Greetings! Today, we're taking a closer look at that massive "cloud" world that takes our projects out of our local computers and makes them accessible from anywhere in the world: Google Cloud Platform (GCP). If you, like me, are wondering, "Does my computer have to stay on?" or "How can I optimize server costs?", you're in the right place.
What is Cloud Computing? Can You Eat It?
In its simplest terms, cloud computing is the business of "renting" resources like processing power, storage, and databases from giants like Google's massive data centers, instead of keeping them on your own computer. GCP is one of the smartest and most flexible players in this ecosystem.
GCP's Hidden Heroes: Cloud Shell and SDK
One of my favorite features is Cloud Shell. It's a free Linux terminal that opens in your browser, with tools like gcloud, npm, and docker pre-installed! You can manage your entire cloud infrastructure from the terminal without installing anything on your computer.
Global Infrastructure and Data Communication Network
The most fundamental difference that sets GCP apart is Google's global private fiber optic network. Your data is often transported via Google's own submarine cables and data center network, which they call Jupiter, without ever passing through the public internet.
Regions and Zones:
GCP divides resources into physically isolated regions. Each region consists of at least three "Zones" with low-latency connections.
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Global Load Balancing: Allows you to perform load balancing across the globe over a single IP address. It directs traffic from the "edge" point closest to the user.
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Network Stack and Security: Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) allows you to completely isolate your resources.
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Shared VPC: Provides centralized management by connecting multiple projects over a single network.
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Cloud Armor: A security layer that protects your applications against DDoS attacks and OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities.
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Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP): Provides secure access to your services on the internal network via authentication-aware (IAM) only, without using a VPN.