Static external IP addresses in Google Cloud Platform are permanent IP addresses that remain assigned to your project until you explicitly release them. Unlike ephemeral IP addresses that change when instances restart, static IPs provide consistency for applications requiring stable endpoints.
To …Static external IP addresses in Google Cloud Platform are permanent IP addresses that remain assigned to your project until you explicitly release them. Unlike ephemeral IP addresses that change when instances restart, static IPs provide consistency for applications requiring stable endpoints.
To reserve a static external IP address, you can use the Google Cloud Console, gcloud CLI, or API. Using gcloud, the command is: gcloud compute addresses create [ADDRESS_NAME] --region=[REGION] for regional addresses, or add --global flag for global addresses used with load balancers.
Key considerations when reserving static IPs include:
1. Regional vs Global: Regional static IPs are used for VM instances and regional load balancers within a specific region. Global static IPs work with global load balancers like HTTP(S) Load Balancing.
2. Billing: You are charged for static IPs that are reserved but not assigned to a running resource. Attached IPs to running instances incur no additional cost beyond standard networking charges.
3. Quotas: Each project has quotas limiting the number of static addresses you can reserve per region and globally.
4. Assignment: After reservation, assign the static IP to a VM during creation or by editing an existing instances network interface. For load balancers, specify the address during frontend configuration.
5. Premium vs Standard Tier: Static IPs can be associated with either network service tier, affecting routing quality and cost.
Best practices include documenting IP assignments, releasing unused static IPs to avoid unnecessary charges, and using meaningful naming conventions for easy identification. You should also consider using DNS names alongside static IPs for flexibility.
To view reserved addresses, use: gcloud compute addresses list. To delete an unused reservation: gcloud compute addresses delete [ADDRESS_NAME] --region=[REGION].
Static IP reservation ensures service continuity, simplifies firewall configurations, and maintains consistent access points for external clients connecting to your cloud resources.
Reserving Static External IP Addresses in Google Cloud Platform
Why It Is Important
Static external IP addresses are crucial for maintaining consistent, reliable connectivity to your cloud resources. When you need a permanent, unchanging IP address for services like web servers, VPN gateways, or load balancers, reserving a static external IP ensures that your DNS records, firewall rules, and client configurations remain valid even after VM restarts or redeployments. This is essential for production workloads where IP address changes could cause service disruptions.
What It Is
A static external IP address is a fixed, public IPv4 or IPv6 address that you explicitly reserve and assign to your Google Cloud resources. Unlike ephemeral IP addresses, which are automatically assigned and released when a resource is stopped or deleted, static IPs persist independently of your compute resources. They remain associated with your project until you explicitly release them.
How It Works
Google Cloud provides two types of external IP addresses:
Ephemeral IP addresses: Automatically assigned when a resource is created and released when the resource is stopped or deleted.
Static IP addresses: Reserved in your project and can be attached or detached from resources as needed.
Static external IPs can be either regional (for use with regional resources like VM instances and Network Load Balancers) or global (for use with global resources like Global HTTP(S) Load Balancers and Global SSL Proxy Load Balancers).
How to Reserve a Static External IP Address
Using gcloud CLI:
For a regional static IP: gcloud compute addresses create [ADDRESS_NAME] --region=[REGION]
For a global static IP: gcloud compute addresses create [ADDRESS_NAME] --global
You can then assign this reserved IP to a VM instance during creation or by editing an existing instance's network interface.
Key Considerations
- Static IPs that are reserved but not attached to a running resource incur charges - You must release unused static IPs to avoid unnecessary costs - Static IPs are tied to a specific region (regional) or available globally (global) - You cannot convert an ephemeral IP to static; you must reserve a new static IP
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Reserving Static External IP Addresses
1. Understand the distinction between regional and global IPs: Regional static IPs work with VM instances and regional load balancers, while global static IPs are used with global load balancing services.
2. Remember billing implications: Unused reserved static IPs cost money. If a question mentions cost optimization, consider whether static IPs are being used efficiently.
3. Know the gcloud commands: Be familiar with 'gcloud compute addresses create' and the --region flag for regional IPs versus --global for global IPs.
4. Recognize use cases: When questions describe scenarios requiring consistent IP addresses for DNS, whitelisting, or external client access, static IPs are typically the correct answer.
5. Understand IP address limits: Projects have quotas for static external IP addresses. Questions about quota management may involve static IPs.
6. Network tier awareness: Static IPs can be associated with either Premium or Standard network tiers, which affects pricing and performance. Premium tier uses Google's global network, while Standard tier uses regional routing.
7. Watch for migration scenarios: If a question involves moving a workload while maintaining the same external IP, static IP reservation and reassignment is the solution.