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Creating an Azure CloudShell

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I wanted to create a post to show how to setup a Cloud Shell for the first time, and also a few considerations about doing so because you normally only do this process once for your account.

You can access the Cloud Shell in two ways:

  • Direct link: Open a browser to https://shell.azure.com.
  • Azure portal: Select the Cloud Shell icon on the Azure portal.

Considerations

  • When creating a Cloud Shell you’ll only need to do this once per account (usually)
  • Create your Cloud Shell in a management resource group
  • Create a storage account specifically for Cloud Shells

Steps

  • Open a Cloud ShellLocate the Shell IconSelect PowerShell to get started (you can change it later)
Select PowerShell
  • You will be told you have no storage selected. Click “Show advanced Settings”
Advanced Settings
  • Populate the fields:
  • Subscription
    • The Azure subscription you’re creating the Cloud Shell resource under
    • If you have more than one; select a subscription which will contain other centralised management resources
  • Cloud Shell Region
    • The region you’d like to deploy the Cloud Shell resources to
    • Pick one closest to you as an example
  • Show vNet isolation settings
    • Allows the cloud shell to access virtual machines and other resources behind a firewall or using private addresses within Azure.
    • Leave unchecked
  • Resource Group
    • The resource group the Cloud Shell will be associated with
    • If you have more than one, select a resource group that is used for management (or create a new one one)
  • Storage Account
    • The storage account the Shell will store any files generated
    • I create a new Storage Account specifically for Shells to group them all together
    • Remember the name has to the lower case, between 3 and 24 chars and be globally unique
  • File Share
    • This will be the file share where the Cloud Shell data will be stored, within an IMG file
    • I often call the name of the fileshare my username (in case I wanted to use this storage account for more than one user in the future)
Populate the Fields
  • You will then be presented with a Cloud Shell running in PowerShell. You can easily flick between the BASH shell by changing shells in the top left corner