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Discover how to create a `domain name` for your Load Balancer in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and simplify your access without needing to buy your own domain.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/63650088/ asked by the user 'Jinto' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/3077173/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/63650639/ provided by the user 'guillaume blaquiere' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/11372593/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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How to Get a DNS Name for Your Load Balancer in GCP

In the world of cloud services, load balancers play a crucial role in distributing network or application traffic across multiple servers. When you're working with load balancers in Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), it’s common to start accessing your applications via an external IP address. However, what if you want something simpler—like a human-readable domain name? This is what many users of GKE want, especially those who don't want to pay for a domain during initial trials. In this post, we will explore whether it's possible to obtain a DNS name for your load balancer in GCP.

The Challenge

You might find yourself in a situation like this:

You created a Load Balancer in GKE that has an external IP address.

You can access your application with the IP, but it's not user-friendly.

You have seen similar functionalities in other cloud services like Azure, where you can simply assign a DNS label to your load balancer, providing you with a nice, memorable URL.

The GCP Limitation

Unfortunately, Google Cloud Platform has certain limitations in this area. Let's break it down:

External IP Address: When you set up a Load Balancer in GCP, it automatically exposes a public IP address for access.

No Built-in DNS: Unlike Azure’s straightforward URL generation using DNS labels, GCP does not offer built-in functionality to automatically generate a DNS name associated with your Load Balancer.

Need for a Domain: To resolve this Limitation, users must create a custom DNS record with an external domain registrar that you own or obtain a domain for this purpose.

Solution Approach

While you cannot automatically get a human-readable URL for your GCP Load Balancer like in Azure, there are still a few steps to access your application via a more user-friendly address. Here’s how to proceed:

Step 1: Obtain a Domain (if not already owned)

Since GCP requires you to have a domain name, you'll need to acquire one if you haven't already. You can use any common domain registrar like:

GoDaddy

Namecheap

Google Domains

Step 2: Create DNS A Record

After obtaining your domain, follow these steps to create an A record that points to the IP address of your Load Balancer:

Login to Your Domain Registrar: Access your account where you registered your domain.

Find the DNS Management Section: Look for options related to DNS settings or DNS Management.

Add a New A Record:

Host: Typically this can be a subdomain you want (like myapp or www).

Points to: Enter the external IP address of your GCP Load Balancer.

TTL: Set it to a low value (like 3600 seconds) for testing purposes, so changes propagate quickly.

Step 3: Access Your Application

Once you have configured the A record, it may take some time (due to DNS propagation) for the changes to take effect. After the propagation period, you can access your application using the domain name you set up.

Conclusion

While Google Cloud Platform does not provide an automatic way to generate a DNS name for your Load Balancer like Azure does, with a little workaround involving obtaining a domain and setting up A records, you can make accessing your applications significantly easier and more user-friendly. This process may require a bit of setup, but it is completely manageable if you follow the outlined steps.

If you're still exploring the benefits of GCP for your cloud needs, understanding these intricacies will enhance your experience and reduce any unnecessary complexity when launching your applications. Happy cloud computing!