Installing and initializing gcloud in GCP - Step-by-Step CLI Walkthrough

Introduction

To work with Google Cloud services from your computer, you need a tool called gcloud. Installing and setting it up lets you control your cloud projects easily from the command line.

When you want to create or manage Google Cloud resources from your laptop or server.

When you need to deploy applications to Google Cloud.

When you want to check the status of your cloud services quickly.

When you want to switch between different Google Cloud projects.

When you want to run scripts that automate cloud tasks.

Commands

This command downloads and runs the Google Cloud SDK installer script to install the gcloud tool on your system.

Terminal

curl https://sdk.cloud.google.com | bash

Expected Output

Welcome to the Google Cloud SDK!



This script will install all the gcloud command line tools.



You will be prompted to update your PATH and enable command completion.



Starting installation...



Installation complete.

This command restarts your shell so that the changes to your PATH take effect and you can use gcloud immediately.

Terminal

exec -l $SHELL

Expected Output

No output (command runs silently)

This command starts the setup process to log in to your Google account and select a default project to work with.

Terminal

gcloud init

Expected Output

Welcome! This command will take you through the configuration of gcloud.



Pick configuration to use:

 [1] Re-initialize this configuration

 [2] Create a new configuration



Enter your numeric choice: 1



You are logged in as: [e-mail]



Pick cloud project to use:

 [1] my-first-project

 [2] my-second-project



Enter your numeric choice: 1



Your gcloud CLI is now configured.

This command shows the current settings of gcloud, including which project and account are active.

Terminal

gcloud config list

Expected Output

[core]

account = [e-mail]

project = my-first-project

Key Concept

If you remember nothing else, remember: installing gcloud and running 'gcloud init' sets up your access to Google Cloud from your computer.

Common Mistakes

Not restarting the shell after installation

The system does not recognize the gcloud command because the PATH was not updated in the current session.

Run 'exec -l $SHELL' or close and reopen your terminal to refresh the PATH.

Skipping 'gcloud init' after installation

Without initialization, gcloud has no account or project set, so commands will fail or ask for configuration every time.

Always run 'gcloud init' to log in and select your default project.

Summary

Install gcloud SDK by downloading and running the installer script.

Restart your shell to update the PATH and enable gcloud commands.

Run 'gcloud init' to log in and select your Google Cloud project.

Use 'gcloud config list' to verify your current configuration.