Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

CloudShell VS GitHub Codespaces

Compare CloudShell VS GitHub Codespaces and see what are their differences

CloudShell logo CloudShell

Cloud Shell is a free admin machine with browser-based command-line access for managing your infrastructure and applications on Google Cloud Platform.

GitHub Codespaces logo GitHub Codespaces

GItHub Codespaces is a hosted remote coding environment by GitHub based on Visual Studio Codespaces integrated directly for GitHub.
  • CloudShell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-12
  • GitHub Codespaces Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-01

CloudShell features and specs

  • Integrated Environment
    CloudShell provides a fully integrated development environment directly within your browser, including access to Google Cloud resources, pre-installed Google Cloud SDK, and other useful tools.
  • Convenience
    Because it's browser-based, there is no need to install or configure anything locally, which can save considerable setup time and eliminate environment inconsistencies.
  • Security
    Operating within Google's infrastructure can add layers of security, including secure connection to cloud resources and less risk of exposing local machines to vulnerabilities.
  • Access to Project Resources
    Directly connects to Google Cloud resources associated with your account, making it easy to manage and deploy applications within your cloud environment.
  • Scalability
    Seamlessly scalable environment that can handle different workloads without performance degradation.
  • Persistent Storage
    CloudShell offers persistent storage, allowing users to save their work and configurations, which are available in future sessions.
  • Pre-installed Tools
    Includes a range of pre-installed tools, such as git, gcloud SDK, and language libraries, enabling efficient development and deployment workflows.

Possible disadvantages of CloudShell

  • Resource Limits
    CloudShell has usage limits, including limited disk space and CPU, which may not be sufficient for all types of workloads, particularly resource-intensive tasks.
  • Inactive Use Timeouts
    Sessions that are inactive for a period of time may be automatically terminated, which can disrupt ongoing work.
  • Dependency on Internet Connection
    Being a cloud-based solution, a stable internet connection is required. Any disruption in connectivity can hamper development and deployment processes.
  • Latency Issues
    Depending on your geographical location, there may be latency issues which can affect performance and response times.
  • Limited Customization
    While CloudShell provides many pre-installed tools, users have limited control over the environment compared to a locally managed development setup.
  • Paid Subscription Needed for Extensive Use
    Beyond the free tier, extensive usage of CloudShell resources may incur additional costs, which can add up depending on the scale and nature of the tasks.
  • Learning Curve
    New users who are not familiar with Google Cloud's ecosystem may face an initial learning curve to fully leverage CloudShell's capabilities.

GitHub Codespaces features and specs

  • Instant Setup
    GitHub Codespaces allows for quick setup of development environments, enabling developers to start coding within minutes.
  • Consistency
    By using Codespaces, all team members can work in consistent development environments, avoiding the 'works on my machine' problem.
  • Scalable
    Codespaces can easily scale up or down resources based on the needs of the project, offering flexibility in resource allocation.
  • Integrated with GitHub
    Seamless integration with GitHub means that Codespaces takes advantage of all GitHub features like pull requests, issues, and workflows directly within the development environment.
  • Customizable Environments
    Developers can define the configuration of their development environments using devcontainer.json files, making it easy to set up tailored workspaces.
  • Remote Development
    Codespaces allows developers to work from virtually anywhere without needing to rely on the power of their local machines.

Possible disadvantages of GitHub Codespaces

  • Cost
    Using Codespaces incurs a cost based on compute and storage resources, which can add up, especially for larger teams or more intensive projects.
  • Internet Reliance
    Codespaces are cloud-based, so a stable internet connection is required. Any disruption in connectivity can hinder development progress.
  • Customization Limitations
    While customizable, Codespaces may not support all specific or advanced development setups or niche tools as effectively as local environments.
  • Performance Variability
    Performance might vary depending on the selected instance type and current load on GitHub's infrastructure.
  • Dependency on GitHub Ecosystem
    Codespaces are tightly integrated with GitHub, which could be a downside for teams that use other platforms or who prefer a more platform-independent solution.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers unfamiliar with cloud-based environments may face a learning curve when first transitioning to Codespaces.

