Connect using Cloud Shell

Use any browser to connect to Yugabyte Cloud by using Cloud Shell. Cloud Shell doesn't require a CA certificate or any special network access configured.

You have the option of using the following command line interfaces (CLIs) in Cloud Shell:

• ysqlsh - YSQL shell for interacting with YugabyteDB using the YSQL API.
• ycqlsh - YCQL shell, which uses the YCQL API.

Limitations

Cloud Shell has the following security limitations:

• Sessions are limited to 15 minutes. If your session disconnects, close the browser tab and start a new session.
• You can only use a subset of ysqlsh meta-commands.

Connect via Cloud Shell

To connect to a cluster via Cloud Shell:

1. On the Clusters tab, select a cluster.

2. Click Connect.

3. Click Launch Cloud Shell.

4. Enter the database name and user name.

5. Select the API to use (YSQL or YCQL) and click Confirm.

   The shell displays in a separate browser page. Cloud Shell can take up to 30 seconds to be ready.

6. Enter the password for the user you specified.

The ysqlsh or ycqlsh prompt appears and is ready to use.

ysqlsh (11.2-YB-2.6.1.0-b0)
SSL connection (protocol: TLSv1.2, cipher: ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384, bits: 256, compression: off)
Type "help" for help.

yugabyte=#

Connected to local cluster at 3.69.145.48:9042.
[ycqlsh 5.0.1 | Cassandra 3.9-SNAPSHOT | CQL spec 3.4.2 | Native protocol v4]
Use HELP for help.
admin@ycqlsh:yugabyte>

If you enter an incorrect password, the shell session terminates immediately and you must start a new session.

ysqlsh meta-commands in Cloud Shell

Cloud Shell supports the use of ysqlsh meta-commands. However, for security reasons, some commands are not available. With the exception of read-only access to the /share directory to load the sample datasets, commands that access the filesystem do not work in Cloud Shell.

The following table lists common meta-commands that can be used in Cloud Shell.

Command	Description
\c [database name]	Connect to a database. For example, \c yb_demo.
\l	List all databases.
\d	Display tables, views, and sequences.
\dt	Display tables.
\dv	Display views.
\dm	Display materialized views.
\di	Display indexes.
\dn	Display schemas.
\dT	Display data types.
\du	Display roles.
\sv [view name]	Show a view definition.
\x [ on | off | auto ]	Toggle the expanded display. Used for viewing tables with many columns. Can be toggled on or off, or set to auto.
\set	List all internal variables.
\set [Name] [Value]	Set new internal variable.
\unset [Name]	Delete internal variable.
\timing	Toggles timing on queries.
\echo [message]	Print the message to the console.
\i [filename]	Execute commands from a file in the /share directory only. For example, \i share/chinook_ddl.sql.
\q	Exits ysqlsh.

Related information

• YSQL API — Reference for supported YSQL statements, data types, functions, and operators.
• YCQL API — Reference for supported YCQL statements, data types, functions, and operators.
• ysqlsh — Overview of the CLI, syntax, and meta-commands.
• ycqlsh — Overview of the CLI, syntax, and commands.

Next steps

• Add database users
• Connect an application