The Google Cloud console
provides a web-based, graphical user interface that you can use to manage your
Google Cloud console(Google Cloud) projects and resources. When you use the Google Cloud console,
you create a new project, or choose an existing project, and use the
resources that you create in the context of that project.
You can create multiple projects, so you can use projects to separate your work in whatever way
makes sense for you. For example, you might start a new project if you want to
make sure only certain team members can access the resources in that project,
while all team members can continue to access resources in another project.
Command-line interface
If you prefer to work in a terminal window, the
Google Cloud CLI gives you access to the commands you need. The gcloud CLI can be used to manage
both your development workflow and your Google Cloud resources. See the gcloudreference for the complete list of available commands.
A temporary Compute Engine virtual machine instance.
Command-line access to the instance from a web browser.
A built-in code editor.
5 GB of persistent disk storage.
Pre-installed Google Cloud CLI and other tools.
Language support for Java, Go, Python, Node.js, PHP, Ruby and .NET.
Web preview functionality.
Built-in authorization for access to Google Cloud Console projects and resources.
Client libraries
The gcloud CLI includes client libraries
that enable you to easily create and manage resources. Google Cloud client libraries expose APIs for two main purposes:
App APIs provide access to services. App APIs are optimized for supported
languages, such as Node.js and Python. The libraries are designed around service
metaphors, so you can work with the services more naturally and write less
boilerplate code. The libraries also provide helpers for
authentication and authorization.
Admin APIs offer functionality for resource management. For example, you can
use admin APIs if you want to build your own automated tools.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-09-03 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eAPI Gateway offers three primary methods for interacting with its services and resources: the Google Cloud console, the command-line interface (\u003ccode\u003egcloud\u003c/code\u003e), and client libraries.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe Google Cloud console provides a web-based UI for managing Google Cloud projects and resources, allowing users to create and access resources within specific projects.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe command-line interface (\u003ccode\u003egcloud\u003c/code\u003e) and Cloud Shell provide access to commands for managing development workflows and Google Cloud resources, with Cloud Shell offering a browser-based environment with pre-installed tools.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eClient libraries, accessible through \u003ccode\u003egcloud\u003c/code\u003e, offer both App APIs for language-optimized service interaction and Admin APIs for managing resources and building custom tools.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# About the API Gateway development environment\n=============================================\n\nAPI Gateway gives you three basic ways to interact with the services and\nresources necessary to build APIs:\n\n- [Google Cloud console](#google-cloud-console)\n- [Command-line interface (`gcloud`)](#command-line_interface)\n- [Client libraries](#client_libraries)\n\nGoogle Cloud console\n--------------------\n\nThe [Google Cloud console](https://console.cloud.google.com/)\nprovides a web-based, graphical user interface that you can use to manage your\nGoogle Cloud console(Google Cloud) projects and resources. When you use the Google Cloud console,\nyou create a new project, or choose an existing project, and use the\nresources that you create in the context of that project.\n\nYou can create multiple projects, so you can use projects to separate your work in whatever way\nmakes sense for you. For example, you might start a new project if you want to\nmake sure only certain team members can access the resources in that project,\nwhile all team members can continue to access resources in another project.\n\nCommand-line interface\n----------------------\n\nIf you prefer to work in a terminal window, the\n[Google Cloud CLI](/sdk/docs) gives you access to the commands you need. The gcloud CLI can be used to manage\nboth your development workflow and your Google Cloud resources. See the `gcloud`\n[reference](/sdk/gcloud/reference) for the complete list of available commands.\n\nGoogle Cloud also provides\n[Cloud Shell](https://cloud.google.com/shell/docs/features),\na browser-based, interactive shell environment for Google Cloud. You can [access\nCloud Shell from the Google Cloud console](https://console.cloud.google.com/?cloudshell=true).\n\nCloud Shell provides:\n\n- A temporary Compute Engine virtual machine instance.\n- Command-line access to the instance from a web browser.\n- A built-in code editor.\n- 5 GB of persistent disk storage.\n- Pre-installed Google Cloud CLI and other tools.\n- Language support for Java, Go, Python, Node.js, PHP, Ruby and .NET.\n- Web preview functionality.\n- Built-in authorization for access to Google Cloud Console projects and resources.\n\nClient libraries\n----------------\n\nThe gcloud CLI includes [client libraries](/sdk/cloud-client-libraries)\nthat enable you to easily create and manage resources. Google Cloud client libraries expose APIs for two main purposes:\n\n- *App APIs* provide access to services. App APIs are optimized for supported\n languages, such as Node.js and Python. The libraries are designed around service\n metaphors, so you can work with the services more naturally and write less\n boilerplate code. The libraries also provide helpers for\n [authentication and authorization](/docs/authentication).\n\n- *Admin APIs* offer functionality for resource management. For example, you can\n use admin APIs if you want to build your own automated tools.\n\nFor more on the API Gateway client library, see [APIs and reference](/api-gateway/docs/reference).\n\nWhat's next\n-----------\n\n- [Configuring your development environment](/api-gateway/docs/configure-dev-env)"]]
