Cloud Shell is a web-based command-line tool provided by Alibaba Cloud. It has a variety of built-in features and is pre-installed with some mainstream programming languages and software. You can run Cloud Shell in a web browser to manage cloud resources.
Overview
Cloud Shell is a browser-based shell tool provided by Alibaba Cloud. When you start a Cloud Shell instance, the system automatically creates a Linux virtual machine (VM) that is pre-installed with a variety of commonly used tools. For more information about Cloud Shell, see Use Alibaba Cloud CLI to manage Alibaba Cloud resources.
Benefits
Free VM
When a Cloud Shell instance is started, a Linux VM is automatically created for you to use. Cloud Shell authenticates all logon users and isolates VMs by user. This ensures that the VMs of each user are not accessed by others.
Integrated with Alibaba Cloud CLI
Alibaba Cloud CLI of the latest version is pre-installed in Cloud Shell. When you use Alibaba Cloud CLI in a Cloud Shell instance, Cloud Shell automatically configures an identity credential for you based on the identity information of the logon account.
Support for multiple programming languages
Cloud Shell is pre-installed with multiple mainstream programming languages, such as Java, Go, and Python. For more information, see Pre-installed languages.
Pre-installed common development tools
Cloud Shell is pre-installed with a variety of common development tools, such as Git and kubectl. For more information, see Pre-installed CLI tools.
Multiple storage methods
Cloud Shell provides temporary storage space and persistent storage space for you to choose from. When you create a Cloud Shell instance, a free temporary storage space is allocated to you. After the instance is destroyed, the files in the temporary storage space are not saved. You can mount an Apsara File Storage NAS (NAS) file system to a Cloud Shell instance to implement persistent storage. After the NAS file system is mounted, the files stored in the home directory can be retained for use by different Cloud Shell instances. For more information, see Persistent storage.
Rich features
Cloud Shell provides various built-in features, such as code editor, web application preview, and tutorial writing. These features help you complete development tasks conveniently and quickly. For more information, see UserGuide.
Data privacy
The runtime environment of a Cloud Shell instance belongs to the corresponding user. For more information, see How does Cloud Shell protect data privacy of users?