Google Cloud Computing Foundation Course - Week 4 Lecture Notes Summary

Lecture 20: Configuring Elastic Apps with Autoscaling

• Autoscaler Overview:
• Managed instance groups use autoscaling to add and remove VM instances based
on predefined policies.
• Policies define the minimum and maximum number of replicas in the group.
• Autoscaler adjusts resources by provisioning VMs from Compute Engine
templates.
• Instance Capacity:
• Additional VMs offer diminishing returns as the group grows larger (e.g., 10th
VM adds 10% capacity).
• Autoscaler behaves conservatively to avoid running out of capacity by adding
extra VMs when needed.
• VM Removal Strategy:
• Autoscaler prefers underutilization rather than resource exhaustion.
• It typically removes one VM at a time to stay close to target utilization.

Lecture 21: Exploring PaaS with App Engine

• App Engine Overview:
• Fully managed, serverless platform for running highly scalable applications.
• Ideal for rapid development and deployment without the need for managing
infrastructure.
• Reduces operational overhead (no server management or deployment
configuration).
• Key Features:
• Supports a range of programming languages: Java, PHP, Python, Node.js, C#,
Ruby, etc.
• Command-line management, production debugging, and use of tools like Cloud
SDK, IntelliJ IDEA, Visual Studio.
• Automatically scales based on application traffic.
• App Engine Environments:
• Standard Environment: Fully managed, scales down to zero, but with runtime
and configuration limitations.
• Flexible Environment: Allows custom runtimes and infrastructure options, but
always running (even during low usage).
• Storage Options:
• Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, and Bigtable for different data storage needs.
• Memcache for caching, and support for large object storage (up to 5 TB).
 • Scaling and Load Balancing:
• Automatic scaling to meet demand and load balancing across multiple regions for
high availability.
• Can host different versions of apps for development, testing, staging, and
production.

Lecture 22: Event-Driven Programs with Cloud Functions

• Cloud Functions Overview:
• Cloud Functions are serverless and run based on specific events in GCP (event-
driven architecture).
• Ideal for small, independent units of functionality.
• Use Cases:
• Connecting and extending GCP services using event-driven automation.
• Examples include responding to file uploads, database changes, or Pub/Sub
messages.
• Key Advantages:
• Automatically managed infrastructure with seamless scaling from a few
invocations to millions.
• Easily integrates with other GCP services such as Cloud Storage, Pub/Sub, Cloud
Spanner, and Translation API.

Lecture 23: Containerizing and Orchestrating Apps with GKE

• Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) Overview:
• GKE provides managed container orchestration using Kubernetes.
• A hybrid between Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service
(PaaS).
• Ideal for teams deploying or maintaining containerized workloads without
infrastructure management.
• Containerization Benefits:
• Provides an abstraction layer over the operating system and hardware.
• Containers are lightweight, start quickly, and enable scalability and resource
isolation.
• Containers vs VMs:
• Containers scale workloads independently and more efficiently than VMs.
• They offer the flexibility of IaaS but with the performance benefits of PaaS.
• Kubernetes Capabilities:
• Kubernetes allows container orchestration at scale, deploying containers across
clusters.
• Features include automatic scaling, rolling updates, and management of container
 health and storage.
• GKE Features:
• Fully managed environment for running Docker containers.
• Provides access to open-source Kubernetes with support for hybrid cloud
environments.

Lecture 24: Summary

• Cloud Compute Options:
• GCP provides four main computing options: Compute Engine, App Engine,
Cloud Functions, and GKE.
• Compute Engine delivers VMs with IaaS.
• App Engine simplifies app development with a serverless PaaS model.
• Cloud Functions allows event-driven automation without infrastructure
management.
• GKE is used for container orchestration with the benefits of both IaaS and PaaS.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Lecture 20: Configuring Elastic Apps with Autoscaling

1. What does autoscaling do in GCP?
• Autoscaling automatically adjusts the number of virtual machines (VMs) in
response to changes in load, based on policies.
2. What are the policies involved in autoscaling?
• Policies include the minimum and maximum number of instance replicas.
3. How does the percentage utilization of a VM change in larger groups?
• The more VMs in a group, the less percentage each new VM adds to the overall
capacity.
4. What happens if autoscaler needs to remove VMs to meet a target?
• It conservatively removes one VM rather than overshooting the target and
removing too many.
5. Why does the autoscaler prefer underutilization over running out of resources?
• To avoid service disruption when there is a sudden need for more capacity.

Lecture 21: Exploring PaaS with App Engine

6. What is App Engine in GCP?
• App Engine is a fully managed serverless platform for building and running
highly scalable applications.
7. What are the main benefits of using App Engine?
 • It eliminates the need for managing infrastructure, allowing developers to focus
on writing code.
8. Which programming languages are supported by App Engine?
• Languages like Java, PHP, Node.js, Python, C#, .NET, Ruby, Go, and custom
runtimes.
9. What is the difference between the standard and flexible environments in App
Engine?
• The standard environment is fully managed and scales to zero when idle, while
the flexible environment runs on Docker containers and does not scale down to
zero.
10.What are some storage options in App Engine?
• Options include App Engine Memcache, Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, and Cloud
Bigtable.

