Summary

Google Cloud Platform's network infrastructure and services are well ahead of the curve in the public cloud space. As we've seen, Google’s dedication to providing a world class, fully software-defined network starts at the very bottom with a network of dedicated lines spanning continents and crossing oceans. In order to maximize the benefits of this dedicated global network, Google does everything it can to bring end-user traffic into the network as early in the route as possible. In large part, this is achieved by extending its network edge using edge points of presence and caching nodes.

Building on this physical foundation, Google exposes users to its internal software defined network: Andromeda. With Andromeda, developers have access to virtually every layer of their network infrastructure. At the lowest level, this means control over rudimentary components such as VPC networks, firewall rules, static IP addresses, and VM network interfaces. At the highest level, this means managing...