https://www.gstatic.com/bricks/image/423c8ca3-692a-4305-9e2e-7a6a6a76f09b.png

From on-prem to on-demand: How Squarespace empowers developers and users with Google Cloud

Google Cloud Results
  • Implemented a secure, scalable, reliable infrastructure by migrating from on-premises to cloud

  • Created a path to decommissioning data centers to optimize for speed and agility

  • Accelerated database provisioning significantly by automating developer workflows

  • Further enabled international growth and superior customer experiences

Squarespace migrated its on-premises data centers to Google Cloud, which improved reliability and reduced latency for users while enabling developers to iterate faster and accelerate international growth.

The new way to navigate the cloud

Recognizing the limited scalability and lack of agility of its existing on-premises infrastructure, Squarespace is lifting and shifting its critical workloads to Google Cloud, starting with QA and pre-production environments, with staging and production environments soon to follow. Now, leveraging the full power of Google Cloud, Squarespace can efficiently manage various databases, reduce latency, and enhance scalability. When Squarespace migrated from Postgres to CockroachDB, traditional migration methods fell short of the company's commitment to 100% uptime. The team developed a proprietary system using Dataflow and Debezium to stream updates in real time, enabling a seamless cutover with zero downtime.

Our on-premises infrastructure struggled to keep up with the demands of our growing customer base and product development needs. Managing and acquiring hardware was also a time-consuming process that restricted our developers' ability to prototype and experiment with new services. By moving to Google Cloud, we can overcome limitations and accelerate our development cycles.

Kevin Lynch

Principal Software Engineer, Squarespace

Why Google Cloud?

Having previously moved its analytical infrastructure to Google Cloud, Squarespace recognized the value of a unified cloud platform. By leveraging the platform's global network and managed services, Squarespace will soon decommission its data centers to optimize its infrastructure while delivering a superior customer experience. Automation capabilities within Google Cloud have also streamlined developer workflows. Previously, database provisioning took two days, but now Squarespace can provision resources within 25 minutes, accelerating time to market.

Transitioning to the cloud required a significant shift in mindset for our team, but collaborating closely with Google Cloud Engineering was invaluable in helping everyone adjust. By openly discussing our goals and challenges, and staying informed about the platform's roadmap, we can make informed decisions and avoid unnecessary development efforts.

Douglas O'Connor

Software Engineering Director, Infrastructure, Squarespace

Squarespace is a design-driven platform helping entrepreneurs build brands and businesses online. It empowers millions of customers in more than 200 countries and territories with all the tools they need to create an online presence, build an audience, monetize, and scale their business. Its suite of products range from websites, domains, ecommerce, and marketing tools, as well as tools for scheduling with Acuity, and creating and managing social media presence with Unfold. Its team of more than 1,700 is headquartered in bustling New York City, with offices in Dublin, Ireland and Aveiro, Portugal, and coworking spaces in the UK, the Netherlands, and Australia.

Industry: Technology

Location: United States

Products: BigQuery, Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, Google Kubernetes Engine, Cloud Identity and Access Management, Google Cloud Observability

Google Cloud