Private Google Access is a Google Cloud feature that allows VMs without external (public) IP addresses to access Google APIs and services (such as BigQuery and Cloud Storage) without sending traffic to the public internet.
In simple terms:
Private Google Access lets private VMs reach Google services securely, using Google’s internal network.
🎯 Why Private Google Access exists
Many organizations have a security rule like:
- ❌ “Our VMs must not have public IPs”
- ✅ “But they still need to use Google services”
Private Google Access solves this exact problem.
✅ What Private Google Access allows
With Private Google Access enabled, a VM can:
- ✅ Have no external IP
- ✅ Access Google APIs and services, including:
- BigQuery
- Cloud Storage
- Cloud Pub/Sub
- Cloud Logging
- Other Google APIs
- ✅ Use public Google endpoints
- ✅ Keep traffic off the public internet
🔧 How Private Google Access works (conceptually)
VM (no external IP)
|
| Private Google Access
|
Google internal network
|
Google APIs (BigQuery, Cloud Storage)
- Traffic never leaves Google’s backbone
- No public IP exposure
- Security posture is maintained
Private Google Access vs similar services (exam‑critical)
| Feature | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Private Google Access | VM → Google APIs (no public IP) |
| Cloud NAT | VM → public internet |
| Private Service Connect | Private access to Google‑managed services or third‑party services |
| IAP | User → application access control |
🧠 Summary:
“No external IP + Google APIs = Private Google Access.”
People gets confused by Cloud interconnect, so here is the difference table
| Feature | Private Google Access | Cloud Interconnect |
|---|---|---|
| Connects | VMs → Google APIs | On-prem → GCP VPC |
| Needs on-prem? | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Uses public internet? | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Main purpose | Access Google services privately | Private hybrid connectivity |
| Typical bandwidth | Normal VPC egress | Very high (10–100+ Gbps) |
| Complexity | Low | Medium–High |