Seamlessly linking VSCode and Google Compute Engine through Remote SSH

Igor Rendulic -

By linking VSCode and Google Compute Engine through Remote SSH, you're effectively getting the best of both worlds - the convenience and features of a local development environment with the power and capabilities of a cloud-based server.

  1. Navigate to compute engine list of your Google Cloud project, click next to SSH and select View gcloud command. Paste to your terminal. After establishing a connection 2 files will be generated under ~./ssh folder:
    $HOME/.ssh/google_compute_engine for the private key and $HOME/.ssh/google_compute_engine.pub for the public key​
  2. Create/modify ~/.ssh.config where XX.XX.XX.XXX is the IP address of the compute engin. 
Host XX.XX.XX.XXX
HostName XX.XX.XX.XXX   
  UseKeychain yes   
  AddKeysToAgent yes   
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/google_compute_engine   
  User your_username

3.  Open VScode and install SSH Remote extension. Here is the link if you need to know how to do it.

4. Command+Shit+P or (Control+Shift+P) to open up the VSCode Command Palette. Type in SSH and from a drop down select: Remote SSH: Connec to Host... (you can also add a new host if you'd like VSCode to memorize the IP.

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