Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have the following tools installed:

  1. Google Cloud CLI (gcloud) - Essential for managing Google Cloud resources from the command line.
  2. VSCode Remote - SSH Extension - This extension allows VSCode to connect to remote machines using SSH.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Updating SSH Configuration

First, we need to update the SSH configuration to include the Google Cloud Compute (GCE) instance. This involves setting a ProxyCommand to facilitate the connection. Here’s how you do it:

  1. Open your SSH config file (usually found at ~/.ssh/config).
  2. Add the following configuration for your GCE instance:
Host my-gce-instance-name
  HostName my-gce-instance-name
  User your_username
  ProxyCommand gcloud compute ssh %r@%h -- -W %h:%p

Replace my-gce-instance-name with your instance name and your_username with your GCE username.

Note: The ProxyCommand might require adjustments based on your setup. For instance, specify the --zone flag if you haven’t set a default zone in gcloud. Basically you should use ther same args you would use when connecting directly using gcloud compute ssh normally.

Refer to the gcloud compute ssh documentation for detailed information.

Connecting via VSCode

With your SSH config updated, you can now connect to your GCE instance using VSCode:

  1. Launch VSCode.
  2. Open the Remote Explorer from the left sidebar.
  3. In the Remote Explorer panel, select Remotes (SSH/Tunnels) from the dropdown menu at the top.
  4. Expand the SSH section. You should see the Host you defined in your SSH config.
  5. Click on the defined Host to establish a connection.

And that’s it! You’re now connected to your GCE instance through VSCode, ready to work remotely with the power of cloud computing at your fingertips.