Architecting on Google Cloud

An interactive guide to choosing the right web hosting solution on GCP. This application translates the comprehensive Google Cloud report into an explorable experience designed for clear decision-making.

The Hosting Paradigm Spectrum

Google Cloud offers a spectrum of services, from fully managed platforms to raw infrastructure. Your choice depends on the balance you need between simplicity and control. Interact with the diagram below to learn about each paradigm.

No-Code

PaaS

FaaS

CaaS

IaaS

High Simplicity High Control

Hover over or click a point on the spectrum to see details.

Solution Explorer

What kind of website are you building? Select an option below to explore the recommended Google Cloud solutions tailored to your needs.

For sites without server-side logic, like marketing pages, blogs, or Single-Page App frontends. The main choice is between a streamlined developer experience and granular infrastructure control.

Firebase Hosting

PaaS for Modern Web Devs

The recommended choice for most static sites. Offers a superior developer experience with a global CDN, automated SSL, and one-command deployments.

✓ Simplicity & Speed: Deploy with a single CLI command.
✓ Global CDN by Default: Fast content delivery worldwide, automatically.
✓ Zero-Config SSL: HTTPS is built-in and automated.
✓ Developer Tooling: Preview channels, rollbacks, and URL rewrites.

Cloud Storage + Load Balancer

IaaS for Maximum Control

Host raw assets in a storage bucket. This approach provides fine-grained control but requires significant DevOps expertise to set up and manage.

⚙ Manual Setup: Requires configuring buckets, permissions, and a load balancer.
⚙ CDN Integration: Cloud CDN must be manually configured for performance.
⚙ Granular Control: Full control over caching policies and network rules.
⚙ Disaggregated Cost: Pay for each component (storage, egress, LB) separately.

Comparison Hub

Directly compare Google Cloud's dynamic hosting solutions. Use the chart to visualize trade-offs and the table for detailed feature comparisons.

Serverless Solutions Radar

Select up to three services to compare their strengths across key attributes. A larger area indicates a stronger alignment with that attribute.

Cloud Run App Engine (Std) Cloud Functions App Engine (Flex)

Decision Framework

Follow this interactive decision tree to find the Google Cloud hosting solution that best fits your project's specific requirements.

Best Practices

Key recommendations for building secure, cost-effective, and future-proof applications on Google Cloud, regardless of the hosting service you choose.

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Cost Optimization

Embrace Serverless: Use Cloud Run/Functions for variable traffic to leverage pay-per-use and scale-to-zero.
Use the Free Tier: Start development within the "Always Free" limits to minimize initial costs.
Set Budget Alerts: Proactively prevent unexpected expenses by setting alerts in the Cloud Console.
Commit for Savings: Use Committed Use Discounts (CUDs) for stable workloads to save up to 70%.

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Security

Manage Secrets: Never hardcode credentials. Use Secret Manager to store and inject secrets securely.
Enforce Least Privilege: Use fine-grained IAM roles. Service accounts should only have the permissions they need.
Encrypt All Traffic: Use the free, managed SSL certificates on Load Balancers and Firebase Hosting for HTTPS.

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Future-Proofing

Prioritize Containerization: Adopt Docker. It's the key to portability and unlocking modern GCP services.
Design for Statelessness: Architect apps to be stateless to maximize scaling and self-healing benefits.
Start with Abstraction: Begin with Cloud Run. Only move to GKE or Compute Engine when a specific need arises.

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