## How to fire up a temporary virtual machine for free on Google Cloud using Cloud Shell and Docker images in 1000 words ### Introduction Imagine you have a cool idea for a website or an app, but you don't have a computer powerful enough to build it. Or maybe you're on the go and need to access your development environment from anywhere. Google Cloud can help! With Cloud Shell, you can access a virtual machine (VM) with a pre-installed development environment for free. And with Docker images, you can quickly and easily set up your development environment with all the tools and libraries you need. ### What is Cloud Shell? Cloud Shell is a free, browser-based, interactive shell environment that you can use to develop and manage your projects on Google Cloud. It's like having a terminal window in your browser, but with access to all the tools and resources of Google Cloud. ### What is a Docker image? A Docker image is a self-contained, executable package that includes everything you need to run a particular piece of software. This includes the code, the runtime, and all the necessary libraries and dependencies. ### How to fire up a temporary VM for free on Google Cloud using Cloud Shell and Docker images 1. Open Cloud Shell. You can open Cloud Shell from the Google Cloud console or from the Google Cloud SDK. To open Cloud Shell from the Google Cloud console, click on the Cloud Shell icon in the top right corner of the console. To open Cloud Shell from the Google Cloud SDK, run the following command: ``` gcloud alpha cloud-shell ssh ``` 2. Install Docker. If you don't already have Docker installed, you can install it by running the following command in Cloud Shell: ``` sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install docker-ce ``` 3. Run a Docker image. Once you have Docker installed, you can run a Docker image by running the following command: ``` docker run -it ``` For example, to run the Ubuntu image, you would run the following command: ``` docker run -it ubuntu ``` This will start a new VM with the Ubuntu image installed. You can then use the VM to develop and test your code. ### Conclusion Firing up a temporary VM for free on Google Cloud using Cloud Shell and Docker images is a quick and easy way to get started with developing on Google Cloud. With Cloud Shell, you have access to a powerful development environment, and with Docker images, you can quickly and easily set up your development environment with all the tools and libraries you need.