Skip to main content
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to launch a zonal Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) cluster using Google Cloud Shell. By following these steps, you will:
  • Open and configure Cloud Shell
  • Set a default compute zone to simplify future commands
  • Provision a GKE cluster with a custom boot disk
  • Validate the cluster creation via CLI and Console
This walkthrough is perfect for DevOps engineers and cloud practitioners who want to get started with GKE on Google Cloud.

​
Prerequisites

  • A Google Cloud project with billing enabled
  • The Kubernetes Engine Admin or Owner IAM role
  • Access to Cloud Shell

​
1. Activate Cloud Shell

  1. Sign in to the Google Cloud Console.
  2. Click the Activate Cloud Shell button in the top-right toolbar.
  3. Wait for the shell to initialize; you should see a prompt like:

​
2. Set the Default Compute Zone

Rather than appending --zone to every gcloud command, define a default zone for this session. In this lesson, we’ll use us-west1-a:
Expected output:
Defining a default zone streamlines your workflow by removing the need to specify it repeatedly, reducing the risk of mistakes.

​
3. Provision the GKE Cluster

We’ll create a cluster named gke-deep-dive with one node and a custom HDD boot disk. You can adjust these parameters to suit your needs. Execute:
You’ll see output similar to:
Cluster creation typically takes 10–15 minutes. Do not interrupt the process.
Monitor progress via the Cloud Shell output or the GKE Console.

​
4. Verify Cluster Creation

​
a) Using the CLI

List all GKE clusters in your project:
You should see:

​
b) Using the Cloud Console

  1. In the Google Cloud Console, navigate to Kubernetes Engine ▶ Clusters.
  2. Confirm that gke-deep-dive appears under us-west1-a.
Congratulations! You’ve successfully created and verified your first GKE cluster.

​
References

Watch Video