Connect to a free virtual machine on Google Cloud with MobaXterm and install Node.js
Google cloud is a nice place for playing with virtual machines for free. To enjoy playing you need a user-friendly SSH client.
Google cloud allows using its virtual machines for free. New customers get $300 credit for trying out Google Cloud.
Why not PuTTY?
PuTTY is a totally functional but inconvenient archaism. It has not changed much for years. MobaXterm is more than PuTTY and it offers a more user-friendly interface. If you have never tried it, you should try.
How to access a Google Cloud VM over an SSH connection?
Google Cloud uses key-based SSH authentication on its Linux virtual machines. Before you can connect to a virtual machine (VM) with an SSH client, you have to quickly create a pair of keys. Then you have to save the public key together with your username into the VM. The file with the matching private key will be used by the SSH client instead of a password.
