Connecting to Linux VMs

Linux VMs

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This document describes how to connect to Linux virtual machine (VM) instances using the Google Cloud Console and the gcloud command-line tool. For information about how SSH connections work in Compute Engine, including SSH key configuration and storage, see SSH connections to Linux VMs.

For other ways to connect to Linux VMs, such as using third-party tools including PuTTY, see Connecting to VMs using advanced methods.

Before you begin

• If you want to use the command-line examples in this guide:
  1. Install or update to the latest version of the gcloud command-line tool.
  2. Set a default region and zone.

Connecting to VMs

To connect to Linux instances through the Google Cloud Console or the gcloud command-line tool, complete the steps in one of the following tabs.

Console

1. In the Cloud Console, go to the VM instances page.

   Go to VM instances

2. In the list of virtual machine instances, click SSH in the row of the instance that you want to connect to.

   

Note: When you connect to VMs using the Cloud Console, Compute Engine creates an ephemeral SSH key for you. For more information about SSH keys, see SSH connections to Linux VMs.

gcloud

Use the gcloud compute ssh command to connect to instances that you have permission to access:

gcloud compute ssh --project=PROJECT_ID --zone=ZONE VM_NAME

Replace the following:

• PROJECT_ID: the ID of the project that contains the instance
• ZONE: the name of the zone in which the instance is located
• VM_NAME: the name of the instance

If you have set default properties for the gcloud command-line tool, you can omit the --project and --zone flags from this command. For example:

gcloud compute ssh VM_NAME

Note: When you connect to VMs using the gcloud tool, Compute Engine creates a persistent SSH key for you. For more information about SSH keys, see SSH connections to Linux VMs.

After you connect, use the terminal to run commands on your Linux instance. When you have finished, disconnect from the instance by using the exit command.

Troubleshooting

To find methods for diagnosing and resolving failed SSH connections, see Troubleshooting SSH.

What's next

• Learn how to Connect to Windows VMs.
• Learn how to manage access to instances.
• Learn how to connect to VMs using advanced methods.
• Learn how to transfer files to instances.
• Learn how SSH connections to Linux VMs work on Compute Engine.