Lecture 22: Event-Driven Programs with Cloud Functions

11.What is a Cloud Function in GCP?
• Cloud Functions are serverless pieces of code that execute in response to events
in the cloud.
12.Which programming languages can be used for Cloud Functions?
• You can use Node.js, Python, and Go for Cloud Functions.
13.What kind of events trigger Cloud Functions?
• Events like file uploads to Cloud Storage, changes in Cloud Datastore, and
messages from Cloud Pub/Sub.
14.How do Cloud Functions scale?
• They scale automatically from a few invocations per day to millions without
manual intervention.
15.What is a trigger in Cloud Functions?
• A trigger binds a function to a specific event or set of events that the function
responds to.

Lecture 23: Containerizing and Orchestrating Apps with GKE

16.What is Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)?
• GKE is a managed environment for deploying containerized applications using
Kubernetes.
17.What is the primary benefit of using containers in GKE?
• Containers allow scalability and independence of workloads while abstracting the
underlying infrastructure.
18.How does containerization work in GKE?
 • Containers virtualize the operating system, allowing lightweight, independent
scalability and flexibility like infrastructure-as-a-service.
19.What is the role of Kubernetes in GKE?
• Kubernetes orchestrates containers, managing clusters, scaling, rollouts, and
rollbacks of applications.
20.What makes GKE ideal for organizations?
• It allows easy management and scaling of containerized workloads without
handling the underlying server infrastructure.
21.What is the difference between virtual machines (VMs) and containers in GKE?
• VMs virtualize hardware while containers virtualize the OS, making containers
faster and more lightweight.

General GCP Topics

22.What are the four main computing options in GCP?
• Compute Engine, App Engine, Cloud Functions, and Google Kubernetes Engine
(GKE).
23.What is Compute Engine in GCP?
• It provides infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) through virtual machines running in
Google’s data centers.
24.How does autoscaling work with Managed Instance Groups?
• It adjusts the number of instances in a group automatically based on the current
demand.
25.What are the differences between infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and platform-
as-a-service (PaaS)?
• IaaS gives full control over virtual machines and infrastructure, while PaaS
abstracts this to focus on application development.
26.How does App Engine handle scalability?
• App Engine automatically scales based on application traffic and resource needs.
27.What is the purpose of load balancing in App Engine?
• It distributes traffic to ensure consistent performance and scalability of the front-
end services.
28.What is Cloud SQL in GCP?
• Cloud SQL is a fully-managed relational database service for MySQL,
PostgreSQL, and SQL Server databases.
29.What is the purpose of Cloud Bigtable in GCP?
• Cloud Bigtable is a NoSQL database designed for heavy read/write throughput
and big data workloads.
30.What are the advantages of using Google Cloud Functions?
 • Cloud Functions remove infrastructure management, automatically scale, and are
event-driven.
31.How are Cloud Functions connected to other GCP services?
• Cloud Functions can be seamlessly integrated with GCP services such as Cloud
Datastore, Cloud Spanner, and Cloud Vision API.
32.What role does event-driven architecture play in GCP?
• It allows functions to run in response to specific events, promoting a decoupled
and reactive system architecture.
33.What is Pub/Sub in GCP?
• Pub/Sub is a messaging service that decouples event producers and consumers,
facilitating asynchronous communication.
34.What are the key features of Kubernetes?
• Kubernetes manages containerized workloads and services, including scaling,
rolling updates, and managing container health.
35.Why are containers considered more efficient than VMs?
• Containers start faster, use fewer resources, and provide a higher level of
abstraction than VMs.
36.What are microservices, and how do containers support them?
• Microservices are small, independently deployable units of application logic, and
containers help by isolating and scaling them individually.
37.What are the benefits of using Docker containers?
• Docker containers provide portability, consistency, and a lightweight alternative
to traditional VMs.
38.What are some use cases for Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)?
• GKE is ideal for managing microservices architectures, scaling containerized
apps, and handling production-grade workloads.
39.What are the common cloud storage options for GCP applications?
• Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, Cloud Datastore, and Cloud Bigtable.
40.How does GKE integrate with Kubernetes?
• GKE uses Kubernetes to orchestrate and manage container clusters on Google
Cloud.

Security and Monitoring

41.What security tools are available for applications in GCP?
• Tools like Cloud Security Scanner and IAM (Identity and Access Management)
are available.
42.How does GCP handle redundancy and high availability?
• GCP uses load balancing, autoscaling, and regional replication to ensure
 redundancy and availability.
43.How can you monitor the health of GCP applications?
• Tools like Stackdriver provide diagnostics, monitoring, and debugging for apps in
production.
44.What is Stackdriver in GCP?
• Stackdriver provides monitoring, logging, and diagnostics to manage applications
in GCP.
45.What are the advantages of using Cloud Load Balancing?
• It helps distribute traffic, ensuring application performance and high availability
across regions.

Cost and Optimization

46.How does GCP manage costs for scaling applications?
• GCP scales resources based on usage, reducing costs by stopping unused
instances or reducing resource allocation.
47.How does App Engine help minimize operational costs?
• It only consumes resources when code is running and eliminates the need for
infrastructure management.
48.What is the pricing model for GCP services like Cloud Functions?
• Cloud Functions are billed based on the number of invocations, duration, and
resources used.
49.How can autoscaling reduce costs in GCP?
• By dynamically adjusting resources based on demand, autoscaling ensures
efficient use of resources.
50.What is the role of a service mesh in GCP?
• A service mesh manages communication between microservices, ensuring
reliability and security.