Google Cloud

Computing
Foundations
Certificate
2025

Proprietary & Confidential

Why Cloud?
Moving data to the cloud offers companies the agility to share and process data in multiple
locations around the world, increasing the speed with which data is shared, and the ability of
stakeholders to access data in real-time all while tapping into this multi-billion dollar market.

Google Cloud Computing

Foundations Certificate 4 courses
This certificate program provides individuals with
little to no background or experience in cloud 10 modules
computing a detailed overview of concepts covering
cloud basics, big data, and machine learning and
where and how Google Cloud fits in. The course 104 videos
starts with an overview of cloud computing and dives
deeper into two areas - cloud computing
infrastructure, and big data and machine learning.
25 labs
It enables learners to develop technical proficiency
in cloud computing and launch or pivot to careers 4 documents
in a cloud-first world.

A college degree is not a prerequisite, but learners

10 quizzes
should have basic IT knowledge and be interested
in learning more about cloud and machine learning. 4 skill badges
This includes a basic understanding of shell scripting
and SQL, and competency in at least one computer
language is helpful, though not required. The content
provides learners with foundational knowledge ~ 40-50 hours
and skills in cloud-based computing. to complete

There are four courses in the Google Cloud

Computing Foundations Certificate. In each course,
learners will complete hands-on labs that allow them
to practice key skills and produce work examples
to show potential employers.
Courses
 Certificate

1. Google Cloud Computing

Foundations: Cloud Computing
Fundamentals

Course Overview
This course introduces learners to cloud computing. Learners will understand what the cloud
is and why it’s a technological and business game changer, describe the different ways a user
can interact with Google Cloud, and discover the different compute options in Google Cloud.

By the end of this course, learners will:

● Discuss cloud computing and identify advantages to leveraging the cloud.
● Compare and contrast physical, virtual, and cloud architectures.
● Define Iaas, PaaS, and SaaS.
● Discuss how to navigate the cloud with Cloud Console and explain the purpose and
process of creating Google Cloud projects.
● Describe how APIs work and how to test Google APIs using Google API Explorer.
● Explore the role of compute options in the cloud.
● Describe building and managing virtual machines.
● Explain building elastic applications using autoscaling.
● Discuss building event-driven services using Cloud Functions.

Course Outline
Module 1: So, what’s the cloud anyway?
Module 2: Start with a solid platform ~ 6 hours
Module 3: Use Google Cloud to build your apps to complete

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 Certificate

2. Google Cloud Computing

Foundations: Infrastructure
in Google Cloud

Course Overview
This course introduces learners to cloud storage, APIs, and cloud security. Learners will
implement a variety of structured and unstructured storage models, discuss the different
application managed service options in the cloud, and outline how security in the cloud
is administered in Google Cloud.

By the end of this course, learners will:

● Compare and contrast physical storage and cloud storage options and distinguish between
structured and unstructured storage options in the cloud.
● Explain relational database options in the cloud and describe the NoSQL options in Google
Cloud.
● Discuss the purpose of APIs and explain the format of a REST API.
● Explore the use case for a managed messaging service.
● Describe the shared security model in the cloud.
● Discuss Google’s security responsibility versus a customer’s responsibility.
● Explore the different encryption options.
● Identify best practices when configuring authentication and authorization.

Course Outline
Module 1: Where do I store this stuff?
Module 2: There’s an API for that! ~ 5 hours
Module 3: You can’t secure the cloud, right? to complete

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 Certificate

3. Google Cloud Computing

Foundations: Networking & Security
in Google Cloud

Course Overview
This course introduces learners to networking and security. Learners will demonstrate how to
build secure networks in the cloud and identify cloud automation and management tools.

By the end of this course, learners will:

● Explore basic networking in the cloud and explain the use of public and private IP
addresses.
● Discuss how to build virtual private clouds (VPCs).
● Explore the role of firewall rules and routes.
● Explore hybrid cloud networking options including virtual private networks, interconnect,
and direct peering.
● Differentiate between load balancing options in the cloud.
● Discuss Cloud Deployment Manager as an IaC option.
● Explain the role of monitoring, logging, tracing, debugging, and error reporting in the cloud.

Course Outline
Module 1: It helps to network
~ 5 hours
Module 2: Keeping an eye on things to complete

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 Certificate

4. Google Cloud Computing

Foundations: Data, ML,
and AI in Google Cloud

Course Overview
This course introduces learners to data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
Learners will discover a variety of managed big data services in the cloud and explain what
machine learning is, the terminology used, and its value proposition.

