Interactive map of Google Cloud Services

This article will give you an overview of the Google Cloud Platform. To help you get a birds-eye view, I have created a map illustrating the services of Google Cloud and how they relate. This knowledge is essential if you work with the cloud, either as a student, architect, or other professional.

If you are familiar with Google Cloud Platform and want to skip directly to the map, you can find it embedded near the bottom of the article.

Introduction to Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Google Cloud Platform is one of the "three large cloud providers." The other two are Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. Google Cloud Platform is the smallest of these three, but don't let that fool you. Their size doesn't reflect their utility.

I have worked with all three of the large cloud providers. And, in my personal opinion, the great thing about Google Cloud Platform is the level of refinement and synergy they offer in their services.

For platforms depending on Kubernetes, this is especially true. Google made Kubernetes and has racked up a lot of experience creating and running services using it. Google open-sourced the Kubernetes project in 2014. Kubernetes combines over 15 years of Google's experience running production workloads at scale with best-of-breed ideas and practices from the community.

Fun fact: The name Kubernetes originates from Greek, meaning helmsman or pilot.

Another great aspect of Google Cloud Platform is how fast it can allocate new virtual machines. You generally have to wait 5-15 minutes before accessing a newly created VM when using other cloud providers. On the Google Cloud Platform, this process takes seconds, and that can be critical to prevent applications that are receiving sudden spikes of traffic from becoming unresponsive. And because of this, Google Cloud was the first choice when building my latest application, Emberly.

Map of Google Cloud Services

Below I have compiled a map of the services provided by Google Cloud Platform.

Each node in the map contains descriptions and links to the documentation and product pages. Click on them to expand.

You can also view the map in a larger format by clicking the bottom right button.

As usual, this map is public domain. That means you are free to do with it as you wish. So, feel free to duplicate this map for your own use. It may be helpful to add notes as you learn, store new resources you find, and rate yourself on how experienced you are with the different Google Cloud services.

This article is a part of an ongoing series I am creating to map out the breadth of various topics from a birds-eye perspective. If you liked it, subscribe at the bottom of the page, and I'll send you an email when the next one is available.

Have a delightful day!

Until next time.

Leif

Vocabulary

GCP - Google Cloud Platform.
VM - Virtual Machine.
Kubernetes - System that manages orchestration of containers.
Container - A lightweight software package including everything required to run a specific application.
AI/ML - Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

Disclaimer:

Emberly is not a part of or affiliated with Google. This map and article are purely for educational purposes. Google Cloud is a trademark of Google LLC.