Resource definitions for GCP - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Resource definitions for GCP

📖 Scenario: You are setting up a simple Google Cloud Platform (GCP) project. You need to define resources like a Compute Engine instance and a Cloud Storage bucket using configuration files.

🎯 Goal: Build a basic GCP resource definition using configuration files that create a virtual machine and a storage bucket.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a resource definition for a Compute Engine instance named vm-instance-1 in zone us-central1-a.

Create a resource definition for a Cloud Storage bucket named my-storage-bucket-123 in location US.

Add a configuration variable for the machine type of the Compute Engine instance.

Use the machine type variable in the Compute Engine instance resource definition.

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Defining resources in GCP using configuration files is a common task for automating cloud infrastructure setup.

💼 Career

Cloud engineers and DevOps professionals use resource definitions to manage infrastructure as code, enabling repeatable and consistent deployments.

1

Create initial resource definitions

Create a YAML resource definition for a Compute Engine instance named vm-instance-1 in zone us-central1-a. Use the resource type compute.v1.instance, name it vm-instance-1, and set the zone property exactly as specified.

GCP

# Define a Compute Engine instance resource named vm-instance-1 in zone us-central1-a
resources:
- name: vm-instance-1
  type: compute.v1.instance
  properties:
    zone: us-central1-a

Need a hint?

Remember to use the exact resource type compute.v1.instance, name the resource vm-instance-1, and set the zone property inside properties.

2

Add a Cloud Storage bucket resource

Add a resource definition for a Cloud Storage bucket named my-storage-bucket-123 in location US. Use the resource type storage.v1.bucket and set the name and location properties exactly as specified.

GCP

resources:
- name: vm-instance-1
  type: compute.v1.instance
  properties:
    zone: us-central1-a
# Add a Cloud Storage bucket resource named my-storage-bucket-123 in location US below
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use the resource type storage.v1.bucket and set the name and location properties inside properties.

3

Add a machine type configuration variable

Create a configuration variable called machineType and set its value to zones/us-central1-a/machineTypes/n1-standard-1. This variable will be used to specify the machine type of the Compute Engine instance.

GCP

resources:
- name: vm-instance-1
  type: compute.v1.instance
  properties:
    zone: us-central1-a
- name: my-storage-bucket-123
  type: storage.v1.bucket
  properties:
    name: my-storage-bucket-123
    location: US

# Define a variable machineType with value zones/us-central1-a/machineTypes/n1-standard-1 below
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Define a variables section at the top level and add machineType: zones/us-central1-a/machineTypes/n1-standard-1 inside it.

4

Use the machine type variable in the Compute Engine instance

Update the Compute Engine instance resource to use the machineType variable for its machineType property. Use the syntax $(machineType) to reference the variable.

GCP

variables:
  machineType: zones/us-central1-a/machineTypes/n1-standard-1

resources:
- name: vm-instance-1
  type: compute.v1.instance
  properties:
    zone: us-central1-a
    # Add machineType property using $(machineType) below
- name: my-storage-bucket-123
  type: storage.v1.bucket
  properties:
    name: my-storage-bucket-123
    location: US
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Add the machineType property inside the Compute Engine instance's properties and set it to $(machineType).