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Summary of Key Google Cloud Services and Concepts

1. Virtual Machines (Compute Engine)

• Creation & Management:
  • Launch VMs with various configurations (machine types, regions, zones).
  • Customize with images, snapshots, or disks.
  • Access Control:
    • SSH Keys: Manually add public keys for VM access.
    • OS Login: Integrate with IAM for centralized access management (eliminates SSH keys; uses Google Accounts).
    • Best Practice: Enable OS Login for enhanced security and auditability.
• Types:
  • Preemptible VMs: Cost-effective for fault-tolerant, batch workloads (run up to 24 hours).
  • Shielded VMs: Secure VMs with UEFI firmware, vTPM, and integrity monitoring.

2. Disks (Persistent Disks)

• Types:
  • Standard (HDD): Low-cost, high-throughput (ideal for sequential I/O).
  • Persistent SSD: Balanced performance (general purpose).
  • Balanced: Ext4-recommended for resizing without reformatting.
• Management:
  • Attach/Resize: Use the console or CLI (gcloud compute disks attach).
  • Snapshots:
    • Standard: For backups (retains data in the same zone).
    • Instant: Fast recovery (stored in the same region as the disk).
    • Archive: Long-term, low-cost storage (365-day minimum retention).
  • Lifecycle Rules: Automate snapshot creation/deletion (e.g., retain for 7 days).

3. Cloud Storage

• Buckets:
  • Globally unique containers for objects (files).
  • Configuration:
    • Location: Regional (single/dual-region) or multi-region.
    • Storage Classes:
      • Standard: Frequent access (default).
      • Nearline: <1 access/month (30-day minimum retention).
      • Coldline: <1 access/quarter (90-day minimum retention).
      • Archive: <1 access/year (365-day minimum retention).
    • Uniform Bucket-Level Access: Recommended over ACLs (simpler permission management).
• Object Versioning: Ret