Google Cloud Digital LeaderInfrastructure modernization with Google CloudHard

A growing startup requires a database solution that offers global distribution, strong consistency, and unlimited horizontal scalability for its mission-critical transactional applications. The application serves users worldwide and cannot tolerate eventual consistency or downtime. They also need SQL query capabilities. Which Google Cloud database product meets these stringent requirements?

  1. AFirestore
  2. BCloud SQL
  3. CCloud Bigtable
  4. DCloud Spanner
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D. Cloud Spanner

Cloud Spanner is a unique, globally distributed, strongly consistent relational database that combines the benefits of traditional relational databases (SQL, strong consistency) with the horizontal scalability of NoSQL databases, making it ideal for mission-critical global transactional applications.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Firestore is a NoSQL document database, offering eventual consistency in a distributed setup and not primarily designed for mission-critical, globally distributed SQL transactional workloads.
  • B. Cloud SQL offers strong consistency and SQL but is a regional database, not globally distributed with unlimited horizontal scalability.
  • C. Cloud Bigtable is a NoSQL wide-column database for high-throughput analytics/operational workloads, not a relational database with strong transactional consistency and SQL for mission-critical applications.

Cloud Spanner

A globally distributed, strongly consistent, and horizontally scalable relational database service, combining the benefits of relational databases with the scalability of NoSQL.

  • Global distribution with strong consistency (ACID transactions)
  • Unlimited horizontal scalability
  • Supports standard SQL

Memory trick: Spanner: Spans the globe, with strong consistency and endless scale.

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