Google Compute Engine
Google Compute Engine (GCE) is an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) component of Google Cloud Platform that provides scalable, high-performance virtual machines (VMs) running in Google's data centers. It allows users to launch and manage Linux and Windows-based VMs on-demand, with customizable configurations for CPU, memory, storage, and networking. GCE integrates with other Google Cloud services for tasks like load balancing, data storage, and container orchestration.
Developers should use Google Compute Engine when they need flexible, scalable virtual infrastructure for applications that require custom configurations or legacy software not suited for managed services. It's ideal for high-performance computing, batch processing, and hybrid cloud deployments where fine-grained control over VM instances is necessary. Use cases include running web servers, databases, machine learning workloads, and migrating on-premises applications to the cloud.