If you want to run a MySQL or Postgres server in GCP you have two options: you can either use the managed service provided by Google or you can provision a VM and install MySQL or Postgres yourself (I call this self-managed). Here I summarize the pros and cons of Cloud SQL vs. self-managed instance of MySQL or Postgres:
| Pros | Cons |
| – easy setup through UI or gcloud command line – automated backups and replication – storage is autoscaling. you never have to worry about adding more storage – built-in monitoring and dashboards | – Cloud SQL costs roughly twice as much as self-managed instance – In Cloud SQL, there is no way to SSH in to the server. so you are limited in what you can do. only access is through mysql client or psql |
Let me know what you think and which option you prefer.
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