> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://bryan-guner.gitbook.io/my-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://bryan-guner.gitbook.io/my-docs/untitled-1/content/google-cloud.md).

# Google Cloud

The gcloud command-line tool cheat sheet

### The gcloud cheat sheet

A roster of go-to gcloud commands for the gcloud tool, Google Cloud's primary command-line tool.

(Also included: [introductory primer](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/cheatsheet#introductory_primer), [understanding commands](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/cheatsheet#understanding_commands), and a [printable PDF](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/images/gcloud-cheat-sheet.pdf).)

### Cheat sheet

#### Getting started

Get going with the gcloud command-line tool.

* [gcloud init](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/init): Initialize, authorize, and configure the gcloud tool.
* [gcloud version](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/version): Display version and installed components.
* [gcloud components install](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/components/install): Install specific components.
* [gcloud components update](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/components/update): Update your Cloud SDK to the latest version.
* [gcloud config set project](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/config/set): Set a default Google Cloud project to work on.
* [gcloud info](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/info): Display current gcloud tool environment details.

#### Help

Cloud SDK is happy to help.

* [gcloud help](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/help): Search the gcloud tool reference documents for specific terms.
* [gcloud feedback](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/feedback): Provide feedback for the Cloud SDK team.
* [gcloud topic](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/topic): Supplementary help material for non-command topics like accessibility, filtering, and formatting.

#### Personalization

Make the Cloud SDK your own; personalize your configuration with properties.

* [gcloud config set](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/config/set): Define a property (like compute/zone) for the current configuration.
* [gcloud config get-value](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/config/get-value): Fetch value of a Cloud SDK property.
* [gcloud config list](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/config/list): Display all the properties for the current configuration.
* [gcloud config configurations create](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/config/configurations/create): Create a new named configuration.
* [gcloud config configurations list](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/config/configurations/list): Display a list of all available configurations.
* [gcloud config configurations activate](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/config/configurations/activate): Switch to an existing named configuration.

#### Credentials

Grant and revoke authorization to Cloud SDK

* [gcloud auth login](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/auth/login): Authorize Google Cloud access for the gcloud tool with Google user credentials and set current account as active.
* [gcloud auth activate-service-account](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/auth/activate-service-account): Like gcloud auth login but with service account credentials.
* [gcloud auth list](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/auth/list): List all credentialed accounts.
* [gcloud auth print-access-token](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/auth/print-access-token): Display the current account's access token.
* [gcloud auth revoke](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/auth/revoke): Remove access credentials for an account.

#### Projects

Manage project access policies

* [gcloud projects describe](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/projects/describe): Display metadata for a project (including its ID).
* [gcloud projects add-iam-policy-binding](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/projects/add-iam-policy-binding): Add an IAM policy binding to a specified project.

#### Identity & Access Management

Configuring Cloud Identity & Access Management (IAM) preferences and service accounts

* [gcloud iam list-grantable-roles](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/iam/list-grantable-roles): List IAM grantable roles for a resource.
* [gcloud iam roles create](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/iam/roles/create): Create a custom role for a project or org.
* [gcloud iam service-accounts create](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/iam/service-accounts/create): Create a service account for a project.
* [gcloud iam service-accounts add-iam-policy-binding](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/iam/service-accounts/add-iam-policy-binding): Add an IAM policy binding to a service account.
* [gcloud iam service-accounts set-iam-policy-binding](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/iam/service-accounts/set-iam-policy): Replace existing IAM policy binding.
* [gcloud iam service-accounts keys list](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/iam/service-accounts/keys/list): List a service account's keys.

#### Docker & Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)

Manage containerized applications on Kubernetes

* [gcloud auth configure-docker](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/auth/configure-docker): Register the gcloud tool as a Docker credential helper.
* [gcloud container clusters create](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/container/clusters/create): Create a cluster to run GKE containers.
* [gcloud container clusters list](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/container/clusters/list): List clusters for running GKE containers.
* [gcloud container clusters get-credentials](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/container/clusters/get-credentials): Update kubeconfig to get kubectl to use a GKE cluster.
* [gcloud container images list-tags](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/container/images/list-tags): List tag and digest metadata for a container image.

