Google Cloud Compute Engine and Basic Networking

Introduction

In this tutorial, we will understand how Linux servers work in a traditional environment and how the same concepts are implemented in Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

This document is designed for beginners who are starting their Google Cloud journey.

What is Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is the process of using computing resources such as:

Servers
Storage
Networking
Databases
Applications

through the internet without managing physical hardware manually.

Instead of purchasing and maintaining physical servers, cloud providers offer resources on-demand.

Popular cloud providers:

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Microsoft Azure

Introduction to Google Cloud Platform

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is Google's cloud computing platform.

It provides multiple services such as:

Virtual Machines
Networking
Storage
Kubernetes
Databases
Monitoring
Security Services

Official Website:

https://cloud.google.com

Create Google Cloud Account

To use Google Cloud:

Create a Google account
Open Google Cloud Console
Activate free trial
Create your first project

Google Cloud provides free credits for learning purposes.

Official Link:

https://console.cloud.google.com

Google Cloud Resource Hierarchy

Google Cloud uses a hierarchical structure for organizing resources.

cloud hieract

we can read more information from this link refer here

Resource Hierarchy Structure

Organization
 ├── Folder
 │    ├── Sub Folder
 │    │      └── Project
 │    └── Project
 └── Project

Organization

Organization is the top-level container in Google Cloud.

Example:

company.com

Usually connected to:

Google Workspace
Company Domain

Folder

Folders help organize projects logically.

Example:

Production
Development
Testing
Finance
Engineering

Folders can also contain nested folders.

Project

Projects are the main working units inside Google Cloud.

Resources are created inside projects.

Examples:

VM Instances
VPC Networks
Databases
Storage Buckets

googe cloud compute

for any cloud, compute and VPC are primary. fi you understand that two services, you can say , I know that cloud.

Linux Server Basics

Before creating a VM in Google Cloud, we should understand the components of a Linux server.

A typical Linux server contains:

Operating System
CPU
RAM
Disk/Storage
Private IP Address
Public IP Address

Operating System

The Operating System manages the server.

Examples:

Ubuntu
CentOS
Debian
Red Hat Enterprise Linux

CPU and RAM

CPU performs computations.

RAM stores temporary running data for applications.

Example:

2 vCPU
4 GB RAM

Disk and Storage

Storage is used to store:

Operating System files
Application files
Logs
Databases

Examples:

HDD
SSD
Persistent Disk

Private IP Address

Private IP is used for internal communication within the network.

Example:

10.0.0.5

Private IPs are not accessible from the internet directly.

Public IP Address

Public IP is used for internet access.

Example:

34.x.x.x

Public IP allows users to access applications from outside.

Mapping Linux Server to Google Cloud VM

In Google Cloud, virtual servers are called:

Compute Engine Virtual Machines

A Compute Engine VM is still a Linux server running in the cloud.

Google Cloud manages:

Infrastructure
Physical Hardware
Networking
Hypervisor Layer

Users manage:

Operating System
Applications
Configurations

Why VM Needs Networking

A VM requires networking for:

Internal communication
Internet access
Application access
Server-to-server communication

Networking components include:

VPC
Subnets
Routes
Firewall Rules

Public IP vs Private IP

Type	Purpose
Private IP	Internal communication
Public IP	Internet access

What is VPC

VPC stands for:

Virtual Private Cloud

VPC is a logically isolated network inside Google Cloud.

Resources communicate inside the VPC securely.

