There's more than one option for a "server" need in GCP. A classic VM (Compute Engine), serverless container (Cloud Run), managed Kubernetes (GKE). The right choice depends on your application's architecture and usage profile.
01. Compute Engine: Classic VM
If you want your own Linux/Windows server, Compute Engine. The equivalent of AWS EC2. Instance types, disk management, network — you manage it all.
02. Cloud Run: Serverless Container
You upload your container, it scales automatically with HTTP requests, and there's no payment when you're not using it. Ideal for modern web applications and APIs.
03. GKE: Managed Kubernetes
For complex microservice architectures. The power of Kubernetes + Google's management layer. With Autopilot mode, node management is also automatic.
04. Cloud Functions
Serverless at the small-function level. More limited than Cloud Run but enough for simple event handlers.
05. Decision Guide
A short guide:
- Modern web/API: Cloud Run
- Microservices, large scale: GKE
- Classic application, custom software: Compute Engine
- Small trigger: Cloud Functions