Launching Your First VM Instance on Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Getting Started With Google Cloud Platform (GCP) – Launching Your First VM Instance
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) would enable you in launching the Virtual Machine (VM) instances at a very short span of time since it encompasses the provision of the Compute Engine which offers a cloud scale distributed compute power. Here is a guide to launching your first Virtual Machine Instance on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) in a step by step manner

Step 1: Log in to the GCP Console

1. Visit the Google Cloud Console.
2. Log in with your Google account credentials.

Step 2: Create or Select a Project

1. In the top navigation bar, click on the Project Dropdown Menu.
2. Choose an existing project or click New Project to create one:
   • Enter the project name.
   • Select the organization (if applicable).
   • Click Create.

Step 3: Navigate to Compute Engine

1. In the left-hand navigation menu, click Compute Engine → VM Instances.
2. Click Create Instance to start configuring your VM.

Step 4: Configure Your VM Instance

1. Name Your Instance:
   • Provide a unique name for the VM (e.g., my-first-vm).
2. Choose a Region and Zone:
   • Select a region (e.g., us-central1) and a zone (e.g., us-central1-a) based on your geographical location or application needs.
3. Select a Machine Configuration:
   • Choose the machine family (e.g., E2, N2, etc.).
   • Select a machine type based on CPU and memory requirements (e.g., e2-micro for Free Tier).
4. Select a Boot Disk:
   • Click Change under the Boot disk section.
   • Choose an operating system (e.g., Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, or Windows Server).
   • Select the disk size and type (e.g., 10GB Standard Persistent Disk for Free Tier).
5. Firewall Settings:
   • Check the boxes for Allow HTTP traffic and Allow HTTPS traffic if you plan to host web applications.

Step 5: Customize Advanced Settings (Optional)

1. Expand the Management, Security, Disks, Networking, Sole Tenancy section for additional settings like:
   • Adding startup scripts.
   • Configuring SSH keys for access.
   • Attaching additional disks or networks.

Step 6: Create the VM

1. Review your configuration.
2. Click Create to launch the instance.
3. Your VM instance will take a few moments to initialize.

Step 7: Connect to Your VM

1. In the VM Instances page, locate your new VM.
2. Click SSH in the Connect column to open an SSH session in your browser.
   • You can also use third-party tools like PuTTY or command-line SSH for remote access.

Step 8: Verify and Manage Your VM

1. Once connected, verify the VM’s functionality:
   • Run basic commands like ls or uname -a.
2. Use the Google Cloud Console to:
   • Monitor VM performance.
   • Stop, start, or delete the instance.

Step 9: Clean Up (Optional)

1. If you no longer need the VM, delete it to avoid unnecessary charges:
   • Go to Compute Engine → VM Instances.
   • Select the VM and click Delete.