LOCKEDIN / FORWARD-DEPLOYED ENGINEERING 101
Understand it.
Then build it.
You can be an experienced engineer and still be new to agents. Start with what each thing is and how it helps a person do useful work. Explore 58 original introductions across software, agents, cloud, security and delivery. Start here without a model key; each topic connects to deeper instruction and practice.
A place to start.
Choose a short reading route, or look up a concept below.
- 101UnderstandPlain language, visual walkthrough, vocabulary
- 102Build with guidanceOriginal lessons, examples and knowledge checks
- 103Practise and explainRunnable labs, failure cases and handover
Plan a cloud deployment
Apply those boundaries to Google Cloud projects, regions and instances.
See the 7-concept route
For engineers moving an application into a customer environment. This route introduces the concepts before provider setup and deeper labs.
- 01The environmentLocate the application, its data and the responsibilities shared with a cloud provider.
- 02NetworkingTrace how a request reaches a service before choosing public or private access.
- 03IdentityDistinguish reaching a service from being allowed to use its data or actions.
- 04Google CloudYou are here
- 05AzureCompare how Azure subscriptions, resource groups and networks organize the same workload.
- 06AWSCompare AWS accounts, regions, Availability Zones and instances without assuming the services are interchangeable.
- 07Private inferenceDecide which model-serving responsibilities become yours when you operate the runtime.
Bookmark this page to return to this concept. The number shows your place in the reading route; it is not an assessment result.
Google Cloud101 / LEARNING STUDIOA cloud platform · projects, servers and services
What is Google Cloud?
Google Cloud is a collection of computing services you use over a network. You can run your code on a virtual server, store files, connect databases and call AI models. Google operates the physical infrastructure; your team chooses and configures the services. GCP means Google Cloud Platform, a common name for the same platform.
Before delivering an AI feature, you need to know whose project owns it, where it runs and which identity can use it. Those choices remain your responsibility even when the model is managed for you.
UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM
Google Cloud: a project is not a place
Read this as a resource map. Ownership, location and access are separate relationships; selecting a box explains its job.
Read the connections in plain English
- 01Your identity → Training project
A known identity still needs permission to act on resources in this project.
- 02Training project → Compute Engine VM
The VM belongs to the selected project; changing a CLI default does not move it.
- 03Training project → Cloud Storage bucket
This example puts the storage bucket in the same project. Ownership does not imply every caller may read it.
- 04Compute Engine VM → Region / zone
The VM's zone identifies its placement. Inspect the storage location separately.
- 05Compute Engine VM → Cloud Storage bucket
A real request also needs network reachability and permission for the app's identity. This map does not itself grant either.
Check your understanding: Does selecting another project move this VM?
No. It changes a local default for future commands, not the ownership or location of an existing resource. Check the target project ID, caller and resource location separately.
CONNECT IT TO WHAT YOU KNOW
Start with something familiar.
Start with a familiar application: a process runs on a server and reads files. Google Cloud gives you services for those jobs. A project is the administrative workspace around them, much as a repository groups code without being the computer that runs it.
The repository comparison stops at governance. Projects also participate in cloud permissions, policy and billing configuration. Changing a local CLI's selected project does not move a running server or grant access to it.
Words worth knowing
- Project
- A grouping and control boundary for Google Cloud resources, APIs and permissions.
- Resource
- A thing you create or manage, such as a virtual machine or storage bucket.
- Region / zone
- A region is a geographic area; a zone is a deployment area within a region. Resource location depends on the service.
- Compute Engine
- The service used to create and operate virtual machines.
- Cloud Storage
- A service that stores objects in buckets. It is separate from a VM's memory or boot disk.
ONE EXAMPLE / FICTIONAL CASE
Follow the connections.
A fictional maintenance team wants a small document assistant. First, map the training project, its server and its approved files. The model connection comes later.
UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM
Google Cloud: a project is not a place
Read this as a resource map. Ownership, location and access are separate relationships; selecting a box explains its job.
See what moves and why.
Read the connections in plain English
- 01Your identity → Training project
A known identity still needs permission to act on resources in this project.
- 02Training project → Compute Engine VM
The VM belongs to the selected project; changing a CLI default does not move it.
- 03Training project → Cloud Storage bucket
This example puts the storage bucket in the same project. Ownership does not imply every caller may read it.
- 04Compute Engine VM → Region / zone
The VM's zone identifies its placement. Inspect the storage location separately.
- 05Compute Engine VM → Cloud Storage bucket
A real request also needs network reachability and permission for the app's identity. This map does not itself grant either.
Check your understanding: Does selecting another project move this VM?
No. It changes a local default for future commands, not the ownership or location of an existing resource. Check the target project ID, caller and resource location separately.
Work through it, step by step.
Find the owner
A project groups service resources and configuration. An organization and optional folders can govern projects. Billing is linked separately; the person signed in is an identity with permissions, not the project itself.
What you have now: A known project ID and an accountable owner.
Place the work
A Compute Engine instance is a virtual machine: a software-defined server with an operating system, CPU, memory and disks. It runs in a zone within a region. A project's resources can occupy different locations; the project is not a physical place.
What you have now: A server choice and an explicit region and zone.
Connect only what it needs
Cloud Storage holds objects such as documents. Give the application its own service identity and allow the necessary reads. Choosing a project or location does not grant that permission. Add a managed model service when the application boundary is clear.
What you have now: A resource map with an identity and a permitted data path.
FROM RECOGNITION TO REASONING
Sketch the environment before adding AI.
- 01
Draw a training project containing one Compute Engine VM and one Cloud Storage bucket.
- 02
Label the VM's zone and region separately from the project. Name the identity that will read the bucket.
- 03
Change the CLI's selected project on paper. Explain which resources move, then compare your reasoning below.
A diagram distinguishing ownership, location and access, with one environment-change prediction.
Compare your reasoning when you are ready
No existing resource moves when a local default changes. Future commands may target a different project. Match the project ID and caller to the approved environment before creating resources; verify each resource's location independently.
Keep notes in your own working copy. Moving through these cards does not record completion.
TURN THE IDEA INTO USEFUL WORK
You can now go deeper.
Keep four questions separate: which project owns the resource, where it runs, who can use it and what it costs. A model is one dependency inside that environment.
Academy lessons use your existing training access. Free guides stay open.