google-app-enginegoogle-cloud-storagetrafficcost-managementgoogle-cloud-billing

How do I set a cost limit in Google Developers Console

Some functions in the Google Developers Console, like the Analytics API, are free until you reach a quota. Other functions, like Google Cloud Storage, create costs from the first click.

When I upload a file under https://console.developers.google.com/ > Storage > Cloud Storage > Storage Browser and I make this file publicly available, I pay about $0.12 per GB traffic.

But theoretically the traffic to this link could explode, e.g. because of sudden popularity. Therefore I would like to set something like a daily or monthly cost limit.

Q: How do I protect myself from overly high costs in the Google Developers Console?

Solution

  • As of July 2017 you can set budgets that send notifications via email but do not cap spending:

    screenshot of GCS documentation warning that budget does not cap API usage

    To set an alert-only budget, which will not cap spending:

    1. Go to the Cloud Platform Console.
    2. Open the console left side menu and click Billing
    3. If you have more than one billing account, click the billing account name.
    4. On the left, click Budgets & alerts.

    Official help page: https://support.google.com/cloud/answer/6293540?hl=en