Eventarc is a fully managed eventing service on Google Cloud that enables you to build event-driven architectures by connecting various Google Cloud services, SaaS applications, and your own applications through events. As a Cloud Engineer, understanding Eventarc is essential for designing loosely …Eventarc is a fully managed eventing service on Google Cloud that enables you to build event-driven architectures by connecting various Google Cloud services, SaaS applications, and your own applications through events. As a Cloud Engineer, understanding Eventarc is essential for designing loosely coupled, scalable solutions.
Eventarc works by routing events from event producers to event consumers. Event producers can include over 130 Google Cloud services that generate Audit Logs, Cloud Storage buckets, Pub/Sub topics, and third-party sources. Event consumers typically include Cloud Run services, Cloud Functions (2nd gen), GKE clusters, and Workflows.
Key components of Eventarc include:
1. **Triggers**: These define the routing rules that specify which events should be delivered to which destinations. You configure triggers to filter events based on event type, resource, and other attributes.
2. **Event Providers**: Sources that generate events, such as Cloud Storage (object creation/deletion), BigQuery (job completion), or custom applications publishing to Pub/Sub.
3. **Event Destinations**: Services that receive and process events, primarily Cloud Run and Cloud Functions.
4. **Channels**: Used for receiving events from third-party providers or custom sources.
When implementing Eventarc in your cloud solution, you should consider:
- Using CloudEvents format, which is the industry-standard specification for describing event data
- Setting appropriate IAM permissions for the Eventarc service account
- Configuring retry policies for handling transient failures
- Monitoring event delivery through Cloud Logging and Cloud Monitoring
Common use cases include triggering functions when files are uploaded to Cloud Storage, responding to database changes, processing audit log events for compliance, and orchestrating microservices. Eventarc simplifies event-driven architecture implementation by providing a unified eventing experience across Google Cloud services, reducing the need for custom integration code and infrastructure management.
Eventarc: Complete Guide for GCP Associate Cloud Engineer Exam
What is Eventarc?
Eventarc is a fully managed eventing platform on Google Cloud that enables you to build event-driven architectures. It allows you to route events from various Google Cloud sources, SaaS applications, and your own applications to target services like Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, and GKE.
Why is Eventarc Important?
Eventarc is crucial for modern cloud architectures because it: • Provides a unified eventing experience across Google Cloud • Enables loosely coupled, scalable microservices architectures • Supports both first-party Google Cloud events and custom events • Reduces the need for polling and complex integration code • Offers built-in reliability with automatic retries and dead-letter queues
How Eventarc Works
Eventarc operates through these core components:
1. Event Providers: Sources that generate events, including: • Cloud Audit Logs (over 130+ Google Cloud sources) • Cloud Storage • Pub/Sub messages • Third-party sources via Eventarc Publishing API
2. Triggers: Define the routing rules that specify: • Which events to listen for • Event filters (by type, resource, etc.) • Target destination service
3. Event Destinations: Services that receive and process events: • Cloud Run services • Cloud Functions (2nd gen) • GKE services • Workflows
Key Features to Remember
• Events are delivered in CloudEvents format (industry standard) • Supports cross-project event routing • Provides at-least-once delivery guarantee • Integrates seamlessly with Cloud Audit Logs for comprehensive event coverage • Channel-based architecture for organizing event flows
Common Use Cases
• Triggering workflows when files are uploaded to Cloud Storage • Responding to BigQuery job completions • Processing Firestore document changes • Reacting to VM instance state changes • Building real-time data pipelines
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Eventarc
Tip 1: When a question describes needing to react to Google Cloud resource changes or audit events, Eventarc with Cloud Audit Logs is often the correct answer.
Tip 2: Remember that Cloud Functions 2nd generation uses Eventarc under the hood for event-driven triggers, while 1st generation uses legacy triggers.
Tip 3: If a scenario requires triggering actions based on administrative activities (like IAM changes or resource creation), think Eventarc with Admin Activity audit logs.
Tip 4: For questions about decoupling services or building event-driven architectures on GCP, Eventarc combined with Cloud Run is a common pattern.
Tip 5: Understand the difference between Eventarc and Pub/Sub - Eventarc is for routing events to compute targets, while Pub/Sub is a general-purpose messaging service. Eventarc can use Pub/Sub as a transport layer.
Tip 6: Questions mentioning CloudEvents format or standardized event delivery are hints toward Eventarc as the solution.
Tip 7: Know that Eventarc requires appropriate IAM permissions, including the Eventarc Event Receiver role for target services.
Sample Exam Scenario
Question Pattern: Your company needs to automatically process images when they are uploaded to Cloud Storage and wants a serverless, event-driven solution.
Answer Approach: Look for options combining Cloud Storage events with Eventarc triggering Cloud Run or Cloud Functions 2nd gen. This represents the recommended event-driven pattern on GCP.