Google Cloud Load Balancing
Google Cloud Load Balancing is a fully managed service for distributing application traffic across backends, with global or regional routing for workloads in…
What Google Cloud Load Balancing is
Google Cloud Load Balancing is a fully managed service for distributing application traffic across backends, with global or regional routing for workloads in hybrid and multicloud environments. Application Load Balancers handle Layer 7 HTTP(S) traffic, while Network Load Balancers handle Layer 4 traffic. Global proxy load balancers can route requests across regions through one anycast IP address. The service supports automatic multi-region failover and scaling from zero to full traffic in seconds without pre-warming. Features include IPv6, WebSockets, user-defined request headers, and protocol forwarding for private virtual IP addresses. Cloud CDN can deliver cached content, and Cloud Armor can help protect against DDoS and other targeted application attacks. Depending on type and mode, security controls include Cloud Armor and SSL policies and frontend or backend mutual TLS. Cloud Logging records requests, with export options including Cloud Storage, BigQuery, and Pub/Sub. Pricing depends on forwarding rules, traffic, region, and other applicable services; there is no free plan listed.
Good
- Offers both Layer 7 and Layer 4 load balancing.
- Global routing can use a single anycast IP.
- Supports automatic multi-region failover.
- Request logs can be exported to several services.
Watch out
- No free plan is listed.
- Forwarding rule charges are billed separately.
- Data processing charges depend on region.
Who it suits
It suits application workloads that need regional or global traffic distribution, including hybrid and multicloud backends. Teams should account for separate forwarding-rule and data-processing charges.
Verdict
Google Cloud Load Balancing covers global and regional distribution with managed scaling, failover, and integrations for security and caching. Its usage-based pricing requires attention to forwarding rules and regional data processing.
Plans and prices
From Google Cloud Load Balancing's own pricing page, checked 30 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | — | First 5 global forwarding rules: $0.025 / 1 hour · Each additional global forwarding rule: $0.01 / 1 hour · Regional inbound and outbound data processing: $0.008 / 1 gibibyte · Usage-based; charges depend on forwarding rules, traffic processed, and other applicable services. |
The facts
Each one read from Google Cloud Load Balancing's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Backend scope
- Application Load Balancers can direct traffic to backends outside Google Cloud, including on-premises data centers and other cloud environments.checked 30 Sep 2026
- CDN integration
- Cloud CDN can be integrated for cached content delivery with global external and classic Application Load Balancers.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Extensibility
- Service Extensions support gRPC callouts to user-managed services and Wasm plugins in the networking data path.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Global routing
- Global proxy load balancers can distribute requests among backends in multiple regions using a single anycast IP address.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Intended users
- The product is presented for application workloads that need global or regional traffic distribution, including hybrid and multicloud environments.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Load balancer types
- It offers Application Load Balancers for Layer 7 HTTP(S) traffic and Network Load Balancers for Layer 4 traffic.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Logging
- Cloud Logging records load balancing requests, and request logs can be exported to Cloud Storage, BigQuery, or Pub/Sub for analysis.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Pricing limits
- Forwarding rule charges are billed separately for global and regional rules and per project; data processing charges depend on region.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Protocols and features
- Supported capabilities include IPv6 load balancing, WebSockets, user-defined request headers, and protocol forwarding for private virtual IP addresses.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Purpose
- Cloud Load Balancing is a fully managed service that distributes traffic across apps for performance and resilience, scaling from zero to millions of users.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Scaling and failover
- The service supports automatic multi-region failover and can scale from zero to full traffic in seconds without pre-warming.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Security controls
- Depending on load balancer type and mode, supported security capabilities include Cloud Armor policies, SSL policies, and frontend or backend mutual TLS.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Security integration
- Google Cloud Armor integrates with load balancers to help protect infrastructure from DDoS and other targeted application attacks.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Support
- Google Cloud support packages can include 24/7 coverage, phone support, and access to a technical support manager; community help is also available through Stack Overflow and Google Cloud Slack.checked 30 Sep 2026
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