Google Cloud Run

What is Google Cloud Run?

Google Cloud Run is a fully managed serverless platform that allows developers to deploy and run stateless containers in a serverless environment. Unlike traditional Kubernetes-based solutions, Cloud Run abstracts away all infrastructure management, allowing you to focus purely on your application code.

Key Features of Cloud Run

• Fully Managed: No need to provision, manage, or scale infrastructure.

• Scales to Zero: If there are no incoming requests, Cloud Run stops running the container, reducing costs.

• Auto-Scaling: Cloud Run scales up and down automatically based on demand.

• Any Language & Framework: You can deploy any application as long as it is containerized.

• Pay-Per-Use Pricing: Charges apply only when your application is processing requests.

• Built-in HTTPS & Load Balancing: Provides secure connections by default.

• Flexible Deployment: Works with GitHub CI/CD pipelines, Cloud Build, and Docker.

How Does Cloud Run Work?

Cloud Run simplifies the deployment of containerized applications by following a few straightforward steps:

1. Containerize Your Application: Package your application into a Docker container.

2. Push the Container to a Registry: Upload your image to a container registry like Google Container Registry (GCR) or Artifact Registry.

3. Deploy to Cloud Run: Use the gcloud run deploy command to launch your application.

4. Cloud Run Handles the Rest: It automatically scales, manages networking, and ensures uptime.

Here’s a simple way to deploy a Node.js Express application to Cloud Run:

Create a server.js file:

const express = require('express');
const app = express();
const port = process.env.PORT || 8080;

app.get('/hello', (req, res) => {
  res.send('Hello, Cloud Run!');
});

app.listen(port, () => {
  console.log(`Server running on port ${port}`);
});

Create a Dockerfile for Your App:

#use node v16 as base image
FROM node:16
# set /app as working directory on container
WORKDIR /app
# copy package-lock.json and package.json to WORKDIR
COPY package*.json ./

RUN npm install
# copies all the code deps to /app 
COPY . .
# default CMD used when container starts
CMD ["node", "server.js"]

Build and Push the Docker Image:

export PROJECT_ID=$(gcloud config get-value project)
docker build -t gcr.io/YOUR_PROJECT_ID/my-node-app .
docker push gcr.io/$PROJECT_ID/my-node-app

Deploy to Cloud Run:

gcloud run deploy my-node-app --image gcr.io/$PROJECT_ID/my-node-app --platform managed --region us-central1 --allow-unauthenticated

And that’s it! Your Node.js application is now live with an auto-generated HTTPS endpoint.

Pricing Model: Why Cloud Run is Cost-Effective

Cloud Run follows a pay-per-use model, meaning you only pay when your container is actively processing requests. If your application receives no traffic, you pay nothing. Cloud Run also offers a free tier with 2 million requests per month for free, making it an excellent option for startups and small projects.