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)
So with Private Google Access:
- Traffic never leaves Google’s backbone
- No public IP exposure
- Security posture is maintained
People gets confused by Similar Services, so here is the comparison table
| Feature | Private Google Access | Cloud NAT | Cloud Interconnect |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | VPC feature allowing private VMs to reach Google APIs/services without external IPs | Managed NAT service providing outbound internet access for private VMs | Dedicated private connectivity between on-prem network and Google Cloud |
| Connects | VM → Google APIs (e.g., Cloud Storage, BigQuery) | VM (no external IP) → public internet | On-prem data center → Google Cloud VPC |
| Primary purpose | Private access to Google services | Enable internet egress for private workloads | Hybrid cloud networking (enterprise connectivity) |
| Needs on-prem? | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Uses public internet? | ❌ No | ⚠️ Yes (but VM stays private; NAT handles egress) | ❌ No |
| Requires external IP on VM? | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Direction of traffic | Outbound to Google services only | Outbound to internet | Bidirectional (on-prem ↔ cloud) |
| Typical use cases | Access GCS, BigQuery from private subnet | OS updates, external APIs, package downloads | Low-latency, high-bandwidth enterprise connectivity |
| Bandwidth | Standard Google API/VPC limits | Scales with NAT gateway capacity | Very high (1–100+ Gbps depending on type: Dedicated/Partner) |
| Complexity | Low | Low–Medium | Medium–High |
🧠 Summary:
“No external IP + Google APIs = Private Google Access.”