GCP & Azure Fundamentals for Multi-Cloud
GCP Core Services: Compute, Storage & Networking
Google Cloud Platform excels in data analytics, Kubernetes, and machine learning. Understanding GCP is essential for multi-cloud architect roles.
GCP Compute Services
Compute Engine (VMs)
GCP's equivalent to AWS EC2 with some unique features.
Machine Type Families:
| Family | Use Case | Example |
|---|---|---|
| General Purpose (E2, N2) | Web serving, dev/test | e2-standard-4, n2-standard-8 |
| Compute Optimized (C2, C3) | HPC, gaming, batch | c2-standard-30 |
| Memory Optimized (M2, M3) | SAP HANA, in-memory DBs | m2-ultramem-416 |
| Accelerator Optimized (A2, A3) | ML training, HPC | a2-highgpu-8g |
Unique GCP Features:
- Preemptible VMs: Up to 91% discount (vs. 90% Spot on AWS)
- Sustained Use Discounts: Automatic discounts for running instances (no commitment)
- Custom Machine Types: Configure exact vCPU and memory
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)
GKE is often considered the best managed Kubernetes service.
Why GKE Stands Out:
- Autopilot Mode: Fully managed, pay per pod
- Release Channels: Rapid, Regular, Stable
- Multi-cluster Ingress: Global load balancing across clusters
- Built-in Istio: Service mesh integration
Interview Question: GKE vs EKS
Q: "Compare GKE Autopilot to EKS Fargate."
A:
| Feature | GKE Autopilot | EKS Fargate |
|---|---|---|
| Management | Fully managed (nodes, scaling) | Serverless pods only |
| Pricing | Per pod (vCPU + memory) | Per pod (vCPU + memory) |
| Node Access | No (abstracted) | No (abstracted) |
| GPUs | Yes (with limitations) | No |
| DaemonSets | Supported | Not supported |
| Best For | Teams wanting minimal ops | Serverless-first workloads |
Cloud Functions & Cloud Run
GCP's serverless compute options.
Cloud Functions:
- Event-driven, similar to AWS Lambda
- Max timeout: 60 minutes (2nd gen) vs. 15 min Lambda
- Support for HTTP and event triggers
Cloud Run:
- Container-based serverless (unique to GCP)
- No cold starts for always-allocated instances
- Full HTTP/gRPC support
- Request-based pricing or always-on
When to Use Each:
Simple event processing → Cloud Functions
Containerized workloads → Cloud Run
Long-running containers → Cloud Run (always-allocated)
REST/gRPC APIs → Cloud Run
GCP Storage Services
Cloud Storage (Object Storage)
Storage Classes:
| Class | Minimum Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed |
| Nearline | 30 days | Immediate | Monthly access |
| Coldline | 90 days | Immediate | Quarterly access |
| Archive | 365 days | Immediate | Yearly access |
Key Difference from S3: All GCP classes have immediate retrieval (unlike Glacier).
Persistent Disk Types
| Type | Max IOPS | Max Throughput | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| pd-standard (HDD) | 7,500 | 400 MB/s | Bulk storage |
| pd-balanced (SSD) | 80,000 | 1,200 MB/s | General workloads |
| pd-ssd (SSD) | 100,000 | 1,200 MB/s | High performance |
| pd-extreme (SSD) | 120,000 | 2,200 MB/s | Databases, SAP |
Filestore (Managed NFS)
GCP's equivalent to AWS EFS.
Tiers:
- Basic: General file sharing
- Enterprise: High availability, snapshots
- High Scale: Big data workloads (100+ TB)
GCP Networking
VPC Concepts
GCP VPC Differences from AWS:
- Global VPCs: VPCs span all regions (not regional like AWS)
- Subnets are regional: Span all zones in a region
- Firewall rules: Applied at VPC level, not subnet level
- Shared VPC: Cross-project networking
Interview Question: GCP vs AWS VPC
Q: "What are the key differences between GCP and AWS VPC design?"
A:
| Aspect | GCP | AWS |
|---|---|---|
| VPC Scope | Global | Regional |
| Subnet Scope | Regional (all zones) | AZ-specific |
| Firewall | VPC-level rules | Security Groups + NACLs |
| NAT | Cloud NAT (regional) | NAT Gateway (per AZ) |
| Peering | Global, transitive routes | Regional, non-transitive |
| Private Access | Private Google Access | VPC Endpoints |
Cloud Load Balancing
GCP's global load balancing is a key differentiator.
Load Balancer Types:
| Type | Scope | Protocol | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| HTTP(S) LB | Global | Layer 7 | Web apps |
| TCP Proxy | Global | Layer 4 | TCP apps |
| SSL Proxy | Global | Layer 4 | SSL termination |
| Network LB | Regional | Layer 4 | Low latency |
| Internal HTTP(S) | Regional | Layer 7 | Internal services |
| Internal TCP/UDP | Regional | Layer 4 | Internal apps |
Why Global Load Balancing Matters:
- Single anycast IP serves all regions
- Automatic routing to nearest healthy backend
- No need for Route 53-style DNS failover
Interview Tip: GCP's global network is its biggest differentiator. Emphasize premium tier networking and global load balancing when comparing to AWS.
Next, we'll explore GCP's data and AI services. :::