Different Methods to Connect to a AWS Linux Compute Engine Instance

Ahmad Majeed Zahoory — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 10:55:03 +0000

Step 1: Connect via ssh using Key pair
Process:

Create a key pair in the .ppk format (or .pem format if you need an alternative to using an SSH tool) and download the private key to your local desktop or laptop.
Attach the Key pair during the creation of the AWS virtual machine.

Copy the Public IP of the virtual machine.

Follow these steps to connect to a Linux instance:
Launch PuTTY or another compatible tool.
Expand Connection > SSH > Auth and select credentials.
Click Browse and locate your private key file.

The Linux terminal will open and ask for a username. Enter the appropriate username based on the Linux distribution (e.g., "ec2-user" for Amazon Linux or "ubuntu" for Ubuntu).

Step 2: Connect via ssh using own SSH Key defined in the Key pair
Process:

On your local machine, generate an SSH key pair.
Save public key and private key, on your local machine.

Navigate to the Key pair page and choose "Actions"
Click on "Import Key Pair" and add your public key

Attach the Key pair during the creation of the AWS virtual machine.

Copy the Public IP of the virtual machine.
Follow these steps to connect to a Linux instance:
Launch PuTTY or another compatible tool.
Expand Connection > SSH > Auth and select credentials.
Click Browse and locate your private key file.
The Linux terminal will open and ask for a username. Enter the appropriate username based on the Linux distribution (e.g., "ec2-user" for Amazon Linux or "ubuntu" for Ubuntu).

Step 3: Connect via AWS Console
Process:

Create the AWS virtual machine.
Go to the EC2 page and select "Instances."
Find your Linux virtual machine and click "Connect."
Choose "EC2 Instance Connect" and then "Connect using EC2 Instance Connect."
Finally, click "Connect".

A browser-based terminal will launch, providing direct access to the instance.

Step 4: Connect via AWS System manager
Process:

Create an IAM role and attach the "AmazonSSMManagedInstanceCore" policy.
Attach the IAM role while creating the AWS virtual machine.

Navigate to the System Manager page and choose "Session Manager"
Click on "Start Session."
Wait until the Linux instance appears, then select it and click "Start Session."

A browser-based terminal will launch, providing direct access to the instance.

Step 5: Connect via ssh using password
Process:

While creating the Linux virtual machine.
In the Advanced details section:
Copy the script below (adjust it according to your Linux distribution) under user data.

#!/bin/bash
echo 'lab-password' | passwd ec2-user --stdin
sed -i 's|[#]*PasswordAuthentication no|PasswordAuthentication yes|g' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
systemctl restart sshd.service

Copy the Public IP of the virtual machine.
Follow these steps to connect to a Linux instance:
Launch PuTTY or another compatible tool.
The Linux terminal will open and ask for a username and password. Enter the appropriate username based on the Linux distribution (e.g., "ec2-user" for Amazon Linux or "ubuntu" for Ubuntu) and password.

Different Methods to Connect to a GCP Linux Compute Engine Instance

Ahmad Majeed Zahoory — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 10:33:00 +0000

Connect to a GCP Linux Compute Engine Instance

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offers a robust and scalable infrastructure, and one of its core services is the Compute Engine, which provides virtual machines (VMs) running on Google’s infrastructure.

Connecting to a Linux-based Compute Engine instance is a common task for developers and system administrators.

This blog will guide you through the process, step by step.

Step 1: Connect via Google Cloud Console
Process:

Create Google Linux compute engine.
Navigate to the VM instances page: VM Instances.
Locate your Linux VM and click the SSH button in the corresponding row.
Click on Open in browser window.

A browser-based terminal will open, connecting you directly to the instance.

Step 2: Connect via gcloud CLI using CloudShell
Process:

Create Google Linux compute engine.
Open the Cloud shell terminal.
To connect to the Linux instance, use the command:

gcloud compute ssh [INSTANCE_NAME] --zone=[ZONE]
- Replace [INSTANCE_NAME] with the name of your instance and [ZONE] with its zone (e.g., us-central1-a)

The Linux terminal will open, establishing a direct connection to the instance.

Step 3: Connect via gcloud CLI using gcloud SDK
Process:

Create Google Linux compute engine.
Follow these steps to connect to a Linux instance:
Install the Google Cloud SDK on your workstation.
Open the command line interface in your workstation.
Authenticate to google using:

gcloud auth login

Set the default Google Cloud project using:

gcloud config set project [PROJECT_ID]
- Replace [PROJECT_ID] with the ID of your Google Cloud project

To connect to the Linux instance, use the command:

gcloud compute ssh [INSTANCE_NAME] --zone=[ZONE]
- Replace [INSTANCE_NAME] with the name of your instance and [ZONE] with its zone (e.g., us-central1-a)

The Linux terminal will open, establishing a direct connection to the instance.

Step 4: Connect via ssh using own SSH Key defined in the Project metadata
Process:

On your local machine, generate an SSH key pair.
Use the key comment as the login name for Linux Compute Engine.
Save public key and private key, on your local machine.

Navigate to Compute engine > Metadata.
Click the SSH Keys --> Click Add SSH Key --> Select Add Item.
Copy the Public Key.

Copy the External/ Internal IP of the compute engine.

Follow these steps to connect to a Linux instance:
Launch PuTTY or another compatible tool.
Expand Connection > SSH > Auth and select credentials.
Click Browse and locate your private key file.

The Linux terminal will open and prompt you for a username. Enter the username to connect to the instance.

Step 4: Connect via ssh using own SSH Key defined in the Compute Engine
Process:

On your local machine, generate an SSH key pair.
Use the key comment as the login name for Linux Compute Engine.
Save public key and private key.
Create Google Linux compute engine.
In the Security section:
Select Add Item, under Add manually generated SSH keys.
Copy the Public Key.

Copy the External/ Internal IP of the compute engine.
Follow these steps to connect to a Linux instance:
Launch PuTTY or another compatible tool.
Expand Connection > SSH > Auth and select credentials.
Click Browse and locate your private key file.
The Linux terminal will open and prompt you for a username. Enter the username to connect to the instance.

Step 5: Connect via ssh using own username and password
Process:

Create Google Linux compute engine.
In the Advanced section:
Copy the script below (adjust it according to your Linux distribution) under Startup script.

$sec_pass = ConvertTo-SecureString -String "lab-password@123" -AsPlainText -Force
New-LocalUser -Name gcpadmin -PasswordNeverExpires -Password $sec_pass
Add-LocalGroupMember -Group Administrators -Member gcpadmin

Copy the External/ Internal IP of the compute engine.
Follow these steps to connect to a Linux instance:
Launch PuTTY or another compatible tool.
The Linux terminal will open and prompt you for a username and password. Enter the username and password to connect to the instance.

DEV Community: Ahmad Majeed Zahoory

Different Methods to Connect to a AWS Linux Compute Engine Instance

Different Methods to Connect to a GCP Linux Compute Engine Instance

Connect to a GCP Linux Compute Engine Instance