Navigating Cloud Confusion: Understanding Google Cloud for First-Time Users

What even is Google Cloud Plattform (GCP)?

Imagine storing your files and running your programs on a computer that's not actually in front of you but somewhere else on the internet.

That's what cloud computing is all about! It lets you use powerful computers in remote locations to do all kinds of cool things without fancy hardware or technical know-howno need to set up and maintain the machines. Instead, Google takes care of everything.

Instead of focusing on infrastructure, it allows you to focus on your product.

How does renting a server work?

Google has a massive infrastructure and is renting out its servers to you.

You will get a virtual machine, which acts as a regular computer for you. On there, you can do nearly everything that you could do on the PC you work with every day. You can install any tools and software on it and run your product there. And the best thing is that you will only pay for the time you use the infrastructure.

This is called infrastructure as a Service; it's the foundation of cloud computing.

How can I use and benefit from the GCP?

You can use the GCP to build products within days rather than months.

I used cloud computing to create an application recently. Instead of buying, wiring, and setting up a physical server, I could simply click on the GCP interface and have a new server up and running within seconds. I then used a managed database to create a ready-to-connect database that I could use without configuration. After realizing, I didn't need the database anymore, I could delete it with a few clicks, and I don't have any servers lying around vacant now.

Through Google Cloud, I was able to create a working prototype within a few days instead of waiting for weeks to get and set up the infrastructure.