Set up a PostgreSQL database on GCP

This guide explains how to configure a PostgreSQL database on GCP for use with an Ascend Instance.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• A Google Cloud account with billing enabled
• Google Cloud CLI installed and configured
• Permissions to create Cloud SQL instances and manage IAM

Create a PostgreSQL instance on GCP

1. Set your project and enable required APIs:

   export PROJECT_ID=<YOUR-PROJECT-ID>
   gcloud config set project $PROJECT_ID
   gcloud services enable sqladmin.googleapis.com

2. Create a Cloud SQL PostgreSQL instance:

   gcloud sql instances create ascend-instance \
     --database-version=POSTGRES_15 \
     --tier=db-f1-micro \
     --region=us-central1 \
     --storage-type=SSD \
     --storage-size=10GB \
     --storage-auto-increase \
     --backup-start-time=03:00 \
     --maintenance-window-day=SUN \
     --maintenance-window-hour=04 \
     --edition=ENTERPRISE
   info

   This command creates a Cloud SQL Enterprise edition instance running PostgreSQL 15. The creation process typically takes 3-5 minutes, so don't worry if the command appears to hang.

   The instance receives a public IP address by default but has no authorized networks, making it inaccessible from the internet until you configure access in a later step.

   Since Instance Stores handle minimal query loads, we recommend starting with the smallest compute size (db-f1-micro). This tier uses shared CPU resources, making it cost-effective for light workloads, though performance may vary. You can scale up to dedicated CPU tiers later if needed.

3. Set a password for the default postgres user:

   gcloud sql users set-password postgres \
     --instance=ascend-instance \
     --password=<YOUR-SECURE-PASSWORD>

4. Configure network access by adding Ascend's egress IP addresses to your PostgreSQL instance's authorized networks:

   gcloud sql instances patch ascend-instance \
     --authorized-networks=52.205.57.63,44.217.175.189,44.217.47.213,54.173.192.81,3.227.46.125

5. Retrieve the hostname IP for your Instance Store configuration:

   echo "=== Instance Host IP Address ==="
   INSTANCE_IP=$(gcloud sql instances describe ascend-instance --format='value(ipAddresses[0].ipAddress)')
   echo $INSTANCE_IP

🎉 Congratulations! You've successfully set up a PostgreSQL instance on GCP!

Next steps

Set up your Instance Store to connect your Ascend Instance to PostgreSQL.