Cloud SQL is Google’s managed database service for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server. Automatic backups, patches, and high availability without administration effort.
What is Cloud SQL?
Cloud SQL provides fully managed relational databases on Google Cloud. You choose MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQL Server, and Google handles patches, backups, replication, and monitoring. Your team focuses on the application, not database administration.
With up to 96 vCPUs, 624 GB RAM, and 64 TB storage, Cloud SQL scales for most business applications. High availability with automatic failover achieves 99.95% SLA.
Core Features
- Three Database Engines: MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server
- Automatic Backups: Daily backups with point-in-time recovery
- High Availability: Automatic failover within the same region
- Read Replicas: Scaling of read operations
- Private IP: VPC-native connections without public internet
Cloud SQL vs. AlloyDB vs. Spanner
| Criteria | Cloud SQL | AlloyDB | Cloud Spanner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server | PostgreSQL-compatible | Proprietary |
| Scaling | Vertical | Vertical, decoupled | Horizontal, unlimited |
| Regions | Single-region | Single-region | Multi-region |
| SLA | 99.95% | 99.99% | 99.999% |
| Use Case | Standard workloads | Demanding enterprise | Global, mission-critical |
| Price | From $7/month | From $200/month | From $650/month |
Typical Use Cases
Web and Mobile Applications
Cloud SQL with MySQL or PostgreSQL is ideal for web and mobile app backends. Automatic instance size scaling with growing load, read replicas for high read load.
E-Commerce Platforms
Transaction safety for orders and payments. High availability prevents revenue loss from outages. Point-in-time recovery enables data restoration after errors.
Migration from On-Premises
Database Migration Service (DMS) migrates existing MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQL Server databases with minimal downtime to Cloud SQL.
Benefits
- Zero Administration: No patches, backups, or failover configuration
- Proven Engines: MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server without vendor lock-in
- Affordable: From $7/month for small development instances
- Integrated: Native connection to GKE, Cloud Run, App Engine
Integration with innFactory
As a Google Cloud Partner, innFactory supports you with Cloud SQL: database design, migration from on-premises, performance optimization, and high availability setup.
Available Tiers & Options
MySQL
- Open source, large ecosystem
- Ideal for web applications
- Lower costs
- Limited scaling vs. Spanner
PostgreSQL
- Advanced features (JSON, GIS)
- Better complexity handling
- Strong ACID compliance
- Slightly higher resource usage
SQL Server
- Enterprise features
- Windows/.NET integration
- Familiar environment for Microsoft teams
- License costs
- Higher pricing
Typical Use Cases
Technical Specifications
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cloud SQL?
Cloud SQL is a fully managed database service for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server on Google Cloud. You get automatic backups, patches, replication, and high availability without DBA effort.
How does Cloud SQL differ from Cloud Spanner?
Cloud SQL offers classic relational databases for regional workloads with vertical scaling. Cloud Spanner scales horizontally across regions with global consistency. Cloud SQL is cheaper for standard workloads, Spanner for globally distributed, mission-critical applications.
How do I migrate existing databases to Cloud SQL?
Google offers Database Migration Service (DMS) for migrations with minimal downtime. DMS supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server from on-premises, AWS RDS, Azure, or other sources.
How are backups handled in Cloud SQL?
Cloud SQL performs automatic daily backups and stores binary logs for point-in-time recovery up to 7 days (configurable). On-demand backups are available anytime. Backups are stored geo-redundantly.
When should I choose MySQL vs. PostgreSQL?
MySQL is ideal for simple web applications, WordPress, and high read workloads. PostgreSQL offers advanced features like JSON support, PostGIS for geodata, complex queries, and better standards compliance. For new projects, we often recommend PostgreSQL.
