Learn GOOGLE-CLOUD-FUNCTIONS with Real Code Examples

Google Cloud Functions lets you deploy single-purpose functions triggered by events.

Supports HTTP triggers, Cloud Pub/Sub, Firebase, and other Google Cloud services.

Automatically scales based on workload, from zero to thousands of instances.

Enables rapid development and deployment of serverless applications.

Ideal for lightweight microservices, real-time data processing, and automation tasks.

Event-driven function execution

HTTP and cloud-triggered functions

Automatic scaling and high availability

Integrated logging and monitoring with Cloud Logging/Monitoring

IAM-based access control for secure execution

Function – single-purpose unit of code executed on events

Trigger – event that causes function execution (HTTP, Pub/Sub, Storage)

Runtime – language environment (Node.js, Python, Go, etc.)

Region – geographical location for function deployment

Environment variables – configuration parameters for functions

index.js / main.py / main.go - entry point for function

package.json / requirements.txt - dependency management

.gcloudignore - files to ignore during deployment

config/ - optional environment/configuration files

scripts/ - automation and deployment scripts

Write your function code in a supported language

Define the trigger (HTTP, Pub/Sub, Storage event, etc.)

Deploy function via GCP Console or `gcloud` CLI

Monitor function execution and logs

Update or version functions as needed

Beginner: deploy a simple HTTP endpoint

Intermediate: process Pub/Sub messages

Advanced: create event-driven pipelines

Expert: integrate multiple GCP services

Auditor: monitor and optimize function performance

GCF vs AWS Lambda: both serverless, GCF integrates with GCP ecosystem

GCF vs Azure Functions: similar serverless concepts, differ in triggers and cloud integration

GCF vs Knative: Knative requires Kubernetes, GCF is fully managed

GCF vs FunctionX: GCF is serverless for cloud apps, FX is blockchain smart contract platform

GCF vs Firebase Functions: Firebase is for mobile/backend apps, GCF is more general-purpose

2017 – Initial release of GCF

2018 – Added Node.js 8 and Python 3 support

2019 – Added Go and Java support

2020 – Introduced 2nd generation functions with improved performance

2021–2025 – Ongoing enhancements, additional runtimes, integration improvements

Function - unit of serverless code

Trigger - event that executes the function

Runtime - programming language environment

Region - GCP deployment location

Environment Variable - config for functions