Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

CloudShell VS Tridactyl

Compare CloudShell VS Tridactyl 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.

Tridactyl logo Tridactyl

Replace Firefox's default control mechanism with one modelled on the one true editor, Vim.
  • CloudShell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-12
  • Tridactyl Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13

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.

Tridactyl features and specs

  • Vim-like Experience
    Tridactyl provides a Vim-like browsing experience, allowing users familiar with Vim commands to navigate and manage their browser efficiently using keyboard shortcuts.
  • Highly Customizable
    Users can extensively customize and script their browser interactions, tailoring Tridactyl to their specific browsing habits and preferences.
  • Productivity Boost
    By minimizing the need for mouse interactions, Tridactyl can significantly increase productivity and speed up browsing tasks for users who prefer keyboard-only navigation.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, Tridactyl encourages community contributions, transparency, and collaboration, leading to potentially faster bug fixes and feature improvements.

Possible disadvantages of Tridactyl

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users, particularly those unfamiliar with Vim, may find Tridactyl challenging to learn and adapt to due to its extensive command set and reliance on keyboard shortcuts.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Tridactyl may face compatibility challenges with certain web pages or browser updates, potentially requiring users to frequently manage or troubleshoot extensions.
  • Limited to Firefox
    Tridactyl is primarily designed for Firefox, limiting its accessibility to users who prefer or are required to use other web browsers like Chrome or Safari.
  • Resource Intensive
    For some users, Tridactyl might be resource-intensive, leading to slower performance or increased memory usage, particularly when dealing with a large number of commands or custom scripts.

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to CloudShell and Tridactyl)
Text Editors
58 58%
42% 42
Web Browsers
0 0%
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
Programming
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Tridactyl should be more popular than CloudShell. It has been mentiond 33 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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Tridactyl mentions (33)

  • Recover lost text by coredumping Firefox
    You can achieve this with native messaging [0] in tridactyl [1]: https://github.com/tridactyl/tridactyl/blob/850acdf2ca11018ed3c2fc7a8ae157d77f50bc17/src/excmds.ts#L321. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Firefox has surpassed Chrome on Speedometer
    As a pentadactly widow, I would recommend to anyone that is coming back to firefox tridactyl https://github.com/tridactyl/tridactyl is it the same? no. But is it close? Hell yeah. It really helps me with productivity! - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Firefox Address Bar Tips
    Wait until you find out about Tridactyl [0], which, among a plethora of other features, can activate a command line where you can perform all these searches (for example, `:tabopen` will list and activate fuzzy search of all opened tabs). [0] https://github.com/tridactyl/tridactyl. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Mice come in all shapes and sizes, making it difficult to decide which is right for you 🖱️
    You might be interested in using a browser plugin like Tridactyl instead, I’ve been using it for months now absolutely no complaints, no need to “simulate” the mouse anymore just use page hints to click exactly the html element you want to https://github.com/tridactyl/tridactyl. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • How to mock builtin function?
    Nearly everything on reddit uses reddit-flavored markdown. Backticks for Inline code, as you discovered, but indent code blocks with four spaces. I Use a browser extension so that I can edit all my comments in Vim, so manipulating this markup, especially Code blocks, is easy. Source: almost 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing CloudShell and Tridactyl, 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.

Vimium - The Hacker's Browser.

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

Surfingkeys - Rich shortcuts to click links/switch tabs/scroll pages or capture full page, use Chrome like vim for productivity.

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

Vieb - Browse the web with Vim-bindings