Question 1

What's the difference between Cloud Run and Cloud Functions?

Accepted Answer

Cloud Run runs any container you provide, so you can use any language, framework, or system dependencies that fit in a container. Cloud Functions is a function-as-a-service product where you deploy individual functions (often with more opinionated runtimes and event triggers). Use Cloud Run when you want full control over the runtime via containers or when you’re building a web service/API; use Cloud Functions when you want to deploy small event-driven functions with minimal packaging.

Question 2

When should I use Cloud Run?

Accepted Answer

Use Cloud Run when you have a containerized HTTP service (web app, API, webhook handler) or a containerized job that should scale automatically with demand, including scaling to zero when idle. It’s a good fit when you want to avoid managing servers or Kubernetes but still want container portability, simple deployments, and pay-per-use pricing.

Question 3

How much does Cloud Run cost?

Accepted Answer

Cloud Run is pay-per-use. Pricing is primarily based on the resources your container uses while handling requests (CPU, memory, and request time), plus networking/egress and any connected services (like databases). Costs depend on configured CPU/memory, concurrency settings, request volume, and how long requests run. It can be very cost-effective for spiky or low-traffic services because it can scale to zero when idle.

Cloud Run

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