CloudShell videos

No CloudShell videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

GitHub Codespaces videos

Brief introduction of GitHub Codespaces

More videos:

  • Review - GitHub Codespaces First Look - 5 things to look for

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to CloudShell and GitHub Codespaces)
Text Editors
22 22%
78% 78
Programming
29 29%
71% 71
IDE
26 26%
74% 74
Development
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using CloudShell and GitHub Codespaces. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare CloudShell and GitHub Codespaces

CloudShell Reviews

We have no reviews of CloudShell yet.
Be the first one to post

GitHub Codespaces Reviews

12 Best Online IDE and Code Editors to Develop Web Applications
Beginners who want to try their luck can use GitHub Codespaces for free with limited benefits, but you will have enough features to carry on. If you are a team or an enterprise, you can start using GitHub Codespaces at $40/user/year.
Source: geekflare.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GitHub Codespaces seems to be a lot more popular than CloudShell. While we know about 147 links to GitHub Codespaces, we've tracked only 12 mentions of CloudShell. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

CloudShell mentions (12)

  • Intro to the YouTube APIs: searching for videos
    Command-line (gcloud) -- Those who prefer working in a terminal can enable APIs with a single command in the Cloud Shell or locally on your computer if you installed the Cloud SDK which includes the gcloud command-line tool (CLI) and initialized its use. If this is you, issue this command to enable the API: gcloud services enable youtube.googleapis.com Confirm all the APIs you've enabled with this command:... - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Explore the world with Google Maps APIs
    Gcloud/command-line - Finally, for those more inclined to using the command-line, you can enable APIs with a single command in the Cloud Shell or locally on your computer if you installed the Cloud SDK (which includes the gcloud command-line tool [CLI]) and initialized its use. If this is you, issue the following command to enable all three APIs: gcloud services enable geocoding-backend.googleapis.com... - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Getting started with the Google Cloud CLI interactive shell for serverless developers
    While you might find that using the Google Cloud online console or Cloud Shell environment meets your occasional needs, for maximum developer efficiency you will want to install the Google Cloud CLI (gcloud) on your own system where you already have your favorite editor or IDE and git set up. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Cloud desktops aren't as good as you'd think
    Here is the product https://cloud.google.com/shell It has a quick start guide and docs. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • I do not have a personal laptop. Should I use my school's library computers to start learning or just wait until I get a laptop?
    If you are worried about creating other accounts etc - you can just use your gmail account with https://cloud.google.com/shell and that gives you a very small vm and a coding environment (replit or colab are way better than this though). Source: almost 3 years ago
View more

GitHub Codespaces mentions (147)

  • GitHub Workflows: The First Line of Defense
    For this week, our task was to automate everything: GitHub workflows for testing, linting, building, and error checking. Additionally, I set up a dev container that contributors can use in GitHub Codespaces for a fast, hassle-free setup. Finally, we were assigned to write tests for a classmate's project! - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Dear AWS, how do I build & develop purely on AWS right now?
    As an alternative for Cloud9, you can use vscode.dev, which runs VS Code in the browser or other alternatives that are more integrated and personalized like gitpod.io or Github Codespaces. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Ask HN: Any Recommendations Around Programming on an iPad?
    Check out GitHub Codespaces https://github.com/features/codespaces I have used it for learning C, Rust and Go. It even has a VSCode editor in the browser. It’s pretty easy to setup. Create a repo, add a hello_world.c, push the code, then in the UI press the green code option and select Create code space on main and then use the gcc from the terminal to compile... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Local development with Subdomains, Mobile Testing, and OAuth
    I updated the settings in my router to keep my IP assigned to my computer to avoid needing to update the DNS file. ### Remote Development One option I didn't try is doing all of your development remotely in something like Github Workspaces. From what it looks like, I think this would provide all the functionality needed except, you'd be dependent on internet and be locked into their pricing. I've worked in this... - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • From Text Editors to Cloud-based IDEs - a DevEx journey
    Then, we had the rise of the cloud and the arrival of cloud-based IDEs. The first cloud-based IDE was PHPanywhere (eventually becoming CodeAnywhere) in 2009, followed by Cloud9 in 2010 (before AWS bought it in 2016), Glitch (2018), GitPod (2019), GitHub Codespaces (2020), and Google’s Project IDX (2024). - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing CloudShell and GitHub Codespaces, you can also consider the following products

CodeTasty - CodeTasty is a programming platform for developers in the cloud.

replit - Code, create, andlearn together. Use our free, collaborative, in-browser IDE to code in 50+ languages — without spending a second on setup.

Dirigible - Dirigible is a cloud development toolkit providing both development tools and runtime environment.

StackBlitz - Online VS Code Editor for Angular and React

Glitch - Glitch is the friendly community where everyone builds the web. Simple, powerful interface for creating web apps.

vscode.dev - Now when you go to https://vscode.dev, you'll be presented with a lightweight version of VS Code running fully in the browser.