πŸ“ Introduction to Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Gcp Kajal November 29, 2025 3 mins read

Kickstart your cloud journey with Google Cloud Platform. This beginner’s guide explains what GCP is, why it matters, and how to set up your first account.

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1. Introduction

Cloud computing has completely changed how developers and organizations build, deploy, and scale applications. Among the top cloud providers, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) stands out with its cutting-edge infrastructure, powerful data analytics, and AI/ML capabilities.

This blog marks the beginning of our step-by-step GCP learning series, where you’ll explore everything from creating virtual machines to mastering networks, storage, and cloud-native services.

2. What Is GCP?

Google Cloud Platform is a comprehensive suite of cloud services offered by Google.

GCP Provides:

  • Infrastructure services: Compute, storage, and networking

  • Platform services: Databases, containers, AI/ML tools

  • Developer tools: DevOps, serverless, APIs

What Makes GCP Unique?

  • Industry-leading Kubernetes support (Google created Kubernetes)

  • Advanced data analytics and big data tools

  • Low-latency, global fiber network

3. Why Choose GCP?

⭐ Scalability

Run everything — from hobby projects to full enterprise workloads.

πŸ” Security

End-to-end encryption, zero-trust architecture, and global compliance certifications.

πŸ€– Innovation

AI/ML services like Vertex AI, AutoML, and native TensorFlow integration.

🌍 Global Reach

Data centers in multiple regions with world-class private network infrastructure.

4. Core GCP Services Overview

Compute Services

  • Compute Engine (VMs)

  • Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)

  • App Engine

  • Cloud Functions

Storage Services

  • Cloud Storage

  • Persistent Disks

  • Filestore

  • Archive storage for backups

Networking Services

  • Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)

  • Load Balancing

  • Cloud CDN

  • Cloud NAT

Database & Analytics

  • Cloud SQL

  • BigQuery

  • Firestore

  • Memorystore

Security & IAM

  • Identity and Access Management (IAM)

  • Cloud Armor (WAF & protection)

  • Cloud KMS

5. Setting Up Your GCP Account

  1. Visit cloud.google.com and sign up.

  2. Create a billing account (new users get free credits).

  3. Explore the Google Cloud Console — the main dashboard for managing services.

  4. Install the Cloud SDK (gcloud CLI) to manage resources via the command line.

6. First Steps in GCP

πŸ—‚οΈ Projects

Projects act as containers for resources. You can have multiple projects for Dev, Test, and Prod.

🌍 Regions & Zones

  • Regions: Geographic locations (e.g., asia-south1).

  • Zones: Sub-locations inside regions (e.g., asia-south1-a).

πŸ” IAM Roles

Assign users least-privilege roles such as:

  • Viewer

  • Editor

  • Owner

  • Custom roles for production environments

Understanding IAM early helps maintain a secure cloud environment.

7. Visual Guide (Suggested Images)

πŸ“Έ Ideal Image Suggestions for Your Blog:

  • GCP Console Dashboard (UI screenshot)

  • GCP Service Category Diagram (Compute → Storage → Networking → AI)

  • High-level comparison chart: GCP vs. AWS vs. Azure

  • RSH Network–branded architecture diagram

I can generate any of these images for you — just tell me which one you want.

8. Conclusion

This introduction sets the foundation for your journey with Google Cloud Platform. In the next part of this series, we’ll walk through creating your first Virtual Machine in GCP — the essential first step toward deploying applications in the cloud.

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