Summary

The Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offers a suite of powerful and intuitive cloud services for free under its 'Always Free' program, allowing users to experiment with various Google Cloud features without incurring costs.

Abstract

The Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is highlighted as a versatile cloud computing solution that provides a range of services, such as computing, storage, networking, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, tailored for both individual and business needs. The platform's 'Always Free' tier enables access to certain services like Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Cloud Functions, and Cloud Pub/Sub, without charge, provided usage stays within specified quotas. The article outlines a five-step process to create a GCP account, emphasizing the ease of setup and the ability to configure a budget alert to prevent any expenses. It also mentions the availability of a BigQuery sandbox for trial purposes, reinforcing GCP's commitment to cost-effectiveness and scalability for users looking to build and run applications or analyze data.

Opinions

The author expresses a strong affinity for GCP, stating they are "absolutely in love with it."
GCP is praised for its intuitive and powerful services, positioning it as a user-friendly option in the cloud computing market.
The article conveys excitement about the free access to GCP's features, suggesting it's a remarkable opportunity that sounds "too good to be true."
The author reassures readers that Google's billing practices are user-centric, similar to their approach with services like Gmail and YouTube, reducing the worry of unexpected charges.
The platform is recommended for its robust infrastructure, which can be leveraged to develop and manage applications with ease.
The author advocates for the 'Free Tier plan' as a risk-free way to explore and test Google Cloud services.
Trust in Google's handling of data is highlighted, with a nod to the value of data-driven insights.
The author encourages readers to subscribe to their newsletter and consider a Med

Having all the Power of Google in your Hands — for FREE

Start exploring the Google Cloud Platform at No Cost!

Screenshot of Google Cloud Platform website.

I‘ve been using the Google Cloud Platform for over a year now and I have to say, I’m absolutely in love with it.

Just in case you have no clue what I am talking about — Google Cloud Platform is an incredible platform that provides a vast array of cloud-based services and products for both individuals and businesses. Think of it as a one-stop shop for all your cloud computing needs!

One of the things I love most about the Google Cloud Platform is how intuitive and powerful all its services are. But, let’s be honest, cloud services can be quite expensive, and often only accessible to big companies, right?

What if I told you that you could use Google Cloud Platform completely for free?

I know, it sounds too good to be true, but trust me, it is!

In this article, I’ll show you how to access all the power of Google in your hands, for free!

Let’s discover it all together! 👇🏻

The Google Cloud Platform — or GCP for its friends ;) — is a cloud computing platform offered by Google that provides a wide range of cloud-based services and products for individuals and businesses. It’s essentially a collection of tools and services designed to help users build and run applications, store and analyze data, and scale their operations.

Sounds good right?

With GCP, you can leverage Google’s powerful infrastructure to develop, deploy, and manage your applications with ease. GCP provides a vast array of services, including computing, storage, networking, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. These services are intuitive, user-friendly, and designed to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes.

Screenshot of GCP website. GCP services.

What makes GCP stand out from other cloud computing platforms is its scalability and flexibility. You can easily adjust your resources to match your business needs, and you only pay for what you use.

To use GCP, you need to create a project, and each project requires a billing account connected to a financial instrument, like a credit card or coupon. However, here’s the cool part: many GCP products have a free tier called Always Free that never expires!

This means you can always use these products without charge, as long as you stay within the usage quotas. Some examples of Always Free products include Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Cloud Functions, and Cloud Pub/Sub.

Don’t worry about getting hit with unexpected fees, as Google is pretty laid-back when it comes to charging users — just think Gmail or YouTube.

So I bet you must be wondering how can you get it, right?

Create now your own GCP account following 5 simple steps.

#1. Creating an account

Go to the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) website and click on the Get started for free button.

#2. Settig up your account.

This will require you to provide some personal and billing information. If you provide all your info, your account will be set up in a few seconds!

#3. You Google Cloud Platform accound is ready to be used!

If you have managed to create your account, you should be on a website greeting you as follows.

So now what? If you click on the upper-left hamburger button, a side menu will be opened with all GCP services.

GCP view of the side menu with all its services.

Thanks to the Free Tier plan, you are allowed test and play with many Google Cloud services for free. You can check all services that do have a Free Tier plan here.

But I get you might be wondering… how can I be sure I am not paying any expense?

The answer is simple! You can configure GCP to refuse any expense.

#4.Creating your budget alert

Click on the hamburger menu in the top left corner of the GCP console again and select Billing from the list of services.

GCP view of the side menu with all its services — going to the billing subsection.

Within the billing section, click on the Budget and Alerts subsection.

GCP billing view — creating a budget and alarm.

Then create a budget with a “Monthly” range and select “All projects” and “All services”.

GCP billing section — defining all services of the budget.

In the Amount section of this form, set Budget type field with Specified amount and Target amount field with a value of 0€ — or any other currency.

GCP billing section — defining the target of our budget. In our case, it will be 0 euros.

And that’s it! You can start playing around a bit and having all the power of Google right into your computer ;)

For a comprehensive list of Google Cloud-related products and their pricing details, head over to Google’s website. I hope that clears up any confusion!

⚠️ If you just want to try BigQuery, Google has enabled a sandbox for testing purposes.

Main Conclusions

Overall, Google Cloud Platform is a robust, user-friendly, and cost-effective cloud computing platform that can help you scale and grow your business. Trust me, you won’t regret giving it a try!

Data always has a better idea — trust it.

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