Connect using Cloud Shell

Use your browser to connect to YugabyteDB Aeon databases

Connect to your cluster database using any modern browser with Cloud Shell. Cloud Shell doesn't require a CA certificate or any special network access configured.

When you connect to your cluster using Cloud Shell with the YSQL API, the shell window also incorporates a Quick Start Guide, with a series of pre-built queries for you to run.

Command line interface

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

Client API Description
ysqlsh YSQL SQL shell for interacting with YugabyteDB using PostgreSQL-compatible YSQL API.
ycqlsh YCQL CQL shell for interacting with YugabyteDB using Cassandra-compatible YCQL API.

Limitations

Cloud Shell has the following security limitations:

  • Sessions are limited to one hour. If the session is inactive, it may disconnect after five minutes. If your session disconnects, close the browser tab and start a new session.
  • You can run up to five concurrent Cloud Shell sessions.
  • You can only use a subset of ysqlsh meta-commands.
Cloud Shell known issues
Cloud Shell is updated regularly. Check the known issues list in the release notes for the most-current list of known issues.

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-2.23.1.0-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>

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.
\d [name] List columns with their types and attributes for the named table, view, materialized view, index, sequence, or foreign table.
\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.
  • 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