What is our primary use case?
Google Cloud SQL is an excellent choice for hosting small services, like microservices. Google Cloud's infrastructure is globally distributed, ensuring that your service is accessible from anywhere as long as you have the correct IP address. This global accessibility is similar to that of cloud service providers like AWS and Microsoft Azure. It's adopted and highly reliable.
What is most valuable?
It directly provides robust data safety. It also offers various other storage options, such as Google Cloud Storage. These services ensure data security and redundancy. Furthermore, it includes different storage classes, allowing flexible data management tailored to specific needs.
What needs improvement?
When discussing media files, such as images and audio files, stored in Google Cloud, concerns about handling large amounts of data arise. If these files exceed 3 GB, backing them up can be challenging. The scalability of managing large media files can be tough. For example, recording a voice clip increases storage requirements fluidly. Therefore, solutions to reduce the volume of audio or video files should be considered.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Google Cloud SQL for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable and widely used service. Many organizations, including USG and Infosys, rely on it. It's a popular choice among clients and is well-established. While everyone might not widely use some features, the industry generally supports and utilizes this service. In the context of infrastructure as a service, Google offers robust solutions such as Google Kubernetes Engine, App Engine, and Cloud Functions, complementing Cloud SQL well.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Google Cloud SQL is highly scalable, leveraging the robust infrastructure of GCP to meet your needs as they grow.
How are customer service and support?
Support provides quick responses.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have been using Microsoft SQL Server since the beginning of our projects. Recently, we started exploring newer tools like BigQuery, which has been available since around 2020 or 2021. We have only been using BigQuery for the last few years. BigQuery runs on the Google Cloud Platform and offers high performance. While Google Cloud provides options for SQL databases, such as Cloud SQL, we haven't used them extensively.
When it comes to messaging systems, we use Google Pub/Sub. Pub/Sub is a robust messaging system that allows efficient data communication between producers and consumers. Configuring and testing producers and consumers in GCP is straightforward.
How was the initial setup?
Cloud SQL is part of GCP. Once you have access to GCP and have set up your application, Cloud SQL becomes accessible. Cloud SQL is a cloud-based relational database service. To use it, you need to execute a script to create your tables and set up your database. Once this script is ready and you've created your tables, you can start using the database.
Google will manage and maintain it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
Google Cloud SQL can be complex, and depending on your specific needs, you may need to explore alternative solutions. Before deploying your application, you might need to work with your team to ensure the proper setup and configuration.
I suggest using Google Cloud SQL because it's a stable service and easily accessible worldwide. It provides fast performance globally, whether you are working from the US, India, Africa, or elsewhere. Additionally, It offers various AI tools, including speech recognition, to help with querying and other tasks.
Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
*Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.