So you've probably had to open CloudShell from time to time to poke at something quickly. Say I wanted to test pulling down an artifact from a private CodeArtifact registry. To do that, I'd need to tweak my ~/.npmrc so npm points at the right registry.
Which raises the question: what's the best way to edit a file once you're in CloudShell? Let's look at a few options.
Using vim
I use Neovim btw (sorry emacs users), so naturally I'm starting with vim.
vim ~/.npmrc
If you're already comfortable with Vim, this is probably the fastest option. You're already in the terminal, you get all the navigation and search you're used to, and there's nothing else to open.
Make your changes, hit ESC, and :wq (write + quit) to save the file.
Using nano
Ah the old classic. I've been using this for decades to edit files on remote boxes.
nano ~/.npmrc
Unlike Vim, there's not much to learn before you can start typing. Nano even shows you the important shortcuts at the bottom of the screen.
Make your changes, hit CTRL+O to write them to disk, and CTRL+X to exit.
If you just need to make a quick edit and get out, nano is hard to beat.
Using edit
Okay, but what if you don't want to use a terminal editor at all?
CloudShell has an edit command that opens the file directly in its built-in editor.
edit ~/.npmrc
Instead of editing inside the terminal, CloudShell opens the file in a familiar graphical editor where you can point, click, type, and save with CMD+S (CTRL+S on Windows/Linux) or the save icon.
If you're used to editing files in VS Code or another graphical editor, this is probably going to feel the most familiar.
No Vim modes. No terminal keybindings to remember.
Which one should you use?
Honestly, whichever gets you back to solving the actual problem fastest.
| Editor | Use it when... |
|---|---|
| vim | You're comfortable with Vim and want to stay in the terminal |
| nano | You want a simple terminal editor without learning Vim |
| edit | You'd rather use a familiar graphical editor |
So the next time you find yourself debugging something from CloudShell, you've got a few ways to quickly read or edit a file without leaving your browser.
As always, happy coding 😄!
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