Demo Overview of GCP dashboard

Welcome to this comprehensive guide on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Dashboard. In this lesson, we will walk you through the main components of the GCP console, highlighting important features and functionality available once you've activated your free trial.

Introduction

When you log into the GCP console, you'll encounter an interface similar to the one displayed on screen. This dashboard is designed to give you immediate access to your projects, notifications, and essential tools for managing your cloud resources.

Navigating the Dashboard

1. Navigation Pane (Left Side)

• Google Cloud Platform Logo: Located at the top, this maintains GCP branding.
• GCP Projects Section: Just below the logo, you can view your current project (e.g., "learning Google Cloud"). This section is crucial for project selection and management.

  Note

  For detailed information on managing projects, folders, and resource hierarchies, refer to our upcoming lessons.

• Quick Search Bar: Use this feature to quickly locate various GCP resources.

2. Cloud Shell

• Activation: Click the Cloud Shell icon to open an integrated terminal within the console, allowing you to execute both GCP-specific commands and standard Linux commands.
• Operation: Once activated, you can seamlessly interact with your cloud environment. (The terminal has been closed for demonstration purposes.)

3. Notification Section

• Alerts & Updates: This area provides notifications and alerts concerning your GCP activities.
• Project Identifiers: You'll find unique identifiers here, including the project number and project ID, which are essential for resource management.

4. Dashboard Page

• Comprehensive Overview: Selecting the dashboard option presents a detailed page that includes all critical aspects of your GCP account.

• Information on the Left Pane: This section displays:

  • Project ID and Project Number
  • Resources linked with your project
  • Compute Engine details
  • Billing information
  • GCP status updates

  Additionally, you'll find segments highlighting the latest GCP news and related documentation.

5. Activity and Recommendations

• Activity Log: This section records all actions performed in the console, providing a useful audit trail.
• Recommendations: GCP offers suggestions to optimize your resource usage. For example, you might see recommendations to adjust project-level IAM role grants, potentially reducing excess permissions for improved security.

Summary

The GCP Dashboard is a user-friendly interface that centralizes all aspects of your cloud management experience—from monitoring projects and managing resources to accessing billing, compute, and notification details. This overview serves as a foundation for upcoming lessons, where we will dive deeper into specific tools and features within GCP.

Thank you for reading this guide. Be sure to check out the next lesson for further insights into maximizing your GCP experience effectively.