How can you use Google Cloud Platform to develop software?

1 Choose a programming language

GCP supports several popular programming languages, such as Java, Python, Go, Node.js, Ruby, PHP, and .NET. You can use any of these languages to write your code and run it on GCP. Depending on your language of choice, you may need to install some SDKs or tools to interact with GCP services. You can also use Cloud Shell, a browser-based terminal that provides a pre-configured environment with the necessary tools and SDKs.

2 Select a development environment

GCP offers different options for developing your software, depending on your preferences and needs. You can use your own local IDE or editor, and connect it to GCP using plugins or extensions. For example, you can use Visual Studio Code with the Cloud Code extension, or IntelliJ IDEA with the Google Cloud Tools plugin. Alternatively, you can use Cloud IDEs, which are web-based development environments that run on GCP. For example, you can use Cloud Shell Editor, which is based on VS Code, or Cloud9, which is based on AWS.

3 Create a project and enable APIs

To use GCP services, you need to create a project, which is a container for your resources and settings. You can create a project using the Google Cloud Console, the Cloud SDK, or the Cloud Shell. Once you have a project, you need to enable the APIs that you want to use for your software. For example, if you want to use Cloud Storage, you need to enable the Cloud Storage API. You can enable APIs using the Google Cloud Console, the Cloud SDK, or the Cloud Shell.

4 Choose a hosting option

GCP provides different hosting options for your software, depending on the type and scale of your application. You can choose from three main categories: compute, serverless, and containers. Compute options include virtual machines (VMs), which give you full control over your infrastructure, and App Engine, which automatically manages your infrastructure and scales your app. Serverless options include Cloud Functions, which let you run code in response to events, and Cloud Run, which let you run containers without managing servers. Container options include Kubernetes Engine, which orchestrates your containerized apps, and Anthos, which lets you run your apps across different environments.

5 Deploy your code

To deploy your code to GCP, you need to use the appropriate tools and commands for your hosting option. For example, if you are using App Engine, you can use the gcloud app deploy command or the App Engine Maven plugin. If you are using Cloud Functions, you can use the gcloud functions deploy command or the Firebase CLI. If you are using Cloud Run, you can use the gcloud run deploy command or the Cloud Code extension. If you are using Kubernetes Engine, you can use the gcloud container clusters create and kubectl apply commands or the Cloud Code extension.

6 Monitor and debug your software

GCP offers several tools and services to help you monitor and debug your software. You can use Cloud Logging and Cloud Monitoring to collect and analyze your logs and metrics, and set up alerts and dashboards. You can use Cloud Trace and Cloud Profiler to measure and optimize your app performance. You can use Cloud Debugger and Cloud Error Reporting to identify and fix errors in your code. You can also use Cloud Build and Cloud Source Repositories to manage your code and build pipelines.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?