Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a platform that offers a range of cloud computing services by Google. The suite runs on the same infrastructure used by Google internally, including Google Search, file storage and Gmail.
Google Cloud Platform provides various tools and services to manage infrastructure, set up servers, and configure networks. GCP also offers modular cloud services, including computing, machine learning, data storage, and application development. GCP is accessible to developers, cloud administrators, and other IT professionals via public and private networks.
Google offers over 100 services, divided into nine categories: Compute, Storage & Database, Networking, Big Data, Cloud AI, Management Tools, Identity & Security, IoT, and API Platform.
Google provides the following services under Compute:
App Engine - Platform as a Service to deploy Java, PHP, Node.js, Python, C#, .Net, Go, and Ruby applications.
Compute Engine - Infrastructure as a Service to run Microsoft Windows and Linux virtually.
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) or GKE.
Cloud Functions - Functions as a Service to run event-driven code written in Node.js, Java, Python or Go.
Cloud Run - Compute execution environment.
The following services are provided by Google under Storage & Database:
Cloud Storage.
Cloud SQL - Database as a Service based on MySQL, PostgreSQL and Microsoft SQL Server.
Cloud Bigtable - Managed NoSQL database service.
Cloud Spanner - Database service.
Cloud Datastore - NoSQL database for web and mobile applications.
Persistent Disk - Block storage for Compute Engine virtual machines.
Cloud Memorystore.
Google provides the following services under Networking:
VPC - Virtual Private Cloud for managing the software-defined network of cloud resources.
Cloud Load Balancing - Software-defined, managed service for distributing traffic.
Cloud Armor - Firewall for web applications to protect workloads against DDoS attacks.
Cloud CDN - Content Delivery Network based on Google's globally distributed edge points of presence.
Cloud Interconnect - Service to connect a data centre to Google Cloud Platform.
Cloud DNS - A managed authoritative DNS service that runs on the same infrastructure as Google.
Network Service Tiers - Ability to choose Premium vs Standard network tier for the better-performing network.
Google provides the following services under Big Data:
BigQuery - scalable, managed enterprise data warehouse for analysis.
Cloud Dataflow - Managed service based on Apache Beam for processing stream and batch data.
Dataproc - Big data platform for running Apache Hadoop and Apache Spark jobs.
Cloud Composer - Managed workflow orchestration service built on Apache Airflow.
Cloud Datalab - Tool for data exploration, analysis, visualisation, and machine learning. This is a fully managed Jupyter Notebook service.
Cloud Dataprep - Data service based on Trifacta to explore, clean, and prepare data for visual analysis.
Cloud Pub/Sub - Scalable event ingestion service based on message queues.
Cloud Data Studio - Business intelligence tool to visualise data through dashboards and reports.
Google offers the following services under Cloud AI:
Cloud AutoML - Service for training and deploying custom machine learning models. The service has been in beta since September 2018.
Cloud TPU - Accelerators used by Google to train machine learning models.
Cloud Machine Learning Engine - Service for training and building machine learning models based on mainstream frameworks.
Cloud Talent Solution (formerly Cloud Job Discovery) - Service based on Google's search and machine learning capabilities for the recruitment ecosystem.
Dialogflow Enterprise - Development environment based on Google's machine learning for building conversational interfaces.
Cloud Natural Language - Text analysis service based on Google Deep Learning models.
Cloud Speech-to-Text - Speech-to-text conversion service based on machine learning.
Cloud Text-to-Speech - Text-to-speech conversion service based on machine learning.
Cloud Translation API - Service for dynamically translating between thousands of available languages.
Cloud Vision API - Image analysis service based on machine learning.
Cloud Video Intelligence - Video analysis service based on AI.
Google offers the following services under Management Tools:
Operations suite (formerly Stackdriver) - Monitoring, logging, and diagnostics for applications on Google Cloud Platform and AWS.
Cloud Deployment Manager - Tool for deploying Google Cloud Platform resources defined in templates created in YAML, Python, or Jinja2.
Cloud Console - Web interface for managing Google Cloud Platform resources.
Cloud Shell - Browser-based command-line access for managing Google Cloud Platform tools.
Cloud Console Mobile App - Android and iOS application for managing Google Cloud Platform resources.
Cloud APIs - APIs for programmatic access to Google Cloud Platform resources.
The following services fall under Identity & Security:
Cloud Identity - Single sign-on (SSO) service based on SAML 2.0 and OpenID.
Cloud IAM - Identity & Access Management (IAM) service for defining policy based on role-based access control.
Cloud Identity-Aware Proxy - Service for access control to cloud applications running on Google Cloud Platform without a VPN.
Cloud Data Loss Prevention API - A service designed to automate the identification, categorization, and redaction of sensitive data in cloud environments, while also incorporating robust data loss prevention measures.
Security Key Enforcement - Two-factor authentication based on a security key.
Cloud Key Management Service - Cloud-hosted management service integrated with IAM and audit logging.
Cloud Resource Manager - Service for managing resources per project, folder, and organisation based on hierarchy.
Cloud Security Command Center - Security and data risk platform for data and services running in Google Cloud Platform.
Cloud Security Scanner - Automated service for scanning vulnerabilities for applications deployed on App Engine.
Access Transparency - Almost real-time audit logs that provide insights to Google Cloud Platform administrators.
VPC Service Controls - Service for managing security perimeters for sensitive data in Google Cloud Platform services.
Google offers the following services under IoT:
Cloud IoT Core – a secure device connection and management service for the Internet of Things (IoT).
Edge TPU – a specially built ASIC. This product has been in private beta since September 2018.
Cloud IoT Edge – brings AI to the edge computing layer.
Under the API Platform, Google offers the following services:
Maps Platform – APIs for maps, routes, and places based on Google Maps.
Apigee API Platform – a lifecycle management platform for designing, securing, deploying, monitoring, and scaling APIs.
API Monetisation – a tool for API providers to create revenue models, reports, payment gateways, and developer portal integrations.
Developer Portal – a self-service platform for developers to publish and manage APIs.
API Analytics – a service for analysing API-driven programs by monitoring, measuring, and managing APIs.
Apigee Sense – enables API security by identifying and alerting administrators of suspicious API behaviour.
Cloud Endpoints – an NGINX-based proxy for deploying and managing APIs.
Service Infrastructure – a set of foundational services for building Google Cloud products.
Google Cloud is a suite of cloud computing services offered by Google, including computing, storage, networking, big data, machine learning, and more. These services are designed to help individuals and organisations build, deploy, and manage applications and services in the cloud.
Google Cloud offers many benefits, including scalability, reliability, security, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. With Google Cloud, you can quickly scale your applications and services as your needs change, while also benefiting from the security and reliability of Google's infrastructure.
Google Cloud includes a wide range of services, such as Compute Engine, App Engine, Kubernetes Engine, Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Cloud SQL, and many more. These services are designed to help you build, deploy, and manage your applications and services in the cloud.
Google Cloud pricing varies depending on the service you use and the level of usage. Some services, such as Cloud Storage, charge based on the amount of storage used, while others, such as Compute Engine, charge based on the amount of computing resources used. You can use Google's pricing calculator to estimate the cost of using different services.
Yes, Google Cloud is designed to be highly secure, with many built-in security features to help protect your data and applications. These features include secure access controls, encryption at rest and in transit, and DDoS protection, among others.
Google Cloud is a popular choice for many individuals and organisations due to its scalability, reliability, security, and cost-effectiveness. It is often compared to other cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, and it offers many similar features and services.