Google App Engine Reviews

My main use case for Google App Engine currently is monitoring.

I do not have any other use cases, other than monitoring, right now.

The features of Google App Engine that I have found most valuable for my use cases include its easy deployment process, where there is minimal configuration required, allowing a few details in a configuration file before pushing it to Google App Engine, which auto-scales and requires less maintenance with no downtime over three years.

However, one drawback is that the app needs to be written to be compatible with Google App Engine, making it not cloud agnostic, hindering straightforward migration to other platforms such as AWS.

I have utilized the automatic scalability feature of Google App Engine, as we set it to manage everything by itself without needing to configure many things manually, and it has scaled automatically in the past without requiring any manual changes.

From Google App Engine, I have seen the positive impact of very low maintenance requirements, as we deployed it three years back without the need for ongoing maintenance, allowing it to run smoothly compared to on-premise servers.

I haven't used many other GCP services, but in Google App Engine, I have used error reporting, which sends alerts via email when the application encounters issues, allowing us to check the status through dashboards and metrics.

Google App Engine's real-time logging feature is used all the time, especially for audits, where logs are shared and screenshots are taken from the logging dashboard for whatever logs are required.

I have been working with Google App Engine for around four years in this company, starting with one service that I deployed on Google App Engine around three to three and a half years ago, and it is still running today.

I did not participate in the initial setup.

The last time that I used Google App Engine was three years ago when I deployed the service there, which is still running, and currently, we are in monitoring mode where we review its health and monitor any alerts monthly.

In terms of global reach and redundancy capabilities, I have only deployed Google App Engine in one region, and I haven't had the opportunity to utilize its redundancy feature or deployment across multiple regions.

I have never communicated with the technical support of Google App Engine.

Before Google App Engine, I have parallelly used AWS, including ECS, EKS, and deploying on EC2 instances, as well as Heroku.

I decided to start working with Google App Engine because when I joined my company, the approved technology was AWS for most teams, but my team started deploying some applications on Google App Engine due to its low maintenance, leading us to create a couple of apps on the platform despite most of our services running on AWS.

I did not participate in the initial setup.

I have noticed a return on investment in terms of less maintenance, but it depends on the organization's standard deployment preferences. Some prefer on-premise systems while others may prefer AWS or Azure, which affects the overall perception of Google App Engine's value.

I haven't been involved on the pricing side, so I'm not exactly aware of the costs, although we did analyze log retention costs, but overall, I'm not sure how Google App Engine compares to other providers.

I have utilized the automatic scalability feature of Google App Engine, as we set it to manage everything by itself without needing to configure many things manually, and it has scaled automatically in the past without requiring any manual changes.

I find the documentation a bit complex and difficult to grasp, as the contents are distributed in many places, making it hard to find exactly what I'm looking for.

I have used documentation frequently, especially while deploying and creating the app.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate Google App Engine a 7.

Public Cloud

Google

I deployed a Python Flask-based API on Google App Engine using Firestore for real-time data storage. The platform's autoscaling capabilities allowed the apps to handle any increase in traffic without manual intervention. I also leveraged Cloud Pub/Sub for background processing tasks, ensuring smooth performance. Additionally, I used Stackdriver to monitor logs and identify optimization areas, making the deployment more efficient.

The zero infrastructure management is valuable, allowing me to focus on the code rather than the service. The solution offers scalability, autoscaling based on user demand, and security, as Google manages all updates and security patches. Integration with Google Cloud Platform works well with all Google Cloud services. It offers flexible development options with multiple programming languages.

There is limited customization because the sandbox environment restricts it. There are issues with cold starting; apps may take time to wake up if idle for a few minutes. The pricing is higher compared to alternatives like Kubernetes and Compute Engine.

I was working closely with Google developers for nearly three and a half years, specifically using Google App Engine for maybe one year.

There were no glitches. Occasionally, bugs were raised, but they were quickly resolved. In terms of stability, it was good.

The scalability was good.

The technical support was very quick and responsive, with a direct team line available. Depending on the level of support needed, they responded instantaneously, like any other chat process.

Neutral

The initial setup was a bit difficult. If working alone, it might take up to ten days. If two or three people brainstorm together, it might take around three to four days.

We worked cross-functionally, and the implementation sometimes required two or three people, depending on the brainstorming and multiple meetings.

The pricing is a pay-as-you-go model. For F1 usage with 256 MB, it is free. F2 with 512 MB costs approximately 0.05 USD. F4 with 1 GB varies from 0.10 to 0.15 USD. It is billed per instance and hour, based on memory and CPUs.

