Design, implement, and secure Google Cloud networks, from VPCs and hybrid connectivity to load balancing and Cloud Armor, and track your readiness for the Professional Cloud Network Engineer exam.
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Load balancing is the process of spreading incoming network traffic across multiple computing resources so that no single server bears too much demand. In Google Cloud Platform, Cloud Load Balancing distributes traffic across virtual machine instances, containers, or serverless functions in the same region or across multiple regions. When you configure a load balancer, you choose between external (internet-facing) and internal (private network) types, and you select a traffic distribution method such as round-robin, least connections, or IP hash. The load balancer continuously checks the health of each backend instance using health checks; if an instance fails its health check, the load balancer stops sending traffic to it until it recovers. This health-check mechanism ensures that users are only routed to functioning servers, improving both reliability and user experience.
Cloud CDN is Google's content delivery network service that caches content at locations close to users, reducing latency and improving load times for web applications. When you enable Cloud CDN, it works with Cloud Load Balancing to serve cached copies of static content such as images, videos, CSS files, and JavaScript files from edge locations worldwide. The cache operates on a hierarchical system: content is stored at the edge location nearest to the user, and if requested content is not in the cache, it is fetched from the origin server and then cached for future requests. You can configure cache behaviors using cache keys, TTL (time-to-live) settings, and signed URLs for controlling access to premium content. Cloud CDN also supports invalidation, which lets you remove outdated content from caches before its scheduled expiration.
Cloud DNS is Google's managed Domain Name System service that translates domain names into IP addresses, directing user traffic to the correct resources. When you configure Cloud DNS, you create managed zones that hold your DNS records, and Google operates name servers across multiple global locations for high availability. You define record sets within a zone, such as A records (mapping domain names to IPv4 addresses), AAAA records (for IPv6), CNAME records (for aliases), and MX records (for mail servers). Cloud DNS supports both public zones (visible on the internet) and private zones (visible only within your Virtual Private Cloud network). The service integrates with other GCP services: you can point your load balancer's IP address in a DNS record, and Cloud CDN will automatically use that configuration to route traffic efficiently.
Cloud DNS first resolves the domain name into an IP address, Cloud CDN serves cached content from edge locations when possible, and Cloud Load Balancing distributes remaining traffic across backend resources.
Public zones in Cloud DNS are visible on the internet, whereas private zones are visible only within a Virtual Private Cloud network. Both types of zones exist as managed zones that hold DNS records to direct traffic to the appropriate resources.
Administrators can configure cache keys, TTL (time-to-live) settings, and signed URLs for controlling access to premium content. Cloud CDN also supports invalidation to remove outdated content from edge caches before its scheduled expiration.
Cloud Load Balancing supports round-robin, least connections, and IP hash traffic distribution methods. These methods spread incoming network traffic across virtual machine instances, containers, or serverless functions located in the same region or across multiple regions.
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