Introduction

GCP offers over one hundred services along with a dizzying array of online resources. So many, indeed, that this is somewhat both a blessing and a curse. For someone new to the cloud (or even just new to GCP), figuring out how and where to start can certainly feel daunting.

I decided to put this guide together to share a clear, practical, and opinionated orientation tailored specifically for full stack developers. To keep it succinct, I focus mainly on the following:

• For programming, the language is TypeScript (opens in a new tab)
• For standalone API examples, the framework is Express.js (opens in a new tab)
• For full stack examples, the framework is Next.js (opens in a new tab)
• For configuring infrastructure as code, the framework is Terraform (opens in a new tab)

What you'll learn

In this guide, you'll learn how to:

• Build modern, full stack, scalable apps that run on GCP
• Leverage global load balancing and edge caching for enhancing performance
• Integrate your apps with other necessary or feature-enhancing services
• Customize your app's runtime process environment using a Dockerfile
• Configure and manage GCP resources with Infrastructure-as-Code

What you should already know

To follow this guide, you don't need to be an expert, but you should at least have basic proficiency doing the following:

• Use the command line in a terminal
• Program in TypeScript

Sharing feedback

If you have any issues or want to suggest improvements, please share your feedback (opens in a new tab).

Good luck on your journey!

Tony Pujals
Mountain View, California
July, 2023