GCP
✅ What is Google Cloud Platform (GCP)?
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a suite of cloud computing services offered by Google, providing infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS) for building, deploying, and scaling applications. GCP offers services in areas like computing, storage, networking, databases, machine learning, and more.
👉 Launched: 2008 (as Google App Engine), but the current branding of GCP came later. 👉 Used by: Businesses, developers, and organizations around the world, including Spotify, PayPal, Snapchat, and HSBC.
🔑 Key Features of Google Cloud Platform:
Scalability & Flexibility
Easily scale up or down based on demand using Google’s infrastructure.
Pay-as-you-go
Only pay for what you use — no upfront costs, flexible pricing models.
High-performance Compute
Leverage Google's cutting-edge infrastructure for fast and efficient computing.
Data Analytics & Machine Learning
Advanced tools for big data analysis, AI/ML, and data-driven insights.
Security & Compliance
Industry-leading security practices and compliance with global standards (ISO, GDPR, HIPAA).
Integration with Google Services
Seamlessly integrates with Google’s other services like Gmail, YouTube, and Google Maps.
✅ Main Categories of GCP Services:
1. Compute
Google Compute Engine: Virtual machines (VMs) for running applications and workloads.
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE): Managed Kubernetes service for container orchestration.
Google App Engine: Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) for app deployment without managing infrastructure.
Google Cloud Functions: Serverless computing for event-driven code execution.
Google Cloud Run: Fully managed compute platform for deploying containers.
2. Storage
Google Cloud Storage: Object storage for unstructured data (e.g., files, images, backups).
Persistent Disks: Block storage for VMs.
Filestore: Managed file storage for applications.
Google Cloud Bigtable: NoSQL database optimized for large analytical and operational workloads.
Google Cloud Firestore: Real-time NoSQL database for apps.
3. Networking
Virtual Private Cloud (VPC): Create isolated networks for your applications.
Cloud Load Balancing: Distribute traffic across multiple resources for high availability.
Cloud CDN (Content Delivery Network): Speed up content delivery with global caching.
Cloud Interconnect: High-speed, private connections between your on-premises infrastructure and GCP.
4. Databases
Google Cloud SQL: Managed relational database service (supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server).
Google Cloud Spanner: Globally distributed, scalable relational database.
Google Cloud BigQuery: Fully-managed, serverless data warehouse for analytics.
Google Cloud Datastore: NoSQL database for mobile and web apps.
Google Firestore: Real-time database for apps with synchronization.
5. Machine Learning & AI
Google AI Platform: Suite for building, training, and deploying ML models.
TensorFlow: Open-source library for machine learning and deep learning.
Google AutoML: Build custom machine learning models without extensive knowledge of ML.
Google Cloud Vision API: Image recognition and analysis.
Google Cloud Natural Language API: Text analysis and language processing.
6. Security & Identity
Identity and Access Management (IAM): Manage access to resources in GCP.
Cloud Identity: Identity management for apps and services.
Google Cloud Security Command Center: Centralized management of security and risk.
Cloud KMS (Key Management Service): Store and manage encryption keys.
Cloud Armor: DDoS protection and web application firewall.
7. Monitoring & Management
Google Cloud Monitoring: Monitor infrastructure and applications in real-time.
Google Cloud Logging: Collect, analyze, and store logs from applications and services.
Google Cloud Deployment Manager: Automate the provisioning and management of GCP resources.
Google Cloud Trace: Analyze latency in applications to optimize performance.
Google Cloud Profiler: Monitor and optimize app performance with profiling.
8. Developer Tools
Cloud Source Repositories: Git repositories for version control.
Cloud Build: Continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) tools for automation.
Cloud SDK: Command-line tools for managing Google Cloud resources.
Firebase: A suite of tools for building and managing mobile and web apps (includes real-time databases, authentication, and more).
✅ GCP Global Infrastructure
Regions & Zones: GCP has over 24 regions globally, with 73 availability zones, ensuring high availability and low-latency access to users worldwide.
Edge Locations: GCP also uses global edge locations for Content Delivery Network (CDN) to improve speed.
✅ GCP Pricing
Pay-as-you-go: Only pay for the services you use, with no upfront commitments.
Free Tier: GCP offers a free tier with limited usage for a variety of services (e.g., compute, storage).
Sustained Usage Discounts: Automatic discounts when you use services for longer periods.
Committed Use Contracts: Save money by committing to use specific services for a certain period.
✅ Popular Use Cases for GCP
Web Hosting & Apps
Compute Engine, App Engine, Cloud Storage, CDN
Big Data & Analytics
BigQuery, Dataflow, Dataproc, Pub/Sub, Bigtable
Machine Learning & AI
AI Platform, TensorFlow, AutoML, Vision API
Mobile App Backend
Firebase, Cloud Functions, Cloud Datastore
Gaming
Game Servers, Cloud Spanner, Cloud Storage
IoT Solutions
Cloud IoT Core, Pub/Sub, Cloud Functions
✅ Advantages of GCP
Performance
High performance and low-latency infrastructure from Google's backbone.
Scalable & Flexible
Easily scale resources up or down based on demand.
Strong in AI/ML
Industry-leading tools for machine learning, AI, and big data analysis.
Big Data Tools
Best-in-class tools for big data processing (BigQuery, Dataflow).
Integration with Google Services
Seamless integration with Google's products like YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps.
Security
Robust security features and compliance with global standards.
🎯 Summary
What is GCP?
A cloud platform offering services in compute, storage, networking, machine learning, and more.
Why use GCP?
Performance, security, machine learning tools, and integration with Google products.
What is it used for?
Hosting, machine learning, analytics, mobile apps, IoT, and big data solutions.
Key competitors?
AWS, Microsoft Azure, IBM Cloud.
🎯 GCP Certification Path
Google Associate Cloud Engineer: Entry-level certification for those working with GCP services.
Google Professional Cloud Architect: For experienced cloud architects managing GCP infrastructure.
Google Professional Data Engineer: For those working on data analytics and machine learning on GCP.
Last updated