Google Cloud Databases

Spanner

Globally distributed, strongly consistent relational database with virtually unlimited scale.

What is Spanner?

Spanner is a fully managed relational database that scales horizontally across regions while keeping strong consistency and SQL. It is designed for applications that outgrow a single database server.

Key features

  • Horizontal scaling with SQL
  • Strong consistency across regions
  • Up to 99.999% availability SLA for multi-region
  • PostgreSQL interface
  • Granular instances for small starts

What it is used for

  • Global applications
  • Financial ledgers
  • Very large SaaS databases

When to use it

  • Global applications
  • Financial and inventory systems at scale
  • Databases outgrowing Cloud SQL

When something else fits better

  • Small applications where Cloud SQL is far cheaper

How pricing works

Charged for compute capacity (processing units or nodes), storage and network. Prices change and differ by region; we confirm current costs for your setup before you commit.

Equivalent on AWS

The closest AWS service is Amazon Aurora: mySQL- and PostgreSQL-compatible database built for the cloud, with high performance and availability.

How DomainHostly helps with Spanner

  • Plan: choose the right setup, size and region for your workload and budget.
  • Set up securely: configure Spanner with least-privilege access, encryption and backups where they apply.
  • Migrate: move from shared hosting, your own servers or the other cloud with minimal downtime.
  • Run and optimise: monitoring, updates and regular cost reviews so you only pay for what you use.

Databases: Managed relational, NoSQL, in-memory and specialised databases.

What to consider: Databases

  • Pick relational databases for transactions and reporting, NoSQL for very high scale with simple access patterns.
  • Enable automated backups, point-in-time recovery and a standby replica for production.
  • Keep the database on a private network and never expose it directly to the internet.

Related services: Databases