Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

Compute Engine gives you virtual machines that you manage (OS updates, packages, services). GKE is a managed Kubernetes service for running containers; it automates much of the cluster management and is usually better for microservices and containerized apps. Use Compute Engine when you need full VM control or run software that isn’t containerized.

Question 2

When should I use Compute Engine?

Accepted Answer

Use Compute Engine when you need customizable VMs (specific CPU/RAM), control over the operating system, or to run traditional workloads like web servers, game servers, databases (self-managed), CI runners, or specialized software. It’s also a good fit when you need predictable performance, custom networking, or GPU-enabled instances for ML and rendering.

Question 3

How much does Compute Engine cost?

Accepted Answer

Cost depends on the machine type (vCPU/RAM), how long the VM runs, the region/zone, attached storage (persistent disks), network egress, and any accelerators like GPUs. Pricing is typically per-second (with a minimum billing period), and you can reduce cost with committed use discounts, sustained use discounts (where applicable), and by using preemptible/Spot VMs for fault-tolerant workloads.

Compute Engine

Definition

Real-World Example

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