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Cloud CDN on Google's edge network · by Google Cloud

Google Cloud CDN

Google's CDN for content behind Cloud Load Balancing, billed per GiB from $0.08 in North America and Europe, with Cloud Armor for WAF and DDoS protection.

Visit cloud.google.com ↗ Alternatives Paid EU region
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Overview

Cloud CDN is Google Cloud's content delivery network. You turn it on for a backend service or bucket behind an external Application Load Balancer, and cacheable responses are then served from Google's edge. Origins can be Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, GKE, or any HTTP origin outside Google Cloud.

Billing has several parts: cache data transfer out priced by destination ($0.08/GiB for North America and Europe in the first 10 TiB), cache fill from $0.01 to $0.04/GiB, and $0.0075 per 10,000 cache lookups. On cache misses and uncacheable content you also pay Cloud Load Balancing and normal Google Cloud egress rates.

Security comes from Cloud Armor, which provides WAF rules and DDoS protection at the edge but is priced separately. For video streaming and large downloads Google sells Media CDN, built on YouTube's infrastructure with more than 3,000 locations.

Traffic destined for mainland China is served from Google locations outside China, and opt-in network regions (Jakarta, Doha, Dammam) carry their own higher egress prices when enabled with bring-your-own-IP addresses.

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Pricing and plans

checked 28 Sept 2026
Plan Price What you get
Cache egress NA/EU $0.08/GiB First 10 TiB; $0.055 to 150 TiB; $0.03 to 1,000 TiB; $0.02 above
Cache egress Asia Pacific, South America $0.09/GiB First 10 TiB; Oceania $0.11; China $0.20
Cache fill $0.01-$0.04/GiB Data pulled from origin into cache
Cache lookups $0.0075 per 10,000 HTTP/HTTPS GET and HEAD requests

Cloud CDN is enabled on an external Application Load Balancer; load balancing and Cloud Storage operation charges apply on cache misses and non-cacheable content, and are not included above. Volume discounts are available above 500 TiB a month. Image optimisation is free while in Preview. Cloud Armor pricing was not read. New Google Cloud customers get $300 in credits.

Source: cloud.google.com/cdn/pricing · prices as published, excluding tax.

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What it does

Any origin
Pull from Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, GKE or external origins in other clouds.
Cloud Armor
WAF and DDoS protection integrated at the edge (separate product).
Cache controls
Per-origin cache keys, TTLs and cache modes, including caching of dynamic content.
Modern protocols
TLS 1.3, QUIC and global anycast addresses.
Logging and metrics
Request logs and metrics through Cloud Logging and Cloud Monitoring.
Media CDN
A separate CDN for video and large files using YouTube's infrastructure at 3,000+ locations.
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Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Published tiered prices that fall to $0.02/GiB at high volume in North America and Europe.
  • Tight integration with Google Cloud load balancing, storage and logging.
  • Works with origins outside Google Cloud.
  • Global anycast and QUIC support.

Limitations

  • Requires an external Application Load Balancer, which is billed separately.
  • No free tier beyond the general $300 new-customer credit.
  • Traffic to mainland China is served from outside China and costs $0.20/GiB.
  • WAF (Cloud Armor) and DNS (Cloud DNS) are separate products and bills.
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Who it suits

Good for

  • Applications running on Google Cloud
  • Teams already using Cloud Load Balancing and Cloud Armor
  • High-volume delivery where tiered discounts matter

Look elsewhere if

  • Hobby sites wanting a free CDN
  • Teams not using Google Cloud load balancers
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Alternatives to Google Cloud CDN

Tool From Free option Stages
Amazon CloudFront CDN with bundled WAF and DNS plans
$15/mo Free tier
Amazon Route 53 Managed DNS and traffic routing
$0.5/mo Paid
Azure DNS Managed public and private DNS
$0.5/mo Paid
Azure Front Door CDN, global load balancer and WAF
$35/mo Paid
CacheFly Throughput-focused CDN
$300/mo Free tier
CDN77 Video-focused CDN
$990/mo Paid

All cdn, dns and edge security →

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Questions

How much does Google Cloud CDN cost?

Cache egress starts at $0.08/GiB for North America and Europe, plus $0.01 to $0.04/GiB cache fill and $0.0075 per 10,000 lookups.

Does Google Cloud CDN have a free tier?

No permanent free tier; new Google Cloud customers get $300 in credits.

Does Cloud CDN need a load balancer?

Yes. It is enabled on an external Application Load Balancer, whose charges apply separately.

Does Google Cloud CDN include a WAF?

It integrates with Cloud Armor for WAF and DDoS protection, which is a separately billed product.

Sources read for this page