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.
Pricing and plans
| 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 |
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.
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.
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
Alternatives to Google Cloud CDN
| Tool | From | Free option | Stages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Front Door CDN, global load balancer and WAF | $35/mo | ||
| IBM NS1 Connect Managed DNS with traffic steering | $99/mo | ||
| Azure DNS Managed public and private DNS | $0.5/mo | ||
| DigiCert DNS (DNS Made Easy) Managed DNS with SLA | $300/yr | ||
| INWX Domain registrar | $15.72/yr | ||
| Google Cloud DNS Managed authoritative and private DNS | $0.2/mo |
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.
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