Question 1

What's the difference between Compute Engine and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)?

Accepted Answer

Compute Engine gives you virtual machines where you manage the OS, patches, and how apps run (more control, more responsibility). GKE is a managed Kubernetes service that runs containers and automates much of the orchestration, scaling, and rolling updates. Use Compute Engine when you need full VM control or run software that isn’t containerized; use GKE when you want to deploy and scale containerized apps with Kubernetes.

Question 2

When should I use Compute Engine?

Accepted Answer

Use Compute Engine when you need flexible VMs for workloads like web servers, custom application stacks, game servers, CI runners, legacy apps, or specialized configurations (high CPU/RAM, GPUs, custom machine types). It’s also a good fit when you need OS-level access, custom networking, or want to lift-and-shift an existing VM-based workload to Google Cloud.

Question 3

How much does Compute Engine cost?

Accepted Answer

Compute Engine pricing depends on the VM’s vCPU and memory, the region/zone, the operating system license (some images add cost), attached storage (Persistent Disk or Local SSD), network egress, and optional accelerators like GPUs. Costs can be reduced with committed use discounts (longer-term commitments), sustained use discounts (automatic for eligible usage), and spot VMs (lower cost with possible interruptions).

Compute Engine

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