LAB 24 ‐ OCI Cloud Shell - DevWithNehaCloud/Oracle-Cloud-Infrastructure-wiki GitHub Wiki

Objective

Learn how to use OCI Cloud Shell to run Linux commands and manage OCI resources directly from the browser.

What is OCI Cloud Shell?

OCI Cloud Shell is a browser-based terminal provided by Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

It allows users to:

  • Run Linux commands
  • Use OCI CLI commands
  • Access cloud resources
  • Manage OCI services without installing software locally

Step 1: Login to OCI Console then click on developer tools and then click on Cloud Shell.

Now by default as you can see you are connected with public network where you can run your linux commands.

Step 2: Now change the Network public to Private network definition list.

Now click on Create private network definition.

Step 3: Now select the compartment(where you have created the VCN/Subnet) and give the name of the private network definition, select use as active network and then click on create.

As you can see now private network definition is created. click on close.

Step 4: Now again click on Private network definition list.

Now click on three dots and click on Use as active network.

again click on Use as active network and then click on close.

As you can see, now we are connected with our private network that is Sandbox-PND-01

Now, first we create a directory and inside that directory we create a file then we download this file from OCI cloud shell to our local laptop.

There is no need to specify the Absolute Path (starting from /home). You only need to provide the path relative to your current directory, such as ParentFolder/FileName. ex. my-dir/sample.txt

OCI Network Types in Cloud Shell

1. Public Network

Definition

A Public Network allows resources to communicate with the internet using public IP addresses.

When We Use It

  • Accessing websites or APIs from the internet
  • SSH access to instances
  • Hosting public applications

Common Usage

Most commonly used for:

  • Web servers
  • Bastion servers
  • Internet-facing applications

2. OCI Service Network

Definition

An OCI Service Network provides private access to Oracle Cloud services without using the public internet.

When We Use It

  • Accessing Object Storage privately
  • Connecting OCI services securely
  • Avoiding internet traffic

Common Usage

Used when:

  • Security is important
  • Traffic should stay inside OCI network

3. Private Network Definition List

Definition

A Private Network Definition List is a saved configuration file that defines private networking settings and rules.

When We Use It

  • Reusing network configurations
  • Automating network setup
  • Exporting/importing network settings

Common Usage

Mostly used in:

  • Automation
  • Infrastructure as Code
  • Cloud Shell networking configurations

4. Ephemeral Private Network Setup

Definition

An Ephemeral Private Network is a temporary private network created for short-term communication and automatically removed after use.

When We Use It

  • Temporary testing
  • Short-lived sessions
  • Secure temporary connectivity

Common Usage

Used for:

  • Temporary workloads
  • Testing environments
  • Session-based networking

Quick Difference Table

Network Type Internet Access Private Communication Temporary/Permanent Common Use
Public Network Yes No Permanent Public apps, SSH
OCI Service Network No Yes Permanent OCI services access
Private Network Definition List No Yes Permanent Config Reusable configurations
Ephemeral Private Network Setup No Yes Temporary Testing, short-term access

Which One is Used Most?

Network Type Usage Frequency
Public Network Most Common
OCI Service Network Very Common
Private Network Definition List Used in automation
Ephemeral Private Network Setup Less Common

OCI Cloud Shell vs PuTTY

Overview

Both OCI Cloud Shell and PuTTY are used to run Linux commands, but OCI Cloud Shell provides additional cloud management and automation capabilities directly from the OCI Console.

Difference Between OCI Cloud Shell and PuTTY

OCI Cloud Shell PuTTY
Browser-based terminal Local SSH client
No installation required Requires installation
OCI CLI pre-installed OCI CLI must be installed manually
Directly connected with OCI Console Manual SSH connection required
Accessible from anywhere Depends on local system
Secure Oracle-managed environment Depends on local machine configuration

Professional Use of OCI Cloud Shell

1. Quick OCI Resource Management

Cloud engineers use OCI Cloud Shell to:

  • Manage compute instances
  • Create and manage buckets
  • Check networking resources
  • Run OCI CLI commands
  • Troubleshoot cloud resources

without manually connecting to servers.

2. OCI CLI Already Installed

OCI Cloud Shell already contains OCI CLI.

Example:

oci --version

Benefit

No need to:

  • Install OCI CLI manually
  • Configure credentials locally

3. Faster Troubleshooting

Professionals use Cloud Shell for:

  • Checking VCN configuration
  • Verifying instance status
  • Testing network connectivity
  • Running scripts
  • Managing cloud resources

Example:

oci compute instance list

4. No SSH Key Setup Required

In PuTTY:

  • SSH keys must be created
  • Keys must be configured manually

In OCI Cloud Shell:

  • Login to OCI Console
  • Open Cloud Shell
  • Start working immediately

5. Automation and Scripting

Cloud Shell is commonly used for:

  • Bash scripting
  • OCI automation
  • Terraform commands
  • Kubernetes management
  • DevOps operations

6. Secure Environment

OCI Cloud Shell provides:

  • Oracle-managed secure environment
  • Temporary cloud session
  • No dependency on local machine setup

This improves operational security in enterprise environments.

Real Professional Scenario

Example

A production server becomes unavailable.

The cloud engineer:

  1. Opens OCI Console
  2. Launches OCI Cloud Shell
  3. Runs troubleshooting commands

Example:

oci compute instance list

The engineer can quickly:

  • Verify instance status
  • Check networking
  • Validate attached volumes
  • Troubleshoot issues

without configuring PuTTY or SSH manually.

Simple Understanding

Tool Main Purpose
PuTTY Connect to Linux server using SSH
OCI Cloud Shell Full cloud management terminal inside OCI Console

Advantages of OCI Cloud Shell

  • No software installation required
  • OCI CLI already available
  • Browser-based access
  • Fast troubleshooting
  • Useful for automation
  • Secure cloud-managed environment
  • Ideal for DevOps and cloud administration

Conclusion

Professional Usage

OCI Cloud Shell is Professionally Used For

  • OCI administration
  • Cloud automation
  • Troubleshooting OCI resources
  • Running OCI CLI commands
  • DevOps operations
  • Terraform and Kubernetes management
  • Managing cloud infrastructure directly from OCI Console

It saves time because everything is preconfigured inside the OCI Console.

PuTTY is Professionally Used For

  • Connecting to Linux servers using SSH
  • Remote server administration
  • Managing on-premises servers
  • Accessing virtual machines manually
  • Running Linux commands on remote systems
  • Troubleshooting server-level issues
  • Secure remote terminal access

4. Summary

"I use OCI Cloud Shell for Cloud Administration because it provides a secure, managed environment with pre-installed DevOps tools like Terraform and the OCI CLI. However, for Instance Management and software installation inside a VM, I prefer using PuTTY/SSH for direct access to the Operating System."