VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) is the network foundation for all Google Cloud resources: a global, software-defined network.
What is VPC?
Google Cloud VPC is the virtual network where all your GCP resources communicate. Unlike other cloud providers, a GCP VPC is global: you can create subnets in any region, all belonging to the same VPC with private connectivity.
This global architecture simplifies multi-region deployments. VMs in Europe can reach VMs in Asia via private IPs without configuring VPC peering or transit gateways. Firewall Rules are also global and can be based on service accounts or tags.
VPC integrates with all GCP networking services: Cloud Load Balancing for traffic distribution, Cloud NAT for outbound connectivity without public IPs, Private Google Access for API access over private networks.
Common Use Cases
Multi-Tier Application Architecture
An e-commerce company structures its VPC into public, application, and database subnets. Frontend VMs receive public IPs, application servers communicate only internally, databases are completely isolated. Firewall Rules enforce the separation.
Hybrid Cloud with On-Premises
A manufacturing company connects its datacenter to GCP via Cloud Interconnect. Production systems remain on-premises, analytics runs in BigQuery. Both environments communicate via private IPs without internet exposure.
Shared VPC for Enterprise Governance
An enterprise group uses Shared VPC. The network team centrally manages VPC, subnets, and firewall rules. Project teams deploy resources in their own projects but use the central network. This separates network and workload responsibility.
Microservices Isolation on GKE
A SaaS platform operates GKE clusters in a VPC. Network Policies isolate microservices from each other. Private Service Connect enables secure access to Cloud SQL and other managed services without public endpoints.
Multi-Region for Disaster Recovery
A financial services company deploys in europe-west1 (primary) and europe-west4 (DR). Both regions use the same VPC with regional subnets. Global load balancers distribute traffic, with automatic failover during region outage.
Integration with innFactory
As a Google Cloud Partner, innFactory supports you with network architecture on GCP: from VPC design through hybrid connectivity to security best practices.
Contact us for a network consultation.
Available Tiers & Options
Standard Tier Networking
- Lower costs
- Regionally optimized
- For regional workloads
- No global premium network
Premium Tier Networking
- Google's global backbone
- Lowest latency
- Global load balancers
- Higher egress costs
Typical Use Cases
Technical Specifications
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Google Cloud VPC?
VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) is a global software-defined network for all Google Cloud resources. A VPC can contain subnets in all regions and enables private communication between GCP services without public IPs.
What distinguishes GCP VPC from AWS VPC?
GCP VPC is global, not regional. A single VPC can contain subnets worldwide. Firewall Rules are also global and can be based on tags or service accounts. This significantly simplifies multi-region deployments.
How do VPC Firewall Rules work?
Firewall Rules are stateful and can be applied to IP ranges, tags, service accounts, or network tags. They apply globally within the VPC. Hierarchical Firewall Policies enable governance at organization or folder level.
How much does using VPC cost?
VPC itself, subnets, and internal IP addresses are free. Costs arise from egress traffic (starting at approximately 0.08 USD/GB), external IP addresses (approximately 0.004 USD/hour when unused), and certain features like NAT Gateway.
How do I connect VPC to on-premises?
Cloud VPN provides encrypted IPsec connections over the internet. Cloud Interconnect offers dedicated or partner connections with guaranteed bandwidth (10-200 Gbps). Both enable hybrid connectivity with private IPs.
