How can I use GCP free credit to deploy Hadoop?

How can I use the Google Cloud Platform free trial to test a Hadoop cluster? What are the most important things I should keep in mind if I try this? Will I be charged during the free Google Cloud Platform trial?

Solution

The free trial should allow you to create a modest Hadoop cluster and run a variety of jobs including MR, Hive, or Pig. The credit which comes with the trial should allow you to run a cluster free for a period of time. The cluster will utilize the budget which comes with the free trial. There are a few things to keep in mind about the trial and a Hadoop cluster, however.

If you have already used some services as a part of your trial then your remaining budget for a Hadoop cluster will be smaller.
Since you will likely create a cluster with multiple machines, I recommend you keep an eye on your remaining budget and delete your clusters when not using them.
The trial includes 8 cores which will limit the size of the Hadoop cluster you can create.

Without details on a specific project and its needs, it's hard to estimate sizing; however, you can utilize the bdutil script to quickly and easily create a Hadoop cluster. Additionally, bdutil allows you to configure your deployment to adjust the instance type you use and the number of workers you provision.

The free trial would work best with a small project and I'd recommend using a small number of workers (2) and a modest instance type to conserve the resources in the free trial.