Storage commands (gsutil) in GCP - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is the basic command to list all buckets in your Google Cloud Storage using gsutil?

The command is gsutil ls. It lists all buckets in your current project.

beginner

How do you copy a file from your local machine to a Google Cloud Storage bucket using gsutil?

Use gsutil cp [LOCAL_FILE_PATH] gs://[BUCKET_NAME]/. This uploads the file to the bucket.

beginner

What gsutil command removes a file from a bucket?

The command is gsutil rm gs://[BUCKET_NAME]/[FILE_NAME]. It deletes the specified file from the bucket.

intermediate

How can you recursively copy all files from one bucket to another using gsutil?

Use gsutil -m cp -r gs://[SOURCE_BUCKET]/** gs://[DESTINATION_BUCKET]/. The -m flag runs multiple operations in parallel for speed.

intermediate

What does the gsutil rsync command do?

It synchronizes the contents between a local directory and a bucket or between two buckets, copying only changed files to save time and bandwidth.

Which gsutil command lists all files inside a specific bucket?

A gsutil sync gs://bucket-name/

B gsutil ls gs://bucket-name/

C gsutil rm gs://bucket-name/

D gsutil cp gs://bucket-name/

The gsutil ls gs://bucket-name/ command lists all files inside the specified bucket.

How do you upload a file named 'photo.jpg' to a bucket called 'myphotos'?

A gsutil rm photo.jpg gs://myphotos/

B gsutil ls photo.jpg gs://myphotos/

C gsutil mv photo.jpg gs://myphotos/

D gsutil cp photo.jpg gs://myphotos/

Use gsutil cp photo.jpg gs://myphotos/ to upload the file.

What flag allows gsutil to perform operations in parallel for faster copying?

A -m

B -r

C -p

D -f

The -m flag enables parallel (multi-threaded/multi-processing) operations.

Which command deletes a file named 'old.txt' from a bucket 'mybucket'?

A gsutil rm gs://mybucket/old.txt

B gsutil cp old.txt gs://mybucket/

C gsutil ls gs://mybucket/old.txt

D gsutil mv old.txt gs://mybucket/

The gsutil rm command deletes files from buckets.

What is the purpose of the gsutil rsync command?

A To list files in a bucket

B To copy a single file

C To synchronize directories or buckets

D To delete a bucket

gsutil rsync synchronizes contents between locations efficiently.

Explain how to upload multiple files from your local folder to a Google Cloud Storage bucket using gsutil.

Think about copying folders and speeding up uploads.

Describe the difference between gsutil cp and gsutil rsync commands.

One is for copying, the other for syncing.

Practice

1. What does the gsutil ls gs://my-bucket command do?

easy

A. Lists all files and folders inside the bucket named 'my-bucket'.

B. Deletes the bucket named 'my-bucket'.

C. Creates a new bucket named 'my-bucket'.

D. Copies files from 'my-bucket' to your local machine.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the 'ls' command in gsutil

   The 'ls' command lists contents of a bucket or folder in Google Cloud Storage.

2. Step 2: Apply the command to the bucket 'my-bucket'

   Running gsutil ls gs://my-bucket shows all files and folders inside that bucket.

3. Final Answer:

   Lists all files and folders inside the bucket named 'my-bucket'. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   gsutil ls lists bucket contents = C [OK]

Hint: Remember: 'ls' means list contents of bucket or folder [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing 'ls' with 'rm' which deletes files
• Thinking 'ls' creates buckets
• Assuming 'ls' copies files

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to copy a local file named photo.jpg to a bucket gs://images-bucket using gsutil?

easy

A. gsutil copy photo.jpg gs://images-bucket

B. gsutil cp gs://images-bucket photo.jpg

C. gsutil cp photo.jpg gs://images-bucket

D. gsutil upload photo.jpg gs://images-bucket

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct gsutil command for copying

   The command to copy files is gsutil cp, followed by source then destination.

2. Step 2: Place source and destination correctly

   Local file is source (photo.jpg), bucket is destination (gs://images-bucket), so syntax is gsutil cp photo.jpg gs://images-bucket.

3. Final Answer:

   gsutil cp photo.jpg gs://images-bucket -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   cp source destination = A [OK]

Hint: Copy command is 'cp' with source first, then destination [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping source and destination order
• Using 'copy' instead of 'cp'
• Using 'upload' which is not a gsutil command

3. What will be the output of the command gsutil ls gs://my-bucket/folder/ if the folder contains files file1.txt and file2.txt?

medium

A. gs://my-bucket/folder/file1.txt\ngs://my-bucket/folder/file2.txt

B. file1.txt\nfile2.txt

C. gs://my-bucket/file1.txt\ngs://my-bucket/file2.txt

D. No output, command will fail

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand gsutil ls output format

   The 'gsutil ls' command lists full paths of files including bucket and folder names.

2. Step 2: Apply to files inside 'folder/'

   Files inside 'folder/' will be listed with full path prefix: gs://my-bucket/folder/file1.txt and gs://my-bucket/folder/file2.txt.

3. Final Answer:

   gs://my-bucket/folder/file1.txt gs://my-bucket/folder/file2.txt -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   gsutil ls shows full gs:// paths = B [OK]

Hint: gsutil ls shows full gs:// path, not just file names [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting only file names without bucket path
• Confusing folder path with bucket root
• Assuming command fails if folder exists

4. You run gsutil rm gs://my-bucket/data.csv but get an error saying the file does not exist. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. You need to add '-r' flag to remove a single file.

B. You used 'rm' instead of 'delete' command.

C. The bucket 'my-bucket' does not exist.

D. The file 'data.csv' is not in the bucket 'my-bucket'.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the error message about file not existing

   The error means the specified file path is not found in the bucket.

2. Step 2: Check command and flags correctness

   'rm' is the correct command to remove files; '-r' is only for recursive folder deletion, not needed for single files.

3. Final Answer:

   The file 'data.csv' is not in the bucket 'my-bucket'. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   File missing causes error, not command or flags [OK]

Hint: Check file path exists before removing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking 'rm' is wrong command
• Adding '-r' unnecessarily for single files
• Assuming bucket missing causes file not found error

5. You want to delete an empty bucket named gs://temp-bucket. Which command should you use to safely remove it?

hard

A. gsutil cp gs://temp-bucket ./

B. gsutil rb gs://temp-bucket

C. gsutil delete gs://temp-bucket

D. gsutil rm gs://temp-bucket

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the command to remove buckets

   The command to remove a bucket is gsutil rb (remove bucket).

2. Step 2: Confirm bucket is empty before removal

   Bucket must be empty to remove; if not, remove files first. Then run gsutil rb gs://temp-bucket.

3. Final Answer:

   gsutil rb gs://temp-bucket -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Remove bucket = rb command [OK]

Hint: Use 'rb' to remove empty buckets safely [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'rm' which deletes files, not buckets
• Using 'delete' which is not a gsutil command
• Trying to copy bucket instead of removing