Domain 4 of 6 · Chapter 4 of 6

Containers

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Included in this chapter:

  • Containers vs. VMs: virtualizing the OS, not the hardware
  • Why containers power modernization and microservices
  • Running containers on Google Cloud: GKE and Cloud Run
  • Exam-pattern recognition

Running containers on Google Cloud: GKE vs. Cloud Run

DimensionGoogle Kubernetes Engine (GKE)Cloud Run
What it isManaged Kubernetes for orchestrating containers across a clusterFully managed, serverless platform that runs a container
Operational controlFull control of the cluster, nodes, and Kubernetes configurationNo cluster or infrastructure to manage: Google runs it all
Operational burdenHigher: you operate Kubernetes (less in Autopilot mode)Lowest: deploy a container and Google handles the rest
Scaling and costCluster capacity runs and is billed even when idleAutoscales and scales to zero; pay only for what a request uses
Best forComplex, many-service, or steady workloads needing Kubernetes controlSingle containers and web services, especially spiky or intermittent traffic

Decision tree

Can the app becontainerized?No (HW/license/OS)Rehost on aCompute Engine VMYesNeed full Kubernetes controlor complex multi-serviceorchestration?NoCloud Runfully managed, serverlessscales to zero, pay-per-useYes - GKEWant Google to managethe nodes too?YesGKE Autopilot modeGoogle manages nodes + scalingNoGKE Standard modeyou manage the nodesDefault to Cloud Run for a single container or spiky traffic; reach for GKE when you need Kubernetes' control.
Cheat sheet

Cheat sheet

  • A container packages an app with its dependencies so it runs the same anywhere
  • Containers virtualize the OS; VMs virtualize the hardware
  • Containers are lighter than VMs because they ship no guest OS
  • Containers still isolate applications, just at the OS layer
  • Portability is the container benefit that drives modernization
  • Containerize to modernize a legacy app instead of rewriting it
  • Containers are the natural unit for microservices
  • GKE is Google's managed Kubernetes for orchestrating containers
  • GKE Autopilot manages the nodes; Standard leaves them to you
  • Cloud Run runs a container with no cluster or infrastructure to manage
  • Cloud Run scales to zero and bills only for use
  • Choose GKE vs. Cloud Run by operational control vs. burden
  • If an app can't be containerized, rehost it on a VM

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References

  1. What are containers?
  2. Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)
  3. GKE Autopilot overview (modes of operation)
  4. What is Cloud Run?