By the end of this course, learners will:

● Discuss big data managed services in the cloud.
● Describe using Dataproc to run Spark, Hive, Pig, and MapReduce as a managed service
in the cloud.
● Discuss BigQuery as a managed data warehouse and analytics engine.
● Introduce machine learning in the cloud.
● Explore building bespoke machine learning models using Vertex AI.
● Leverage AutoML to create custom machine learning models.
● Apply a range of pre-trained machine learning models using Google’s machine
learning APIs.

Course Outline
Module 1: You have the data, but what are you doing with it?
~ 7 hours
Module 2: Let machines do the work to complete

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Google Cloud
Skill Badges
 Skill Badge

1. Implement Load Balancing

on Compute Engine
Skills Badge Overview
Complete the introductory Implement Load Balancing on Compute Engine skill badge*
to demonstrate skills in the following: writing gcloud commands and using Cloud Shell,
creating and deploying virtual machines in Compute Engine, and configuring network and
HTTP load balancers.

Course Outline
Lab 1
● Creating a Virtual Machine: In this hands-on lab, you create VM instances of various
machine types using the Google Cloud console and the gcloud command line in Cloud
Shell. You also learn how to connect an NGINX web server to your VM.
OR
● Compute Engine: Qwik Start - Windows: In this hands-on lab, you learn how to launch a
Windows Server instance in Compute Engine and use Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to
connect to it.
Lab 2
● Getting Started with Cloud Shell and gcloud: In this hands-on lab, you learn how to connect
to computing resources hosted on Google Cloud via Cloud Shell with the gcloud tool.
Lab 3
● Set Up Network and HTTP Load Balancers: In this hands-on lab you learn the differences
between a network load balancer and an HTTP load balancer, and how to set them up for
your applications running on Compute Engine virtual machines (VMs).

Challenge Lab - Implement Load Balancing on Compute Engine: In a challenge lab you’re
given a scenario and a set of tasks. You will use the skills learned from the labs in the course
to figure out how to complete the tasks on your own!

*A skill badge is an exclusive digital badge issued by Google Cloud in

recognition of your proficiency with Google Cloud products and services and ~ 3.5 hours
tests your ability to apply your knowledge in an interactive hands-on to complete
environment. Complete this skill badge, and the final assessment challenge lab,
to receive a skill badge that you can share with your network.

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 Skill Badge

2. Set Up an App Dev

Environment on Google Cloud
Skills Badge Overview
Earn a skill badge* by completing the Set Up an App Dev Environment on Google Cloud
course, where you learn how to build and connect storage-centric cloud infrastructure using
the basic capabilities of the following technologies: Cloud Storage, Identity and Access
Management, Cloud Functions, and Pub/Sub.

Course Outline
Lab 1
● Cloud Storage: Qwik Start - Cloud Console: In this hands-on lab you will learn how to use
the Cloud console to create a storage bucket, upload objects to the bucket, create folders
and subfolders in the bucket, and make objects in a storage bucket publicly accessible.
OR
● Cloud Storage: Qwik Start - CLI/SDK: In this hands-on lab you will learn how to create a
storage bucket, upload objects to it, create folders and subfolders in it, and make objects
publicly accessible using the Google Cloud command line.
Lab 2
● Cloud IAM: Qwik Start: In this lab you'll sign in with 2 different sets of credentials to
experience how granting and revoking permissions works from Google Cloud Project Owner
and Viewer roles.
Lab 3
● Cloud Monitoring: Qwik Start: In this lab you'll install monitoring and logging agents to
collect information from your instance, which could include metrics and logs from 3rd party
apps.
Lab 4
● Cloud Functions: Qwik Start - Console: This hands-on lab shows you how to create, deploy,
and test a cloud function using the Google Cloud console.
OR
● Cloud Functions: Qwik Start - Command Line: This hands-on lab shows you how to create,
deploy, and test a cloud function using the Google Cloud Shell command line.

