How to Connect to Google Cloud Platform Using PuTTY?

In today's digital era, cloud computing has become an integral part of businesses and individuals alike. Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a popular choice for hosting applications, managing data, and running various workloads. While GCP provides a user-friendly web interface, some users prefer connecting to their instances via SSH for a more personalized experience. In this guide, we'll explore how to connect to Google Cloud Platform using PuTTY, a versatile and widely-used SSH client.

Step 1: Set Up Your Google Cloud Platform Account

Before diving into the PuTTY setup, ensure you have a Google Cloud Platform account. If you don't have one, sign up at https://console.cloud.google.com/. Create a project and enable the Compute Engine API.

Step 2: Generate SSH Key Pair

Navigate to the "Metadata" section in your project's Compute Engine. Click "SSH Keys" and then "Edit." Add your SSH public key. If you don't have an SSH key pair, generate one using the following command:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -f ~/.ssh/my-ssh-key -C [USERNAME]

Replace [USERNAME] with your Google Cloud username.

Step 3: Create a VM Instance

Go to the Compute Engine section on the GCP console. Click "Create Instance" and configure the settings. Under "Management, security, disks, networking, sole tenancy," add your SSH key under "SSH Keys."

Step 4: Download PuTTY and PuTTYgen

If you haven't already, download PuTTY and PuTTYgen from the official website: https://www.putty.org/. PuTTY is the SSH client, while PuTTYgen is used to convert your SSH key to a format compatible with PuTTY.

Step 5: Convert SSH Key Using PuTTYgen

Open PuTTYgen and load your private key. Click "Save private key" to save the key in PuTTY's format (ppk). Remember the location for later.

Step 6: Connect with PuTTY

Open PuTTY and enter your instance's external IP address in the "Host Name (or IP address)" field. In the "Connection" category, expand "SSH," select "Auth," and browse to the private key file you saved in Step 5.

Step 7: Save the Session

To save time in the future, enter a name for your session in the "Saved Sessions" field and click "Save." You can now load this configuration whenever you want to connect.

Congratulations! You've successfully connected to your Google Cloud Platform instance using PuTTY. This method provides a secure and efficient way to manage your GCP resources.