Google Cloud Autoscaler
Google Cloud Autoscaler is a managed service on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) that automatically adjusts the number of virtual machine instances in a managed instance group (MIG) based on workload demands. It monitors metrics like CPU utilization, load balancing capacity, or custom metrics to scale resources up or down, ensuring optimal performance and cost-efficiency. This helps maintain application availability while minimizing over-provisioning.
Developers should use Google Cloud Autoscaler when running applications on GCP that experience variable traffic patterns, such as web services, APIs, or batch processing jobs, to handle spikes in demand without manual intervention. It is particularly useful for cost optimization in cloud environments, as it scales down resources during low-traffic periods, reducing unnecessary expenses while ensuring service-level agreements (SLAs) are met during peak loads.