On a scale from 1 to 10, I would rate Google App Engine an eight. Keep in mind the customization, pricing, and cold starting issues.

Public Cloud

Google

My primary use case for Google App Engine is within the finance industry, dealing with enterprise-scale businesses.

I have very specialized experts, and some of the valuable features are access to the entire Google suite of products, which allows selling other analytics alongside, such as Vertex AI. The integration with Google's suite allows me to offer a comprehensive service to my enterprise clients.

As a Google Premier Partner, the support is fantastic. Google invests in companies with technical expertise, offering connections to enterprise clients and technical support for their products. The ecosystem is quite robust.

Positive

The initial setup is complex as it is customized based on different clients, and it can range from one to three years, requiring niche-specific technical resources.

About sixty people are involved in deploying this kind of product. Roles involved include solution architects and technical consultants with certifications and expertise in Google App Engine.

I believe it is reasonably priced. I've never heard anyone express that the licenses are too expensive.

There are three basic cloud competitors: Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Overall, I would rate Google App Engine a nine out of ten. Google invests heavily in its different tools, making them state-of-the-art, with competitive pricing. My good relationship as partners allows me to offer favorable prices and receive a lot of technical support.

Public Cloud

Google

I use Google App Engine primarily for deploying front-end applications with server-side rendering. I have multiple front-end applications deployed in React and Next.js, and I use Google App Engine for server-side front-end rendering.

The most valuable features of Google App Engine include the ease of rolling back deployments when failures occur, the ability to track deployment times, and the feature to split traffic between different instances. I also appreciate the Google App Engine standard environment because it handles traffic scaling without manual intervention.

Google App Engine's support is very poor. In the Flex environment, SSH access is not available for private instances. Deployment in the flexible instance is slow and instances of previous versions sometimes do not stop. Additionally, documentation about the inability to SSH into private flexible instances is lacking.

I have been using Google App Engine for approximately one and a half years.

The initial deployment of Google App Engine was straightforward. Google App Engine provides numerous services and supports different environments like Node-based environments and Docker images, making it an easy choice for simple deployments.

I have not experienced any crashing or instability with Google App Engine. It is generally stable but has an issue with long deployment times in the flexible instances.

Google App Engine scales well in the standard environment, which automatically handles traffic without manual scaling. However, scalability can be an issue with the flexible instances due to deployments taking longer.

Google Cloud support for Google App Engine is very poor, with unresponsive and unaware agents. It took them almost a month to inform me that SSH is not possible with private instances. I would rate the technical support a two out of ten.

Negative

Initially, I used AWS and was searching for a similar solution when I switched to GCP. I selected Google App Engine due to time constraints. Later, I found Cloud Run and Kubernetes Engine to be more efficient alternatives.

The initial setup of Google App Engine was simple, allowing for easy deployment suitable for users new to cloud environments. The YAML configuration is straightforward, making it manageable for developers.

Pricing for Google App Engine is reasonable and affordable for front-end applications, which do not consume much server space. My GCP billing is about 10 lakh INR per month, and Google App Engine contributes only 25,000 to 30,000 INR.

I evaluated Cloud Run and Kubernetes Engine. Cloud Run is faster and more efficient than Google App Engine for our needs.

Google App Engine is very suitable for users who need quick deployments without prior cloud knowledge. However, it lacks features and control for those needing private instances. Overall, I rate it seven out of ten based on my use case considerations.

Private Cloud

Google

My use cases involved writing scripts to connect with Google Spreadsheets, Google Docs, and Gmail APIs, available in the Google App Engine Script engine. I customized tasks, data displays, and email templates. For instance, I worked with a procurement tool to get invoices and attach them to Gmail or display custom HTML templates in emails. This integration is primarily with our product and the customers' domains. It required writing code to fetch data, create templates, and populate them with different designs.

Google App Engine's APIs are easily accessible within Google. The API reference site provides clear explanations on how to perform actions within spreadsheets or documents, showing functions and examples. Deploying code is straightforward without worrying about deployment or integration. You create a new sheet or program and write in JavaScript, making it user-friendly for developers.

The interface and IDE, where I write code, could be improved. Unlike other IDEs like Visual Studio, it lacks easy access to available functions. Although it has improved, it needs better functionality. Sometimes the application is stuck with no clarity on using multiple deployed versions. Proper documentation for this is lacking, making it challenging for first-time users.

