⬡ Hub
Skip to content

Google Compute Engine (GCE)

Google Compute Engine offers scalable, high-performance virtual machines (VMs) running in Google's data centers.

Key Features

  • Custom Machine Types: Create VMs with the exact amount of vCPU and memory you need.
  • Live Migration: VMs keep running even when host systems are updated.
  • Preemptible VMs: Short-lived, low-cost instances for batch jobs (similar to Spot Instances).

Use Cases

  • Migration: Lift and shift existing workloads.
  • HPC: High-performance computing workloads.
  • Data Processing: Running data analytics tools.

Key Concepts

  • Machine Families: General-purpose (E2, N2), Compute-optimized (C2), Memory-optimized (M2).
  • Persistent Disks: Network storage attached to VMs (Standard, Balanced, SSD).
  • Local SSD: High-performance local storage (ephemeral).
  • Instance Groups: Managed groups of identical VMs (MIGs) for scaling and HA.