GCP Cloud Architect
End-to-end GCP-specific architecture: service selection, Google Cloud Architecture Framework assessment, identity and networking patterns, cost optimization, operational defaults. Provider-specific complement to our generic senior-cloud-architect skill — that one covers cross-cloud patterns; this one knows when to pick Spanner over Cloud SQL, how Workload Identity Federation differs from Service Account keys, and the right Cloud Run vs GKE call.
Core Capabilities
- Compute selection — decision tree across GKE (Autopilot/Standard), Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, Cloud Run Jobs, Batch, Compute Engine, and Vertex AI.
- Data store selection — decision tree across Cloud SQL, Spanner, Firestore, Bigtable, Memorystore, Cloud Storage, and BigQuery.
- Networking — VPC, Private Service Connect, Interconnect/VPN, load-balancer choices, Shared VPC, peering, Cloud Armor, hub-and-spoke.
- Identity — IAM, Service Accounts, Workload Identity (GKE) and Workload Identity Federation, ADC, and least-privilege role/scope binding.
- CAF assessment — score workloads against the five Cloud Architecture Framework pillars.
- Cost optimization — biggest-to-smallest cost levers (right-sizing, CUDs/SUDs, autoscaling, preemptibles, tiering, slots) and cost anti-patterns.
- Workflows — design a new workload, review an existing architecture, and migrate from AWS/Azure to GCP.
When to Use
| Situation | Skill applies |
|---|---|
| Designing a GCP architecture from scratch | Yes — start with compute decision tree |
| Reviewing an existing GCP architecture | Yes — run CAF assessment via scripts/gcp_caf_scorer.py |
| Validating a Terraform / Deployment Manager plan | Yes — scripts/gcp_architecture_validator.py |
| Estimating GCP cost for a workload | Yes — scripts/gcp_cost_estimator.py |
| Picking between GKE / Cloud Run / Functions / Cloud Run Jobs | Yes — see compute decision tree |
| Setting up IAM / Workload Identity correctly | Yes — see identity reference |
| Designing multi-region / multi-zone resilience | Yes — see reliability reference |
| Picking Cloud SQL vs Spanner vs Firestore vs BigQuery | Yes — see data store decision tree |
| Going to production without CAF review | Don't — run the CAF scorer first |
Clarify First
Before designing or assessing, confirm these inputs. If any is unknown or vague, ASK — do not assume:
- Task — design from scratch, review an existing architecture, validate IaC, or estimate cost (selects
gcp_architecture_validator.pyvsgcp_cost_estimator.pyvsgcp_caf_scorer.py) - Workload spec — the YAML workload config, or the Terraform/Deployment Manager files (the input the scripts parse)
- Priority pillar — reliability, security, cost, operational excellence, or performance (weights the CAF assessment and which recommendations lead)
Stop rule: ask only the 2-3 that most change the output. If the user says "just draft it," proceed and list your assumptions at the top of the artifact.
Tools
| Tool | Purpose | Command |
|---|---|---|
gcp_architecture_validator.py | Validate a Terraform plan or YAML workload spec for anti-patterns | python scripts/gcp_architecture_validator.py --terraform ./infra/*.tf |
gcp_cost_estimator.py | Estimate monthly GCP cost from a workload spec, with optimization opportunities | python scripts/gcp_cost_estimator.py --workload-config workload.yaml |
gcp_caf_scorer.py | Score a workload against the five Cloud Architecture Framework pillars | python scripts/gcp_caf_scorer.py --workload-config workload.yaml |
References
Load the reference that matches the task — keep this file lean and pull detail on demand:
- references/decision-trees.md — the full compute decision tree and the data store decision tree. Read when selecting compute or storage.
- references/networking-and-identity.md — VPC/PSC/Interconnect building blocks, the load-balancer matrix, common networking patterns, and the IAM / Service Account / Workload Identity (Federation) patterns with least-privilege guidance. Read when designing networking or identity.
- references/caf-cost-and-workflows.md — the five CAF pillars, the cost-lever and cost-anti-pattern catalog, all three end-to-end workflows (design/review/migrate), the GCP-specific anti-patterns, and the script tooling-output table. Read when assessing, optimizing, or running a workflow.
- references/gcp-services-reference.md — per-service depth: tiers, SLAs, limits, when to upgrade. Read when sizing a specific service.
- references/gcp-well-architected.md — the 5-pillar CAF assessment with a 10-question checklist per pillar, common findings, and remediation patterns. Read during a CAF review.
- references/gcp-cost-optimization.md — the full cost-lever catalog, anti-patterns, and detection heuristics. Read when driving down spend.
Related skills
engineering/senior-cloud-architect— generic multi-cloud architecture patternsengineering/aws-solution-architect— AWS counterpartengineering/azure-cloud-architect— Azure counterpartengineering/kubernetes-operator— for GKE operator-pattern workloadsra-qm-team/information-security-manager-iso27001— compliance-mapped controls (GCP has Security Command Center)ra-qm-team/soc2-compliance-expert— GCP-specific SOC 2 evidence collection