What is server hosting?

• Storing data: Websites, applications, and data are stored on a server's electronic components, like processors and storage
• Accessibility: The server is connected to a fast network, making the stored information accessible to users on the internet via a domain name (URL)
• Network request: When you type a website address, a network request is sent to the server, which then responds by sending the website's data back to your device

Setting up server hosting on Google Cloud gives you a range of control, from managing your own virtual machine to orchestrating an entire fleet of them. The most direct method is using Compute Engine, which provides a virtual server that you control.

For more complex applications, you may need to run multiple servers together in a group, known as a cluster. GKE is a powerful option for this. Instead of managing individual servers, you manage the cluster, and GKE handles distributing your application across the different machines. Each server in the cluster is still a Compute Engine instance, but GKE automates the work of managing them at scale. This is ideal for microservices and applications that need high availability.

If you prefer not to manage a server at all, Cloud Run offers a serverless approach. With this option, you simply provide your application in a container. Google handles all the underlying server infrastructure, and your application automatically scales with traffic. While it's a powerful hosting solution, it abstracts the server away, so you don't have direct access to the operating system.