Google Cloud Platform - An internet operating system
31 Jul 2017
The Google Cloud Platform (GCP) has rapidly become the default technology provider for both 33Bondi’s infrastructure and our clients. Although it wasn’t always the case
Recently, I was invited to work with Google in Canada on an exciting project, where we were tasked with producing a POC, migrating an existing messaging platform to GCP. This experience, allowed me to understand Google technical culture, and how this reflects with their public Cloud products.
I realised that GCP is Google externalising internal tools, systems and culture.
The platform exposed to the public is similar to Google’s own internal platform. For example:
- MapReduce – Cloud Dataproc
- Dremel = BigQuery
- Colossus = Google Cloud Storage
- Big Table = Big Table
"You no longer need to be a Google software engineer to get access to Google infrastructure."
Sunday Pichai
This externalisation can be felt via the inherent scalability and security GCP provides. But it is most starkly felt via the inter-connectiy of products both from a tooling perspective and methodology. GCP feels like an internet operating system, increasing abstraction, allowing control over computer, storage, network and above, programmatically, and with orchestration.
An internet operating system with access to Googles own innovation. With the promise of no-ops, or write and run. Where code can be deployed deterministically into a project and can be expected to run without intervention.
33Bondi recently launched an important project called Strava Connect, underpinning and insurance companies expansion into three new territories US, UK and AU.
The characteristics of an internet operating system were paramount to success, due to scale requirements, cost control and importantly access to Googles innovation to reduce project timelines.
Two technologies set were selected:
- Google Container Engine
- Google App Engine
producing conditions for a small dev team to write, deploy and run.