AWS vs Google Cloud Networking Comparison

Feature	AWS	Google Cloud
VPC Scope	Regional	Global
Subnet Scope	Availability Zone Specific	Regional
Zone Selection	Subnet tied to AZ	Zone selected during VM creation
Same Subnet Across Zones	No	Yes

AWS Networking Architecture

In AWS:

VPC is regional
Subnets are Availability Zone specific

Example:

VPC
 ├── Subnet-A (us-east-1a)
 └── Subnet-B (us-east-1b)

Google Cloud Networking Architecture

In Google Cloud:

VPC is global
Subnets are regional

Example:

Global VPC
 └── Subnet (us-central1)
       ├── VM in us-central1-a
       ├── VM in us-central1-b
       └── VM in us-central1-c

Important Concept

In Google Cloud:

Subnet belongs to a region
VM belongs to a zone
Same subnet can be used across multiple zones inside the same region

VM Networking Flow

Internet
   ↓
Public IP
   ↓
Firewall Rule
   ↓
VPC Network
   ↓
Subnet
   ↓
Virtual Machine

Create VPC Network

Navigate to:

VPC Network → VPC Networks

Create:

Custom VPC
Regional Subnet

Example:

VPC Name: demo-vpc
Subnet Name: demo-subnet
Region: us-central1
CIDR: 10.10.0.0/24

Create Compute Engine VM

Navigate to:

Compute Engine → VM Instances

Configure:

VM Name
Region
Zone
Machine Type
OS Image
VPC
Subnet
Public IP

Example VM Configuration

Component	Value
Name	nginx-server
Region	us-central1
Zone	us-central1-a
OS	Ubuntu
Machine Type	e2-medium
VPC	demo-vpc
Subnet	demo-subnet

Connect to VM

Use SSH from Google Cloud Console.

Example:

sudo apt update

Install Nginx

Install Nginx web server.

sudo apt install nginx -y

Start Nginx:

sudo systemctl start nginx

Enable Nginx:

sudo systemctl enable nginx

Verify Nginx Status

sudo systemctl status nginx

Access Application

Open browser:

http://PUBLIC_IP

At this stage, application may still not work because firewall access is blocked.

Why Firewall Rule is Required

Google Cloud blocks incoming traffic by default.

To allow HTTP traffic:

Port 80 must be opened

Create Firewall Rule

Navigate to:

VPC Network → Firewall

Create Rule:

Field	Value
Name	allow-http
Direction	Ingress
Targets	All instances
Source IP	0.0.0.0/0
Protocols	TCP:80

Firewall Networking Flow

Internet
   ↓
Firewall Rule (Allow TCP 80)
   ↓
VM Instance
   ↓
Nginx Application

Verify Application Access

Open browser again:

http://PUBLIC_IP

Nginx default page should load successfully.

Important Notes

This tutorial covered only basic firewall concepts.

Advanced topics will be covered later:

Firewall Policies
Allow Rules
Deny Rules
Target Tags
Service Accounts
Priority Rules
Internal Traffic Rules
Load Balancer Security
Advanced Networking

Architecture Placeholders

Resource Hierarchy Diagram

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AWS vs GCP Networking Diagram

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VPC and Subnet Architecture Diagram

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VM Networking Flow Diagram

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Introduction​

What is Cloud Computing

Introduction to Google Cloud Platform

Create Google Cloud Account

Google Cloud Resource Hierarchy

Resource Hierarchy Structure

Organization

Folder

Project

googe cloud compute

Linux Server Basics

Operating System

CPU and RAM

Disk and Storage

Private IP Address

Public IP Address

Mapping Linux Server to Google Cloud VM

Compute Engine Virtual Machines

Why VM Needs Networking

Public IP vs Private IP

What is VPC

Virtual Private Cloud

AWS vs Google Cloud Networking Comparison

AWS Networking Architecture

Google Cloud Networking Architecture

Important Concept

VM Networking Flow

Create VPC Network

Create Compute Engine VM

Example VM Configuration

Connect to VM

Install Nginx

Verify Nginx Status

Access Application

Why Firewall Rule is Required

Create Firewall Rule

Firewall Networking Flow

Verify Application Access

Important Notes

Architecture Placeholders

Resource Hierarchy Diagram​

AWS vs GCP Networking Diagram​

VPC and Subnet Architecture Diagram​

VM Networking Flow Diagram​

Introduction

Resource Hierarchy Diagram

AWS vs GCP Networking Diagram

VPC and Subnet Architecture Diagram

VM Networking Flow Diagram