SSH from the Browser allows you to use SSH to connect to a Google Compute Engine virtual machine instance from within the Google Developers Console . You do not need to install web browser extensions or additional software to use this feature. SSH from the Browser is an alternative to other methods of connecting to an instance.
Connecting to a virtual machine instance
To connect to an instance:
- Open your project in the Google Developers Console .
- Select Compute > Compute Engine from the left-hand navigation panel.
- Click the selector on the SSH button that appears next to any instance shown.
- Select Open in browser window and then click the SSH button.
You can also open an SSH connection to an instance by clicking its name and then following the above steps using the SSH button that appears on the instance details page.
Supported environments
SSH from the Browser supports the following:
- Web browsers : Latest version of Google Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer 11+. Safari is not supported at this time.
- Virtual machine configurations : All Linux virtual machine images natively available in Google Cloud Platform.
Known issues
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Startup latency : Current connection time using SSH from the Browser is 5 to 30 seconds. Newer versions of Google Daemon running on the virtual machine instance have connection times closer to 5 seconds. Otherwise, expect connection times of up to 30 seconds.
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New virtual machine instances not immediately available : New instances take some time to boot up before SSH can be established. If you fail to connect to a new instance, retry after a few minutes.
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Intermittent disconnects : At this time, we do not offer a specific SLA for connection lifetimes. Use terminal multiplexers like tmux or screen if you plan to keep the terminal window open for an extended period of time.
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Connecting to instances with no external IP address : At this time, you cannot use SSH from the Browser to connect to instances that do not have an external IP address. As a workaround, you can use this feature to SSH into another instance in your project that does have an external IP address, such as an instance that runs your frontend. Then, use the
sshcommand to log into the desired instance by its internal IP address. -
Ctrl+W closes the window : Ctrl+W, Ctrl+F4, Ctrl+Tab, and other key combinations that work as browser keyboard shortcuts are not passed by the SSH client to the target system. Use another method to connect to the instance if these key combinations are important to your workflow.