Cloud Shell Editor interface overview

This page describes the features of the Cloud Shell Editor.

View and edit files

Cloud Shell comes with a built-in code editor that allows you to browse file directories, and view and edit files, with continued access to the Cloud Shell. The Cloud Shell Editor is available by default with every Cloud Shell instance, and is based on Code OSS.

To work with the Cloud Shell Editor, follow these steps:

Launch the Cloud Shell Editor by clicking Open Editor on the toolbar of the Cloud Shell window. The editor opens above the Cloud Shell terminal window.

Tip: You can also launch the Cloud Shell Editor by navigating to ide.cloud.google.com.
Use the side bar on the left to browse the file directories. Use the editor groups on the right to view and edit your files.
Use the activity bar on the left to toggle the editor and the Cloud Shell window, upload and download files, preview web applications on a Cloud Shell virtual machine instance, and view usage statistics.

For more information about the user interface, see User interface.

Open a file in Cloud Shell Editor

To open an existing file in Cloud Shell Editor from Cloud Shell, run the cloudshell command:

cloudshell edit README-cloudshell.txt

Upload and download files

You can manage your files with the Cloud Shell Editor Explorer.

To download a file from your Cloud Shell Editor project to your local machine, in the Cloud Shell Editor Explorer, right-click the file and select Download.

To upload a file from your local machine to your Cloud Shell Editor project, in the Cloud Shell Editor Explorer, right-click the empty space in the Explorer pane and select Upload.

Upload a file to Cloud Shell Editor project.

Activity bar

To open the Cloud Shell Editor views, in the activity bar, click Cloud Code.

From the Cloud Code view, you can expand the following views:

Development Sessions: Monitor your Kubernetes applications with a structured logging view.
Kubernetes: Monitor and manage your GKE and minikube resources. For more information, see Manage Kubernetes clusters.
Cloud Run: Monitor and manage your Cloud Run resources. For more information, see Manage Cloud Run services in Cloud Run
Cloud APIs: Browse and enable Cloud APIs and add Cloud Client Libraries to your project. For more information, see Manage Cloud APIs and Cloud Client Libraries
Secret Manager: Manage secrets in Secret Manager. For more information, see Manage secrets with Secret Manager.

* Help and feedback: Links to open walkthroughs, view documentation, change settings, report issues or request features, view release notes, or sign out of Google Cloud.

The activity bar also includes the following views:

Explorer: View the folders and files in your current workspace.
Search: Search your files for a string or regular expression.
Source Control: Manage application files with the Cloud Shell Editor's Git support.
Debug: Debug your application by setting breakpoints and inspecting variables.

Language support

The Cloud Shell Editor supports Go, Python, Java, .NET Core, and Node.js, providing language features such as:

Smart highlighting, code suggestions, and context-based completions
Linting and providing descriptive errors
Code navigation (Go to definitions, declarations, references, and implementations)
Intuitive debugging support

Cloud Code integration

The Cloud Shell Editor comes with Cloud Code support.

Cloud Code provides IDE support for the full development cycle of Kubernetes and Cloud Run applications, from creating and customizing a new application from a sample application to running your finished application. Cloud Code also provides run-ready samples, out-of-the-box configuration snippets, and a tailored debugging experience.

Cloud Code supports the development of applications in Node.js, Python, Java, Go, and .NET Core.

In addition to the Cloud Code menu available in the status bar of Cloud Shell, you can also access Cloud Code commands using the command palette; press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P or click View > Command Palette to display available commands.

For a comprehensive look at what you can do with Cloud Code using Cloud Shell, see Getting started with Cloud Code.

Version control support

Cloud Shell Editor comes with pre-configured version control. With Cloud Shell, you can initialize repositories, diff between file states, stage, unstage, and commit changes.

For more information, see Using version control.

Workspace management

With Cloud Shell, you can manage and configure your projects as workspaces. Workspaces usually represent your root project folder and with the Cloud Shell Editor, you can create, open, and save workspaces as well as customize them with project-specific settings.

For more information about working with workspaces, see Workspace management.

Debugging support

Cloud Shell lets you debug your application, with full debugging support for Go, Node.js, Python, and Java applications. You can create launch configurations, set breakpoints, and inspect variables, all inside Cloud Shell Editor.

Additionally, you can debug Kubernetes applications on a local cluster (like minikube or Docker Desktop) or a remote cluster on GKE or any other Cloud provider.

For more information, see Debugging with Cloud Shell.

Built-in terminal

Access your underlying Cloud Shell instance without having to leave the editor by navigating to Terminal > New Terminal. You can also run multiple terminal windows by using the Split Terminal option.