I have been using Google App Engine and other Google Cloud-based applications for three to four years.

My initial deployment experience was easy; I learned from documentation how to deploy and use it. It was not difficult, and once the logic is done, a few clicks are all it takes. The application offers various deployment options like web app deployment.

Sometimes Google App Engine is slow when opening existing scripts. Editing can become slow with larger scripts, over five to six hundred lines. While it was slow a few years ago, it has improved and become more stable. However, large code bases can still cause it to slow down.

Google App Engine is highly scalable and can integrate easily with other applications. I have successfully integrated it with multiple third-party applications without encountering significant complexities.

I have never contacted technical support.

Neutral

I have coded in my local environment and used Azure for deployment. It is easier to write code with various extensions and have Azure handle the deployment.

The initial setup was straightforward. I learned how to deploy and use Google App Engine through its documentation, making it easy to understand and execute.

Deployment can be managed by one person.

I rate Google App Engine eight out of ten. It is easy to write and deploy code, but improvements could be made in stability and the user interface within the IDE. My overall rating for the solution is 8 out of 10.

Public Cloud

Google

I use the solution in my company to deploy web applications.

The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that it can be easily deployed and run on our company's server.

The product's price is an area of concern where improvements are required.

I have been using Google App Engine for two years. I don't remember the version of the solution.

It is a stable solution. My company has not faced any issues with the stability of the product.

My company, which manages a small business, uses Google App Engine internally. There are around 20 to 30 users of the tool.

Whether there are plans to increase the product's usage is something that depends on the customers for whom we developed applications using Google App Engine.

I have had a great experience after contacting the product's technical support team since they could quickly resolve my issues.

My company has extensive experience with AWS.

The product's setup and deployment phases are easy.

Despite the fact that I did not know much about the product's setup process, the whole deployment took me around 15 to 20 minutes. Though there are other companies in the market offering different solutions, many companies prefer to use Google. Google App Engine can be considered a great option for any company. Once the setup of CI/CD pipelines is completed, we don't have to worry about the deployment of the product in our company since code commit can help us go for automatic deployment.

The product simplifies app development processes since once the local development is completed, my company has a common configuration in place where we can specify the requirements to run an application, after which we need to do a one-click GCP deployment for the entire application. In general, the two offer managed deployment options, so we don't have to worry about deployment. In my company, we just configure the servers and check if anything needs to be containerized, after which GCP handles everything for us.

A project where Google App Engine scalability was essential was when, recently, my company was involved with Golang to build a web application, after which deploying that application on Google App Engine was really easy. In my company, we also had a Django application in Python, and it was easy to deploy.

As my company deals with small-scale projects, the automated scaling feature of Google App Engine is not something we thought about.

I wouldn't recommend the product to others unless the potential end users use GCP and have a word with their vendors about their plans. One specific recommendation from me would be that the product's potential uses should stick with a particular vendor. If someone wants a product that is easy to deploy and scalable, then multiple options are available in the market.

The product integrates very well with other Google solutions.

I rate the overall solution a ten out of ten.

The type of platform my company generally uses for a project that needs no maintenance of any infrastructure for our customers and needs only Lambda functions is Google App Engine.

The most valuable features of the solution are reliability and the depth of Google App Engine's services, which are some of the reasons why I would like to give it a high rating when compared to AWS.

The support for the Indian region is not as good as compared to the support that is offered to the regions in Europe. My company faces a lot of problems with the support team, especially when Google's technical team is not able to help us immediately when we are stuck with something related to the tool. The support of the product is an area where improvements are required.

Google App Engine is a good product, and its support needs to be improved as it is a new technology that few people know about. There is a need to spread some awareness about the product while also ensuring that some online forums related to the product need to be updated with a lot of documentation related to the tool.

I have been using Google App Engine for six years. My company has a partnership with Google.

I have not had any issues with the stability of the product.

The scalability of the product is fine.

Around 1,500 customers of my company use the product.

I rate the solution's technical support in India a five out of ten.

Neutral

In comparison to other solutions offering similar functionalities, I can say that I have not found any issues with Google App Engine. Google App Engine is at par with the best solutions in the market.

The product's initial setup phase was straightforward, considering that there is good documentation explaining the implementation part of it.

Initially, our company invested time in understanding the entire product. My company went ahead with the PoC phase based on the briefing we received from Google's team, after which we went ahead with the production part.

The solution can be deployed in fifteen days, though Google had claimed that the process might take a month.

