GCP Account Setup

Before building anything on Google Cloud Platform, the first step is to create a GCP account and understand the Cloud Console. The Console is the web-based dashboard where all GCP resources are created, monitored, and managed. Getting comfortable with it early makes every step ahead easier.

Creating a GCP Account

A Google account is all that is needed to get started. Follow these steps to create a GCP account:

  1. Go to console.cloud.google.com
  2. Sign in with any existing Google account (Gmail works)
  3. Accept the terms of service
  4. Set up a billing account — a credit card is required but will not be charged during the free trial
  5. Receive $300 in free credits valid for 90 days

Note: GCP will not automatically charge after the free trial ends. Upgrading to a paid account requires a manual action.

Understanding GCP Projects

In GCP, everything lives inside a Project. A project is a container that holds all resources like virtual machines, databases, and storage buckets. Think of it like a folder on a computer — all related work goes inside one folder.

GCP Account
└── Organization (optional, for companies)
    └── Folder (optional, to group departments)
        ├── Project A: "my-ecommerce-app"
        │   ├── Compute Engine (VM)
        │   ├── Cloud SQL (Database)
        │   └── Cloud Storage (Files)
        └── Project B: "my-data-pipeline"
            ├── BigQuery (Analytics)
            └── Pub/Sub (Messaging)

Each project has:

  • A unique Project Name (human-readable, can be changed)
  • A unique Project ID (permanent, used in APIs and CLI)
  • A numeric Project Number (assigned by Google)

Creating a New Project

  1. In the Cloud Console, click the project dropdown at the top of the page
  2. Click New Project
  3. Enter a project name (example: estudy-gcp-demo)
  4. Select or link a billing account
  5. Click Create

Exploring the Cloud Console

The Cloud Console has a clear layout. Understanding each section saves time when working with GCP services.

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Top Bar                                               │
│  [☰ Menu] [Project Selector ▼] [Search Bar] [Profile] │
├──────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│          │                                             │
│  Left    │  Main Content Area                          │
│  Nav     │  (Dashboard, Resources, Metrics)            │
│  Menu    │                                             │
│          │                                             │
│  - Home  │                                             │
│  - IAM   │                                             │
│  - APIs  │                                             │
│  - ...   │                                             │
│          │                                             │
└──────────┴─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Console SectionPurpose
Navigation Menu (☰)Access all GCP services from one place
Search BarQuickly find any service, page, or documentation
Project SelectorSwitch between different projects
DashboardOverview of active resources and recent activity
Cloud ShellBuilt-in terminal to run gcloud commands in the browser
NotificationsAlerts about resource status and billing warnings

Cloud Shell – Built-in Terminal

Cloud Shell is a free, browser-based terminal with the gcloud CLI pre-installed. It gives access to all GCP resources without installing anything on a local machine.

To open Cloud Shell, click the terminal icon >_ in the top-right corner of the Console.

Example — Check the active account and project:

# Check the logged-in account
gcloud auth list

# Check the current project
gcloud config get-value project

# List all projects in the account
gcloud projects list

Enabling APIs for a Project

By default, most GCP service APIs are disabled in a new project. Before using a service, its API must be enabled.

Example — Enable the Compute Engine API:

  1. Go to APIs & Services → Library in the Console
  2. Search for Compute Engine API
  3. Click Enable

Or use Cloud Shell:

gcloud services enable compute.googleapis.com

Billing and Budget Alerts

It is good practice to set up budget alerts to avoid unexpected charges, especially while learning.

  1. Go to Billing → Budgets & Alerts
  2. Click Create Budget
  3. Set a monthly budget amount (example: $5)
  4. Set alert thresholds at 50%, 90%, and 100%
  5. Enter an email to receive notifications

Budget alerts do not automatically stop resources. They only send notifications when spending approaches the limit.

Key Takeaways

  • A GCP account is created using any Google/Gmail account.
  • Everything in GCP is organized inside Projects.
  • Each project has a unique Project ID used for API calls and CLI commands.
  • The Cloud Console is the main visual interface for managing all GCP services.
  • Cloud Shell provides a free browser-based terminal with gcloud pre-installed.
  • APIs must be enabled per project before a service can be used.
  • Budget alerts help track and control spending.
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