If you’re building anything serious on Google Cloud today, doing it manually is asking for trouble. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the solution: you manage infrastructure the same way you manage application code — versioned, reviewed, repeatable.
I’ve seen firsthand how IaC saves time, catches mistakes before they happen, and makes scaling easy, especially on GCP. Let’s walk through what IaC is, the best tools for the job on Google Cloud, and some real-world tips that’ll save you pain later.
What’s the Deal with Infrastructure as Code?
Infrastructure as Code simply means defining your infrastructure (VMs, networks, databases, you name it) in configuration files — not by clicking buttons in a console.
You describe what you want, and a tool builds it for you. When you need changes, you update the code and apply again. No more “well it worked on dev but not in prod” drama.
On Google Cloud, this matters even more. GCP projects can get complex fast — IAM roles, firewall rules, managed databases, serverless apps. If you don’t have a clean, repeatable way to set up and modify environments, chaos is inevitable.
With IaC, you get:
- Consistency: Same config = same environment every time.
- Version Control: Track who changed what and why.
- Automation: Spin up new environments or rebuild from scratch with minimal effort.
- Disaster Recovery: If a project blows up, you redeploy, not rebuild.
Top Tools for IaC on Google Cloud
There are several ways to do IaC on GCP. Here’s my short list, based on years of hands-on experience:
1. Terraform
If you want a safe, battle-tested choice, Terraform’s hard to beat.
It uses its own declarative language (HCL) to define infrastructure. You can manage not just Google Cloud but AWS, Azure, even on-prem stuff, all with the same tool.
Why use it?
- Huge community support.
- Tons of examples and modules — especially Google’s official Cloud Foundation Toolkit.
- Strong provider support. New GCP features usually show up in Terraform pretty quickly.
Downsides?
- Managing the state file is critical. You’ll want to use Google Cloud Storage with state locking enabled (like with Terraform Cloud or backend config).
- The HCL language is good for infrastructure, but doing complex stuff (loops, conditionals) can get verbose.
Quick example:
hcl
resource "google_compute_instance" "default" {
name = "my-vm"
machine_type = "e2-medium"
zone = "us-central1-a"
boot_disk {
initialize_params {
image = "debian-cloud/debian-11"
}
}
network_interface {
network = "default"
access_config {}
}
}
That’s a real, working VM — no console clicking required.
2. Google Cloud Deployment Manager
Deployment Manager is GCP’s native IaC tool. You write YAML configs (or Jinja2/Python templates) to define resources.
Good stuff:
- Fully native to GCP.
- Simple syntax for small projects.
Bad stuff:
- Only works with GCP — no multi-cloud.
- Feels a bit stale. Google is pushing users toward Terraform and Config Connector nowadays.
Reality check: Unless you need something quick and GCP-only, you’re probably better off investing in Terraform long-term.
3. Pulumi
Pulumi is a newer player. It lets you define infrastructure using real programming languages — Python, Go, TypeScript, C# — instead of DSLs like HCL or YAML.
Why people love it:
- Full language power: loops, functions, packages, unit testing.
- Great if your team is full of developers who think YAML is from the devil.
Gotchas:
- More setup overhead (language runtimes, package managers).
- Smaller community than Terraform (but growing fast).
- You’ll still need to manage state, either yourself or via Pulumi’s SaaS.
Pulumi shines when you’re building complex, dynamic environments or when you want full-blown app and infra deployment tied together.
4. Config Connector (Kubernetes-native)
This one’s for Kubernetes fans. Config Connector runs as an operator inside GKE (or Anthos) and exposes GCP resources as Kubernetes Custom Resources.
How it works: You define resources (like a CloudSQL database) in Kubernetes YAML. Config Connector keeps the GCP resources in sync automatically.
Killer features:
- Continuous drift detection and correction.
- Great for GitOps shops — you manage infra and apps through the same Kubernetes workflow.
- No need for a separate Terraform state file.
Caveats:
- You must be running Kubernetes already.
- Only works for GCP resources.
- Troubleshooting involves digging into Kubernetes object statuses — it’s a different world than Terraform plan/apply.
If you’re already heavy into Kubernetes, Config Connector is awesome. If not, stick with Terraform or Pulumi.
Choosing the Right Tool
Quick cheatsheet:
- New to IaC? Start with Terraform.
- Developer-heavy team? Pulumi might be a better fit.
- Kubernetes-first organization? Config Connector all the way.
- Need something super simple, GCP-only, short-term? Deployment Manager works.
Best Practices When Using IaC on Google Cloud
After using these tools in real production, here’s the advice I’d give to anyone starting out:
Keep configs in Git – Always. Everything goes through pull requests.
Use remote state – Terraform or Pulumi, store state in GCS or Pulumi Cloud. Don’t lose your state file!
Lock secrets away – Never hardcode passwords or keys into configs. Use Secret Manager, environment variables, or vault systems.
Modularize early – Break your configs into reusable modules — easier to maintain and extend later.
Plan every change – Always run terraform plan or Pulumi preview before applying. Never fly blind.
Automate deployment – Use Cloud Build, GitHub Actions, or another CI/CD tool to apply configs automatically after pull requests merge.
Common Pitfalls to Watch Out For
- Manual changes: If someone changes a resource outside of IaC (via Console), you’ve got drift. Tools like Terraform drift detection or Config Connector’s continuous reconciliation help, but you need team discipline too.
- State file exposure: Terraform state files can leak sensitive info (like credentials) if not secured properly.
- Quota and API errors: Always check GCP project quotas before scaling up infra — GCP APIs will 400-error you without mercy if you hit limits.
- Overengineering early: You don’t need a perfect DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) setup from day one. Start simple. Refactor as your infra grows.
Final Thoughts
Infrastructure as Code is table stakes for modern cloud engineering. On Google Cloud, Terraform is usually the safest starting point, but Pulumi and Config Connector are powerful alternatives depending on your environment and team skills.
Whatever tool you pick, the real win comes from discipline: treating your infrastructure configs like production code. That means versioning, peer review, automation, and a healthy respect for IaC best practices.
Done right, IaC doesn’t just save time — it lets you move faster, safer, and with way fewer late-night emergencies.
And honestly? Once you get used to it, you’ll wonder how you ever managed cloud infrastructure without it.