#### Virtual Machines & Compute Engine

Create, run, and manage VMs on Google infrastructure

* [gcloud compute zones list](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/compute/zones/list): List Compute Engine zones.
* [gcloud compute instances describe](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/compute/instances/describe): Display a VM instance's details.
* [gcloud compute instances list](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/compute/instances/list): List all VM instances in a project.
* [gcloud compute disks snapshot](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/compute/disks/snapshot): Create snapshot of persistent disks.
* [gcloud compute snapshots describe](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/compute/snapshots/describe): Display a snapshot's details.
* [gcloud compute snapshots delete](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/compute/snapshots/delete): Delete a snapshot.
* [gcloud compute ssh](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/compute/ssh): Connect to a VM instance by using SSH.

#### Serverless & App Engine

Build highly scalable applications on a fully managed serverless platform

* [gcloud app deploy](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/app/deploy): Deploy your app's code and configuration to the App Engine server.
* [gcloud app versions list](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/app/versions/list): List all versions of all services deployed to the App Engine server.
* [gcloud app browse](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/app/browse): Open the current app in a web browser.
* [gcloud app create](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/app/create): Create an App Engine app within your current project.
* [gcloud app logs read](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/app/logs/read): Display the latest App Engine app logs.

#### Miscellaneous

Commands that might come in handy

* [gcloud kms decrypt](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/kms/decrypt): Decrypt ciphertext (to a plaintext file) using a Cloud Key Management Service (Cloud KMS) key.
* [gcloud logging logs list](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/logging/logs/list): List your project's logs.
* [gcloud sql backups describe](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/sql/backups/describe): Display info about a Cloud SQL instance backup.
* [gcloud sql export sql](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/sql/export/sql): Export data from a Cloud SQL instance to a SQL file.

### Introductory primer

A quick primer for getting started with the gcloud command-line tool.

#### Installing the Cloud SDK

Install the Cloud SDK with these [installation instructions](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/install).

#### Flags, arguments, and other wondrous additions

Arguments can be Positional args or Flags

* **Positional args:** Set after command name; must respect order of positional args.
* **Flags:** Set after positional args; order of flags doesn't matter.

  A flag can be either a:

  * *Name-value pair* (--foo=bar), or
  * *Boolean* (--force/no-force).

  Additionally, flags can either be:

  * *Required*
  * *Optional:* in which case, the default value is used, if the flag is not defined

#### Global flags

Some flags are available throughout the gcloud command-line tool experience, like:

* [--help](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference#--help): For when in doubt; display detailed help for a command.
* [--project](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference#--project): If using a project other than the current one.
* [--quiet](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference#--quiet): Disabling interactive prompting (and applying default values for inputs).
* [--verbosity](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference#--verbosity): Can set verbosity levels at debug, info, warning, error, critical, and none.
* [--version](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference#--version): Display gcloud version information.
* [--format](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference#--format): Set output format as config, csv, default, diff, disable, flattened, get, json, list, multi, none, object, table, text, value, or yaml.

#### Cleaning up results

Extricate the most from your output with the [filter](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/topic/filters), [format](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/topic/formats), limit, and sort-by flags.

For Compute Engine instances with prefix us and not machine type f1-micro:

For a list of projects created on or after 15 January 2018, sorted from oldest to newest, presented as a table with project number, project id and creation time columns with dates and times in local timezone:

For a list of ten Compute Engine instances with a label my-label (of any value):

### Understanding commands

The underlying patterns for gcloud commands; to aid self-discovery of commands.

#### Finding gcloud commands

The gcloud command-line tool is a tree; non-leaf nodes are command groups and leaf nodes are commands. (Also, tab completion works for commands and resources!)

Most gcloud commands follow the following format:

For example: gcloud + compute + instances + create + example-instance-1 + --zone=us-central1-a

**Release level**

*Release Level* refers to the command's release status.

*Example:* alpha for alpha commands, beta for beta commands, no release level needed for GA commands.

**Component**

*Component* refers to the different Google Cloud services.

*Example:* compute for Compute Engine, app for App Engine, etc.

**Entity**

*Entity* refers to the plural form of an element or collection of elements under a component.

*Example:* disks, firewalls, images, instances, regions, zones for compute

**Operation**

*Operation* refers to the imperative verb form of the operation to be performed on the entity.

*Example:* Common operations are describe, list, create/update, delete/clear, import, export, copy, remove, add, reset, restart, restore, run, and deploy.

**Positional args**

*Positional args* refer to the required, order-specific arguments needed to execute the command.

*Example:* \<INSTANCE\_NAMES> is the required positional argument for gcloud compute instances create.

**Flags**

*Flags* refer to the additional arguments, --flag-name(=value), passed in to the command after positional args.

*Example:* --machine-type=\<MACHINE\_TYPE> and --preemptible are optional flags for gcloud compute instances create.