Google Cloud SQL + Spring Boot Developer Guide
What is Cloud SQL?
Cloud SQL is a fully managed relational database service on Google Cloud. It supports MySQL, PostgreSQL,
and SQL Server. Cloud SQL automates backups, replication, patches, and maintenance, making it ideal for
cloud-native apps.
Why Use Cloud SQL with Spring Boot?
- Fully managed database with built-in high availability
- Scales vertically and supports read replicas
- Easy integration with Spring Data JPA and JDBC
- Works seamlessly with Cloud Run, GKE, App Engine
- Automatic failover with high availability configuration
Other Managed Relational Databases on Google Cloud
AlloyDB
• Googles fully managed PostgreSQL-compatible database
• Offers superior performance and availability over standard PostgreSQL
• Ideal for analytics, hybrid transactional/analytical workloads (HTAP)
• Supports vector search and advanced memory caching
Cloud Spanner
• Globally distributed, horizontally scalable relational DB
• Ideal for massive, mission-critical applications needing strong consistency
• Offers SQL support with unlimited scale.
Comparison Table
Feature Cloud SQL AlloyDB Cloud Spanner
Compatibility MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL PostgreSQL Custom SQL dialect
Server
Scale Vertical (manual) Vertical + memory- Horizontal, global
optimized
Performance Moderate High (4x vs. standard High throughput
PG)
HA Options Regional Zonal/regional Multi-region
Use Case Web apps, APIs, CMS Analytics + transactional Global fintech,
apps ecommerce
Google Cloud SQL + Spring Boot Developer Guide
Architecture Diagram
Creating a Cloud SQL Instance
# Enable API
gcloud services enable sqladmin.googleapis.com
# Create SQL instance (PostgreSQL example)
gcloud sql instances create spring-db \
--database-version=POSTGRES_14 \
--tier=db-f1-micro \
--region=us-central1
# Create database inside instance
gcloud sql databases create springdb --instance=spring-db
# Create user
gcloud sql users set-password postgres \
--instance=spring-db \
--password=your-password
Google Cloud SQL + Spring Boot Developer Guide
Access Types
• Public IP: Simple for quick access, allowlisted IPs
• Private IP: Secure, used with VPC networks for internal communication
• Cloud SQL Auth Proxy: Best for local dev & production, handles IAM + encryption
Connecting from Spring Boot
application.properties
spring.datasource.url=jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5432/springdb
spring.datasource.username=postgres
spring.datasource.password=your-password
spring.datasource.driver-class-name=org.postgresql.Driver
Use Cloud SQL Auth Proxy to tunnel secure connections locally:
./cloud-sql-proxy spring-db --port 5432
Use HikariCP for connection pooling:
spring.datasource.hikari.maximum-pool-size=10
spring.datasource.hikari.idle-timeout=600000
spring.datasource.hikari.connection-timeout=30000
Authentication & IAM
• Assign Cloud SQL Client role to GCP service accounts
• Use IAM conditions for time-based and IP-based access control
• Leverage Secret Manager to store credentials securely
• Rotate DB passwords regularly with automation scripts
Monitoring, Backups & Logs
• Enable automated backups with retention settings
• Enable binary logging for PITR (Point-in-Time Recovery)
• Use Query Insights to visualize slow queries & CPU usage
• Export logs to Cloud Logging and integrate with Cloud Monitoring dashboards
Google Cloud SQL + Spring Boot Developer Guide
High Availability (HA)
• Enable high availability (regional instance) to replicate across zones
• Failover happens automatically in case of zone failure
• Best practice for mission-critical applications
Performance Tuning
• Use SSD for low-latency access
• Adjust flags (e.g. work_mem, shared_buffers in PostgreSQL)
• Optimize schema with indexes and constraints
• Monitor slow query logs and use EXPLAIN ANALYZE
• Avoid using persistent connections without pooling
Security Best Practices
• Enforce SSL connections using client certs
• Restrict inbound IPs for public access
• Prefer Private IP with IAM-based access
• Use VPC Service Controls for data exfiltration prevention
• Enable Deletion Protection for prod instances
Pricing & Tier Options
Tier vCPU RAM Storage Use Case
db-f1-micro Shared 0.6 GB HDD/SSD Dev/Test
db-g1-small Shared 1.7 GB HDD/SSD Small workloads
db-custom-* Custom Up to 416 GB SSD Production apps
High Availability Multi-zone Same SSD Mission-critical apps
Tip: Use automatic storage increase to prevent out-of-space errors.
Best Practices
• Use read replicas for read-heavy workloads
• Use connection pooling (e.g. HikariCP, PgBouncer)
• Enable deletion protection for production DBs
• Regularly test failover if HA is enabled
• Monitor query latency and IOPS in dashboards
• Limit max connections to prevent overload
Google Cloud SQL + Spring Boot Developer Guide
Cloud SQL Command Cheat Sheet
Command Description
gcloud sql instances create Create a new instance
gcloud sql users set-password Set user password
gcloud sql connect Connect via CLI
gcloud sql databases create Create database
gcloud sql export sql Export DB to Cloud Storage
gcloud sql import sql Import SQL from Cloud Storage
gcloud sql instances patch Update DB settings
gcloud sql operations list List operations/status
gcloud sql ssl client-certs create Create SSL client cert
gcloud sql users list List DB users
gcloud sql backups list View backup history
gcloud sql instances describe Full instance details
