Service Directory is Google’s managed service registry for centralized service discovery in Google Cloud, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments.
What is Google Cloud Service Directory?
Service Directory is a fully managed service registry that centrally catalogs all services in an organization and makes them available for service discovery. Applications can find services by name instead of hardcoding IP addresses or endpoints. The service supports Google Cloud workloads, on-premises systems, and other cloud providers for true hybrid and multi-cloud architectures.
The hierarchy in Service Directory is four-tiered: Projects contain Namespaces (e.g., prod, staging, dev), Namespaces contain Services (e.g., api, database, cache), and Services contain Endpoints with IP addresses, ports, and metadata. This structure enables flexible organization and environment separation.
Service Directory integrates seamlessly with Cloud DNS for DNS-based service discovery. Registered services are automatically available as DNS records in Private DNS Zones, so applications can find services via standard DNS lookups. Alternatively, the Service Directory API enables programmatic access with additional metadata information.
The service is highly available with 99.99% SLA, fully managed without infrastructure overhead, and IAM-integrated for granular access controls. EU regions ensure GDPR compliance.
Common Use Cases
Central Service Registry for Microservices
A company with 100+ microservices uses Service Directory as a central registry. Each service registers on deployment, other services find endpoints via DNS. During rolling updates, endpoints are automatically updated, service discovery remains transparent.
Hybrid Cloud Service Discovery
A company connects on-premises datacenters with Google Cloud via Cloud VPN. On-premises services are registered in Service Directory, cloud applications find these services via DNS. The unified registry simplifies hybrid architectures.
Multi-Environment Management
An organization uses namespaces for environment separation: prod, staging, dev. Each environment has its own service endpoints, applications use environment-specific DNS names. Promotions from staging to prod require only endpoint updates in Service Directory.
Private Service Connect Integration
A SaaS provider publishes APIs via Private Service Connect. Service Directory stores PSC endpoints, customers find services via DNS without public internet exposure. IAM controls which projects can access which services.
Multi-Cloud Service Catalog
An organization with workloads on GCP and AWS uses Service Directory as a unified registry. Services from both clouds are registered, applications find all services centrally. This abstracts the underlying cloud infrastructure.
Integration with innFactory
As a Google Cloud partner, innFactory supports you with Service Directory: architecture design, hybrid cloud integration, DNS configuration, and service mesh integration.
Contact us for a consultation on Service Directory and Google Cloud networking.
Available Tiers & Options
Standard
- Fully managed
- Highly available
- DNS integration
- Private Service Connect
- No automatic health checking
Typical Use Cases
Technical Specifications
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Google Cloud Service Directory?
Service Directory is a managed service registry that centrally catalogs all services in an organization. Applications can find services via DNS or API without having to hardcode endpoints. The service supports Google Cloud, on-premises, and other clouds.
How does Service Directory differ from Cloud DNS?
Cloud DNS is a DNS hosting service, Service Directory is a service registry with DNS integration. Service Directory stores service metadata and endpoints, which are automatically available as DNS records via Cloud DNS Private Zones.
Can I register on-premises services?
Yes, Service Directory supports hybrid cloud scenarios. You can manually register on-premises services or automatically synchronize via Anthos integration. Applications in Google Cloud can then discover these services via DNS or API.
How does the hierarchy work in Service Directory?
Service Directory uses a four-level hierarchy: Projects contain Namespaces (e.g., prod, staging), Namespaces contain Services (e.g., api, database), Services contain Endpoints (IP addresses and ports). This structure enables flexible organization.
Does Service Directory offer health checking?
Service Directory itself does not perform active health checking. You can implement health checking via Load Balancers, GKE, or custom solutions and remove endpoints from Service Directory on failure.
How is Service Directory billed?
Service Directory charges per registered endpoint and per API call. Costs are very low: typically under $1 per month for small to medium deployments. DNS lookups via Cloud DNS are charged separately.
