Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

CloudShell VS RunKit

Compare CloudShell VS RunKit and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

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.

RunKit logo RunKit

RunKit notebooks are interactive javascript playgrounds connected to a complete node environment right in your browser. Every npm module pre-installed.
  • CloudShell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-12
  • RunKit Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-22

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.

RunKit features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    RunKit provides an easy-to-use platform for prototyping and experimenting with Node.js code directly in the browser, without any setup.
  • Immediate Feedback
    The platform offers immediate execution and feedback for code snippets, making it ideal for learning and quick testing.
  • Installation-free
    There is no need to install Node.js or any other software locally as it runs completely in the browser.
  • Package Integration
    RunKit supports seamless integration with npm, allowing users to easily require and use any npm package in their code.
  • Collaboration
    Users can easily share their code with others, facilitating collaboration and peer learning.
  • Embedding
    Code snippets can be easily embedded into blogs or other web pages, enhancing content with interactive code examples.

Possible disadvantages of RunKit

  • Limited Environment
    Being a cloud-based platform, RunKit is limited in terms of custom environment configuration and local file system access.
  • Performance Constraints
    Execution performance might be constrained compared to running Node.js code locally, due to online execution limitations.
  • Dependency on Internet
    An active internet connection is necessary to use RunKit, which can be a drawback in offline scenarios.
  • Security Concerns
    Running code in a cloud environment could pose security risks, especially when dealing with sensitive data or code.
  • Feature Limitations
    Advanced Node.js features and debugging tools available in local development environments may not be supported.

Analysis of CloudShell

Overall verdict

  • Yes, CloudShell is a good tool, especially for those who are actively using Google Cloud Platform. It provides a user-friendly interface and a comprehensive set of tools to manage cloud resources effectively. Its convenience, combined with the power of GCP, makes it a valuable asset for cloud-based development and operations.

Why this product is good

  • CloudShell is a versatile tool offered by Google Cloud Platform (GCP) that provides a command-line environment directly in your web browser. It is particularly beneficial for developers and system administrators because it allows them to manage GCP resources easily without needing to install additional software on their local machines. CloudShell includes the Google Cloud SDK, along with other essential tools, making it a convenient and efficient option for cloud management tasks. Additionally, it offers persistent storage, allowing users to save their scripts and data between sessions. The integration with other GCP services enhances productivity by providing seamless access and control.

Recommended for

  • Developers who frequently work with Google Cloud Platform
  • System administrators managing GCP resources
  • New users of Google Cloud who need an easy introduction to command-line tools
  • Teams collaborating on GCP projects, as it supports session sharing

CloudShell videos

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RunKit videos

Runkit - NodeJS Notebook in Bangla | Create And Publish API from Your Browser Fast And Secure

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to CloudShell and RunKit)
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
Data Science Notebooks
0 0%
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
Data Science And Machine Learning

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, CloudShell seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 12 times since March 2021. 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 / 10 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 / about 1 year 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 / over 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: about 3 years ago
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RunKit mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of RunKit yet. Tracking of RunKit recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

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

GitHub Codespaces - GItHub Codespaces is a hosted remote coding environment by GitHub based on Visual Studio Codespaces integrated directly for GitHub.

Observable - Interactive code examples/posts

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

TextSTAT - TextSTAT is a simple programme for the analysis of texts.

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

Nodebook - Browser-based REPL notebook supporting many programming languages.