Top 25 Interview Questions and Answers for Google Cloud Platform

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is one of the leading cloud service providers, widely adopted by enterprises for scalability, data analytics, AI/ML, and secure infrastructure. Whether you are a cloud fresher, IT professional, data engineer, or DevOps aspirant, preparing for GCP interviews requires both conceptual clarity and practical understanding.

This blog covers the Top 25 Google Cloud Platform interview questions and answers, ranging from basic to advanced levels, commonly asked in real interviews.

1. What is Google Cloud Platform (GCP)?

Google Cloud Platform is a suite of cloud computing services offered by Google that provides infrastructure, platform, and software services. It allows businesses to build, deploy, and scale applications using Google’s highly reliable global infrastructure. GCP offers services such as computing, storage, databases, machine learning, networking, and security.

2. What are the main components of GCP?

The core components of GCP include:

• Compute – Compute Engine, App Engine, Cloud Functions
• Storage & Databases – Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, BigQuery, Firestore
• Networking – VPC, Load Balancing, Cloud CDN
• Big Data & Analytics – BigQuery, Dataflow, Dataproc
• AI & ML – Vertex AI, AutoML
• Security & Identity – IAM, Cloud Security Command Center

3. What is Compute Engine?

Compute Engine is GCP’s Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering that allows users to create and manage virtual machines. It provides flexible VM configurations, custom machine types, autoscaling, and high availability.

4. What is App Engine?

App Engine is a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) that allows developers to build and deploy applications without managing infrastructure. It automatically handles scaling, load balancing, and server management.

5. Difference between Compute Engine and App Engine?

6. What is Google Cloud Storage?

Google Cloud Storage is an object storage service for storing unstructured data like images, videos, backups, and logs. It is highly durable, secure, and scalable.

7. What are Cloud Storage classes?

• Standard – Frequently accessed data
• Nearline – Data accessed once a month
• Coldline – Data accessed once a year
• Archive – Long-term archival data

8. What is BigQuery?

BigQuery is a fully managed, serverless data warehouse used for fast SQL-based analytics on large datasets. It is highly scalable and ideal for big data analysis.

9. What is Cloud SQL?

Cloud SQL is a fully managed relational database service supporting MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server. It handles backups, replication, and patching automatically.

10. Difference between Cloud SQL and BigQuery?

11. What is IAM in GCP?

Identity and Access Management (IAM) controls who can access resources in GCP and what actions they can perform. It uses roles, permissions, and policies to enforce security.

12. What are IAM roles?

• Primitive roles – Owner, Editor, Viewer
• Predefined roles – Service-specific roles
• Custom roles – User-defined permissions

13. What is a GCP project?

A project is a container for all GCP resources. It includes billing, APIs, permissions, and services. Every resource in GCP belongs to a project.

14. What is VPC in GCP?

Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is a private network that allows GCP resources to communicate securely. It supports global networking, subnets, firewall rules, and VPNs.

15. What is Cloud Load Balancing?

Cloud Load Balancing distributes traffic across multiple instances to ensure high availability and low latency. It supports HTTP(S), TCP/SSL, and UDP traffic.

16. What is Cloud Functions?

Cloud Functions is a serverless execution environment that runs code in response to events such as HTTP requests, Pub/Sub messages, or file uploads.

17. What is Kubernetes Engine (GKE)?

Google Kubernetes Engine is a managed Kubernetes service that allows users to deploy, manage, and scale containerized applications easily.

18. What is the difference between GKE and App Engine?

• GKE provides container orchestration with full control
• App Engine is simpler with automatic management
• GKE is better for complex microservices architectures

19. What is Cloud Pub/Sub?

Cloud Pub/Sub is a messaging service that enables asynchronous communication between services. It is commonly used for event-driven architectures.

20. What is Cloud Monitoring?

Cloud Monitoring provides insights into application performance, uptime, and resource usage. It supports alerts, dashboards, and metrics analysis.

21. What is Cloud Logging?

Cloud Logging collects and stores logs from applications and infrastructure, allowing troubleshooting and audit analysis.

22. What is Cloud CDN?

Cloud CDN caches content at edge locations worldwide to reduce latency and improve website performance.

23. What is Billing in GCP?

GCP uses a pay-as-you-go pricing model. Users can monitor costs, set budgets, and receive alerts using Cloud Billing tools.

24. How does GCP ensure security?

GCP ensures security through:

• IAM and access controls
• Encryption at rest and in transit
• Secure global infrastructure
• Regular compliance audits

25. Why should a company choose GCP?

Companies choose GCP for its:

• High performance and reliability
• Strong data analytics and AI capabilities
• Competitive pricing
• Global network infrastructure

Preparing for a Google Cloud Platform interview requires a solid understanding of core services, architecture, security, and real-world use cases. These Top 25 GCP interview questions and answers cover exactly what recruiters expect from freshers and experienced professionals alike.

Combine this theoretical knowledge with hands-on practice on GCP Console to stand out in interviews.