtual machines.

Use 'gcloud help' to explore available commands and options.

Practice

1. What is the primary purpose of Google Cloud Shell?

easy

A. To create graphical user interfaces for cloud services

B. To provide a browser-based command-line interface pre-configured for Google Cloud

C. To store large amounts of data in the cloud

D. To host virtual machines for running applications

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Cloud Shell functionality

   Cloud Shell is a tool that gives you a command-line environment in your browser, ready to use with Google Cloud tools.

2. Step 2: Compare options with Cloud Shell purpose

   Options A, B, and C describe other cloud services, not Cloud Shell's main use.

3. Final Answer:

   To provide a browser-based command-line interface pre-configured for Google Cloud -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Cloud Shell = browser CLI [OK]

Hint: Cloud Shell is a browser terminal for Google Cloud commands [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Cloud Shell with VM hosting
• Thinking Cloud Shell stores data
• Assuming Cloud Shell creates GUIs

2. Which of the following is the correct command to list all active Google Cloud projects using gcloud CLI?

easy

A. gcloud list projects

B. gcloud projects show

C. gcloud projects list

D. gcloud list all-projects

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall gcloud CLI syntax for listing projects

   The correct command to list projects is 'gcloud projects list'.

2. Step 2: Verify other options

   Options A, C, and D do not follow the correct gcloud command structure and will cause errors.

3. Final Answer:

   gcloud projects list -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   List projects command = gcloud projects list [OK]

Hint: Remember: gcloud <resource> list to show resources [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping 'list' and 'projects' order
• Using 'show' instead of 'list'
• Adding extra words like 'all-projects'

3. What will be the output of the following command run in Cloud Shell?

gcloud config get-value project

medium

A. An error saying 'command not found'

B. A list of all available projects

C. The current user's email address

D. The currently set Google Cloud project ID

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the command purpose

   'gcloud config get-value project' retrieves the project ID currently set in gcloud configuration.

2. Step 2: Analyze other options

   A list of all available projects lists projects, which requires 'projects list'. An error saying 'command not found' is incorrect because the command exists. The current user's email address returns user info, not project.

3. Final Answer:

   The currently set Google Cloud project ID -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Get project config = current project ID [OK]

Hint: get-value returns current config setting [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting a list of projects instead of one project
• Confusing project ID with user email
• Assuming command is invalid

4. You run the command gcloud compute instances create my-vm --zone=us-central1-a but get an error saying the zone is invalid. What is the most likely fix?

medium

A. Change the zone to a valid one like us-central1-b

B. Remove the --zone flag completely

C. Use --region instead of --zone

D. Rename the instance to a different name

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand zone error cause

   The error indicates the specified zone 'us-central1-a' is invalid or unavailable in your project or region.

2. Step 2: Fix by choosing a valid zone

   Changing to a valid zone like 'us-central1-b' resolves the error. Removing the flag or using region instead won't fix zone-specific errors. Renaming instance is unrelated.

3. Final Answer:

   Change the zone to a valid one like us-central1-b -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Zone error = pick valid zone [OK]

Hint: Check available zones with 'gcloud compute zones list' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Removing zone flag instead of correcting it
• Using region flag where zone is required
• Changing instance name instead of zone

5. You want to automate setting the default project in Cloud Shell for multiple users. Which gcloud CLI command sequence correctly sets the project and verifies it?

hard

A. gcloud config set project my-project-id && gcloud config get-value project

B. gcloud projects set my-project-id && gcloud projects get my-project-id

C. gcloud set project my-project-id && gcloud get project

D. gcloud config project set my-project-id && gcloud config project get

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct command to set project

   The correct command to set the default project is 'gcloud config set project '.

2. Step 2: Verify project setting

   To verify, use 'gcloud config get-value project' which returns the current project ID.

3. Step 3: Check other options for correctness

   Options B, C, and D use invalid command syntax and will cause errors.

4. Final Answer:

   gcloud config set project my-project-id && gcloud config get-value project -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Set and get project config = gcloud config set project my-project-id && gcloud config get-value project [OK]

Hint: Use 'gcloud config set' and 'gcloud config get-value' for config changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using incorrect command order or syntax
• Confusing 'projects' commands with 'config' commands
• Trying to set project with invalid commands