Can I use this Cloud Workstations config builder for Google Cloud sovereign or assured workloads?

Most Cloud Workstations primitives behave the same in standard, Assured Workloads, and sovereign Google Cloud deployments, but available services, regions, and access controls differ. The output is portable in shape; you must verify service availability and any Assured Workloads constraints before applying in a controlled environment.

How does this Cloud Workstations config builder keep up with new GCP features?

The Cloud Workstations options surface what is currently documented in the Google Cloud reference for that service. When Google adds a new property or value, we add it here after verifying the schema in a real project. If a recently-announced feature is not yet selectable, treat that as a 'not yet supported' signal rather than an opinion that it should not be used.

GCP Cloud Workstations Config Builder

ComputeGCP

Build Cloud Workstations cluster and workstation configurations with machine types and IDE containers.

Last verified: May 2026

Cloud Workstations Configuration

Build Cloud Workstations cluster and workstation configurations with machine types, persistent storage, and IDE containers.

Required Fields

cluster.namecluster.networkworkstationConfig.nameworkstationConfig.host.gceInstance.machineType

{
  "cluster": {
    "name": "projects/my-project/locations/us-central1/workstationClusters/dev-cluster",
    "network": "projects/my-project/global/networks/corp-vpc",
    "subnetwork": "projects/my-project/regions/us-central1/subnetworks/workstation-subnet",
    "privateClusterConfig": {
      "enablePrivateEndpoint": true,
      "allowedProjects": ["my-project", "shared-services-project"]
    }
  },
  "workstationConfig": {
    "name": "projects/my-project/locations/us-central1/workstationClusters/dev-cluster/workstationConfigs/dev-config",
    "idleTimeout": "7200s",
    "runningTimeout": "43200s",
    "host": {
      "gceInstance": {
        "machineType": "e2-standard-8",
        "bootDiskSizeGb": 50,
        "serviceAccount": "workstation-sa@my-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com",
        "shieldedInstanceConfig": {
          "enableSecureBoot": true,
          "enableVtpm": true
        },
        "confidentialInstanceConfig": {
          "enableConfidentialCompute": false
        },
        "tags": ["workstation", "dev-access"]
      }
    },
    "persistentDirectories": [
      {
        "mountPath": "/home",
        "gcePd": {
          "sizeGb": 200,
          "fsType": "ext4",
          "diskType": "pd-balanced",
          "reclaimPolicy": "DELETE"
        }
      }
    ],
    "container": {
      "image": "us-central1-docker.pkg.dev/cloud-workstations-images/predefined/code-oss:latest",
      "env": {
        "EDITOR": "code"
      }
    },
    "encryptionKey": {
      "kmsKey": "projects/my-project/locations/us-central1/keyRings/ws-ring/cryptoKeys/ws-key"
    },
    "labels": {
      "team": "engineering",
      "tier": "standard"
    }
  }
}

Generated Output

Output will appear here...

About This Tool

Build Cloud Workstations cluster and workstation configurations with machine types and IDE containers. This tool helps GCP engineers generate valid configurations quickly without consulting documentation, reducing errors and accelerating infrastructure deployment. All processing runs in your browser with no data sent to external servers.

Real-World Scenario

Your team has 50 developers each with personal laptops and locally-installed dev environments. Onboarding takes ~1 week per dev. Compliance team is concerned about source code on personal laptops. The builder generates Cloud Workstations: shared cluster, workstation config with 8 vCPU/32 GB RAM and a custom container image with all team-specific tools pre-installed, 15-minute idle timeout. New dev onboarding drops from 1 week to 30 minutes (provision workstation + git clone). Source code stays in cloud; compliance team is happy. Cost: ~$80/month per active dev (vs $1,500-2,000 for a corporate-issued dev laptop amortized).

When to Use This Tool

•Producing a Cloud Workstations starting point for a new service that follows the Google Cloud reference architecture rather than copy-paste from another team's repo.
•Generating a Cloud Workstations starting point for a Google Cloud Architecture Framework review where reviewers want baseline configs.
•Comparing two candidate Cloud Workstations layouts side by side to pick the one with the cleaner IAM blast radius.
•Drafting a Cloud Workstations change for a Terraform or Config Connector module before raising the pull request, so reviewers see intent in plain text.

Pro Tips

TIP

Cloud Workstations replace local IDEs with browser-accessible cloud development environments. For teams with security/compliance requirements (no source code on laptops, mandatory MDM-managed dev environments), this is dramatically simpler than building VDI from scratch.

TIP

Use container-based images for workstations — every developer gets the SAME environment with all dependencies pre-installed. Eliminates the 'works on my machine' problem and dramatically reduces onboarding time for new developers (no 'install these 50 tools first' setup).

TIP

Idle timeout is the cost lever. Default 30-minute idle = workstation auto-stops, saving compute costs when developers aren't actively working. Set this aggressively for cost-sensitive teams (10-15 minutes); developers can resume in <30 seconds when they return.

How It Works Under the Hood

The builder constructs Cloud Workstations configurations: cluster resource (compartment, network/subnetwork, private cluster config), workstation configuration (machine type, persistent disk size, idle_timeout, running_timeout, container image: Code OSS / IntelliJ / custom IDE), and per-developer workstation instances. Output is generated as gcloud workstations commands and Terraform google_workstations_workstation_cluster + google_workstations_workstation_config + google_workstations_workstation resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use this Cloud Workstations config builder for Google Cloud sovereign or assured workloads?: Most Cloud Workstations primitives behave the same in standard, Assured Workloads, and sovereign Google Cloud deployments, but available services, regions, and access controls differ. The output is portable in shape; you must verify service availability and any Assured Workloads constraints before applying in a controlled environment.
How does this Cloud Workstations config builder keep up with new GCP features?: The Cloud Workstations options surface what is currently documented in the Google Cloud reference for that service. When Google adds a new property or value, we add it here after verifying the schema in a real project. If a recently-announced feature is not yet selectable, treat that as a 'not yet supported' signal rather than an opinion that it should not be used.

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Disclaimer: This tool runs entirely in your browser. No data is sent to our servers. Always verify outputs before using them in production. AWS, Azure, and GCP are trademarks of their respective owners.