YAML
---
name: managing-gcp-infrastructure
description: Manages Google Cloud Platform infrastructure using gcloud CLI commands. Use when deploying resources, configuring services, or troubleshooting GCP environments.
---

Managing GCP Infrastructure

Bash
# Set project and get cluster credentials
gcloud config set project YOUR_PROJECT_ID
gcloud container clusters get-credentials CLUSTER_NAME --zone ZONE

# Deploy a basic web app
gcloud run deploy my-app --image gcr.io/PROJECT/app:latest --platform managed --region us-central1

Progress:

• Set up environment (gcloud auth login, set project)
• Plan resource architecture (compute, networking, storage)
• Create infrastructure with gcloud commands
• Configure networking and security
• Deploy applications
• Set up monitoring and logging
• Test and validate deployment

Core Commands Pattern:

1. Authentication: gcloud auth login or service account key
2. Project context: gcloud config set project PROJECT_ID
3. Resource creation: Use gcloud [service] create commands
4. Verification: gcloud [service] describe or list
5. Cleanup: gcloud [service] delete when needed

Example 1: GKE Cluster Setup Input: Need production-ready Kubernetes cluster Output:

Bash
gcloud container clusters create prod-cluster \
  --zone us-central1-a \
  --machine-type e2-standard-4 \
  --num-nodes 3 \
  --enable-autoscaling \
  --min-nodes 1 \
  --max-nodes 10 \
  --enable-autorepair \
  --enable-autoupgrade

Example 2: Cloud SQL Database Input: PostgreSQL database for application Output:

Bash
gcloud sql instances create mydb-instance \
  --database-version POSTGRES_13 \
  --tier db-f1-micro \
  --region us-central1 \
  --storage-auto-increase

gcloud sql databases create myapp-db --instance mydb-instance

Example 3: Load Balancer with SSL Input: HTTPS load balancer for web application Output:

Bash
# Create SSL certificate
gcloud compute ssl-certificates create my-ssl-cert \
  --domains example.com

# Create load balancer
gcloud compute url-maps create my-lb \
  --default-service my-backend-service

gcloud compute target-https-proxies create my-https-proxy \
  --url-map my-lb \
  --ssl-certificates my-ssl-cert

gcloud compute forwarding-rules create my-https-rule \
  --global \
  --target-https-proxy my-https-proxy \
  --ports 443

• Use service accounts: Create dedicated service accounts with minimal required permissions
• Enable APIs first: gcloud services enable container.googleapis.com before using services
• Tag resources: Always add labels for cost tracking and organization
• Use configuration files: Store complex deployments in YAML/JSON for repeatability
• Set quotas: Monitor and set appropriate quotas to prevent cost overruns
• Regional redundancy: Deploy across multiple zones for high availability
• Backup strategy: Implement automated backups for databases and persistent volumes

• Wrong project context: Always verify gcloud config get-value project before operations
• Insufficient permissions: Use gcloud auth list to check active account
• Resource naming: GCP has strict naming conventions; use lowercase, hyphens only
• Firewall rules: Don't forget to open necessary ports with gcloud compute firewall-rules
• Billing alerts: Set up budget alerts to avoid surprise costs
• Default networks: Delete default VPC and create custom networks for production
• Service account keys: Avoid downloading JSON keys; use workload identity when possible
• Resource cleanup: Unused resources accumulate costs; regular cleanup is essential