A lot of people, including developers and Google administrators, were involved in the product's development process.

The use case where the product has significantly improved the development was attached to one of the scenarios where one of our company's customers wanted a tool to deal with continuous integration and deployments in the infrastructure. In the aforementioned scenario, my company used Google App Engine to deploy an infrastructure for our customer, and the product helped solve a lot of problems, reducing the time required to complete the project by half.

Google App Engine has supported the need for scalable applications for our company's customers since whenever the tool was used, it used to get integrated with a lot of new technologies, like Chef, Puppet, and with some of the APIs, after which my company was able to deploy the product on an on-premises model for our customer.

The feature of Google App Engine that I found to be the most essential for workflows is the high availability and scalability.

The serverless aspect of Google App Engine has benefited our company's customers since it has reduced the time required for the implementation of their applications. The tool also has been able to solve conflicts between developers and the people in operations. The tool offers the convenience of time and ease of implementation, which has improved and solved a lot of problems. The bug-fixing process in the tool is very fast compared to the manual thing.

The product does not require any maintenance.

The advantages of the product revolve around the fact that it offers a lot of depth, ease of management, scalability, and is fast. Developing and hosting applications is possible with Google App Engine. Google App Engine is more beneficial for those who deal in e-commerce.

I guess Google App Engine is a very good tool for infrastructures or when you need some machines that work twenty-four hours, seven days a week. Google App Engine is like a FaaS tool for its users, so users don't need to maintain any infrastructure, thereby drastically reducing their costs. Google App Engine is a very user-friendly, accessible, highly scalable product that allows users to opt for a pay-as-you-go model.

I rate the overall tool an eight out of ten.

We use the solution for migrating from on-premises to the cloud or for some collocations of software to Google Cloud. We work with App Engine and other serverless solutions like Cloud Run and Google Kubernetes Engine. Additionally, we have some clients working with App Engine.

The solution is serverless, so we don't have to operate it. The requests can go from zero to thousands in a second. The product works with most of the runtimes. I can put my app there, and things go through without much effort.

It is a platform as a service model. The best thing about the solution is that we do not have to operate it. These features are suitable for those who know and like cloud-native solutions.

Some features of runtime don't work well in App Engine. Sometimes we must tune it ourselves or ask Google’s team to improve it. It is the most important thing. Our clients always complain about it.

We are a Premier Partner of the product.

I rate the tool’s stability an eight out of ten.

I rate the tool’s scalability an eight out of ten.

We are resellers. We get issues fixed easily with the help of support. It's not so easy sometimes because Google is so big. Sometimes they don't give us the right attention we need. We are in a hurry, but for them, we are just another customer. That's exactly my business. That is why I am selling the product. For Google, the customer is just another customer, but for me, they are very special.

Neutral

The product is simple to set up. We have to set up some config files. We can then use the product for out scaling, load balancing, and integrating with databases. Google has a platform as a service to integrate with databases like Cloud SQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQL Server from Microsoft. These are available as a platform as a service in Google Cloud. They are integrated natively with App Engine. These tools are very good and enable things to come through very fast.

The effort required for deployment depends on the complexity. The app server is not complex to set up. Sometimes migrating the database is more complex than migrating the app server to App Engine. Effort is not required for deploying the application itself, but it is required for the things that are integrated with it.

We can put your own runtime. It might function perfectly. It's the same as putting it in a VM. If we use the flexible module of App Engine, we can work with containers. A container is an operating system like Linux. We put our things in it. We have a library and runtime for things to come through smoothly. Most of the time, the problem is not the application itself but the things that go with it.

The number of people required to deploy the solution depends on the complexity. One person can do most of the things in a simple setup. If it is a complex setup, we get a senior DevOps person to do it. Google maintains the product.

It is a very good solution, but there are some problems. If we do the right thing, we will have a very good return on investment. However, we will pay more if we don't know how. We have to be careful. It's not for new buyers. The return on investment will be very low if we do not know how to use it.

If we don't know how to work with the tool, we might have some spikes in price. It will increase a lot of our bill. I rate the pricing a six out of ten.

I work as a presales cloud architect. I am a generalist. I am not a specialist. I know the product, its features, and how to integrate it with other products from Google. People considering the solution must be careful because if they don't tune it, they will pay a lot of money. It's not for new buyers. We have to know what exactly we're doing. People should try to buy the product with the help of a specialist. Overall, I rate the tool an eight out of ten.