gcloud

Google Cloud Platform command-line interface

TLDR

Initialize gcloud and set up configuration

$ gcloud init

Login to Google Cloud

$ gcloud auth login

Set the active project

$ gcloud config set project [project-id]

List all projects

$ gcloud projects list

Create a Compute Engine VM instance

$ gcloud compute instances create [name] --zone=[zone]

List running VM instances

$ gcloud compute instances list

Get application-default credentials for local development

$ gcloud auth application-default login

Format output as JSON for scripting

$ gcloud compute instances list --format=json

SYNOPSIS

gcloud group [command] [options]

gcloud is the Google Cloud Platform CLI for managing cloud resources. It provides commands for all GCP services including Compute Engine, Kubernetes Engine, Cloud SQL, Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, and more.
The tool handles authentication, configuration, and resource management. Commands are organized by service groups with subcommands for specific operations. The --format and --filter flags are essential for scripting and automation.
Multiple named configurations can be managed with gcloud config configurations for switching between projects and accounts.

PARAMETERS

GROUP

Service group: compute, container, iam, sql, storage, functions, run, etc.

auth

Authentication and credential commands.

config

Configuration management.

compute

Compute Engine commands.

container

Kubernetes Engine commands.

projects

Project management.

--project ID

Override the default project for this command.

--format FORMAT

Output format: json, yaml, csv, table, text, value, etc.

--filter EXPRESSION

Filter results (e.g. 'name~prod').

--quiet, -q

Disable interactive prompts and use defaults.

--verbosity LEVEL

Logging verbosity: debug, info, warning, error, critical, none.

--help

Display help information.

CONFIGURATION

~/.config/gcloud/configurations/config_default

Default configuration properties including project, region, zone, and account settings.

~/.config/gcloud/credentials.db

Encrypted credentials database for authenticated accounts.

~/.config/gcloud/properties

User-specific gcloud properties and preferences.

CAVEATS

Requires a GCP account and project. Actions may incur costs. Some commands need specific IAM permissions. The gcloud CLI is part of the Google Cloud SDK, which must be installed separately from most package managers.

HISTORY

gcloud is part of the Google Cloud SDK, first released in 2013 as the primary CLI for Google Cloud Platform administration and automation. It has grown to cover hundreds of GCP services and is continuously updated with new features.