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 Skill Badge

2. Set Up an App Dev

Environment on Google Cloud

Lab 5
● Pub/Sub: Qwik Start - Console: In this hands-on lab you will learn how to set up a topic to
hold data, subscribe to a topic to access the data and publish and then consume messages
with a pull subscriber.
OR
● Pub/Sub: Qwik Start - Command Line: In this hands-on lab you will learn to create, delete,
and list Pub/Sub topics and subscriptions, publish messages to a topic and how to use a
pull subscriber.
OR
● Pub/Sub: Qwik Start - Python: In this lab, you will learn how to get started publishing
messages with Pub/Sub using the Python client library.

Challenge Lab - Set Up an App Dev Environment on Google Cloud: In a challenge lab
you’re given a scenario and a set of tasks. You will use the skills learned from the labs in the
course to figure out how to complete the tasks on your own!

*A skill badge is an exclusive digital badge issued by Google Cloud in

recognition of your proficiency with Google Cloud products and services and ~ 4 hours
tests your ability to apply your knowledge in an interactive hands-on to complete
environment. Complete this skill badge, and the final assessment challenge lab,
to receive a skill badge that you can share with your network.

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 Skill Badge

3. Build a Secure
Google Cloud Network
Skills Badge Overview
Earn a skill badge by completing the Build and Secure Networks in Google Cloud course,
where you will learn about multiple networking-related resources to build, scale, and secure
your applications on Google Cloud.

Course Outline
Lab 1
● Securing Virtual Machines using BeyondCorp Enterprise (BCE): In this lab, you will explore
how you can use BeyondCorp Enterprise (BCE) and Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP) TCP
forwarding to enable administrative access to VM instances that do not have external IP
addresses or do not permit direct access over the internet.
Lab 2
● Multiple VPC Networks: In this lab you create several VPC networks and VM instances, then
test connectivity across networks.
Lab 3
● VPC Networks - Controlling Access: In this lab, you create two nginx web servers on the
default VPC network and control external HTTP access to the web servers using tagged
firewall rules. Then, you explore IAM roles and service accounts.
Lab 4
● HTTP Load Balancer with Cloud Armor: In this lab, you configure an HTTP Load Balancer
with global backends, as shown in the diagram below. Then, you stress test the Load
Balancer and denylist the stress test IP with Cloud Armor.
Lab 5
● Create an Internal Load Balancer: In this lab you create two managed instance groups in the
same region. Then, you configure and test an Internal Load Balancer with the instances
groups as the backends, as shown in the pictured network diagram.

Challenge Lab - Build a Secure Google Cloud Network: In a challenge lab you’re given a
scenario and a set of tasks. You will use the skills learned from the labs in the course to figure
out how to complete the tasks on your own!

*A skill badge is an exclusive digital badge issued by Google Cloud in

recognition of your proficiency with Google Cloud products and services and ~ 6.5 hours
tests your ability to apply your knowledge in an interactive hands-on to complete
environment. Complete this skill badge, and the final assessment challenge lab,
to receive a skill badge that you can share with your network.

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 Skill Badge

4. Prepare Data for ML APIs

on Google Cloud
Skills Badge Overview
Complete the Prepare Data for ML APIs on Google Cloud skill badge to demonstrate skills
in the following: cleaning data with Dataprep by Trifacta, running data pipelines in Dataflow,
creating clusters and running Apache Spark jobs in Dataproc, and calling ML APIs including
the Cloud Natural Language API, Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API, and Video
Intelligence API.

Course Outline
Lab 1
● Vertex AI: Qwik Start: In this lab, you use BigQuery for data processing and exploratory data
analysis and the Vertex AI platform to train and deploy a custom TensorFlow Regressor
model to predict customer lifetime value.
Lab 2
● Dataprep: Qwik Start: In this lab, you use Dataprep to manipulate a dataset. You import
datasets, correct mismatched data, transform data, and join data.
Lab 3
● Dataflow: Qwik Start - Templates: In this lab, you learn how to create a streaming pipeline
using one of Google's Dataflow templates.
OR
● Dataflow: Qwik Start - Python: In this lab, you set up your Python development environment
for Dataflow (using the Apache Beam SDK for Python) and run an example Dataflow
pipeline.
Lab 4
● Dataproc: Qwik Start - Console: This lab shows you how to use the Google Cloud console to
create a Dataproc cluster, run a simple Apache Spark job in the cluster, and then modify the
number of workers in the cluster.
OR
● Dataproc: Qwik Start - Command Line: This lab shows you how to use the command line to
create a Dataproc cluster, run a simple Apache Spark job in the cluster, and then modify the
number of workers in the cluster.

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