🧰 How to Deploy DBConvert Streams on Google Cloud

Prerequisites

1. Install and set up Google Cloud CLI:

   # Install gcloud CLI (example for Debian/Ubuntu)
   curl https://sdk.cloud.google.com | bash
   
   # Restart your shell
   exec -l $SHELL
   
   # Initialize gcloud and authenticate
   gcloud init

2. Make sure you have:

   • An active Google Cloud account
   • A project created in Google Cloud
   • Billing enabled for your project
   • Compute Engine API enabled

3. Set your project ID:

   gcloud config set project YOUR_PROJECT_ID

4. Choose machine type:

   • Minimum: e2-small (2 vCPU, 2GB memory)
   • Recommended for production:
     • e2-medium (2 vCPU, 4GB memory)
     • e2-standard-2 (2 vCPU, 8GB memory)

   To see available machine types:

   gcloud compute machine-types list --filter="zone:europe-west4-a"

There are two ways to set up DBConvert Streams in GCP:

📦 Option 1: Use Prebuilt GCP Image (One-Command Setup)

Fastest way — deploy from a ready-made image with everything preinstalled.

✅ Steps:

1. Find the latest image:

   # List available DBConvert Streams images
   gcloud compute images list --project dbconvert-streams --filter="name~'^dbconvert-streams-'" --sort-by=~creationTimestamp --limit=1

   This will show the most recent image name.

2. Create the VM using the latest image:

   # Using the latest image directly
   LATEST_IMAGE=$(gcloud compute images list --project dbconvert-streams --filter="name~'^dbconvert-streams-'" --sort-by=~creationTimestamp --limit=1 --format="get(name)")
   
   gcloud compute instances create dbconvert-vm \
     --zone=europe-west4-a \
     --machine-type=e2-small \
     --image=$LATEST_IMAGE \
     --image-project=dbconvert-streams \
     --tags=http-server,https-server

   Or specify an image manually:

   # Using a specific image version
   gcloud compute instances create dbconvert-vm \
     --zone=europe-west4-a \
     --machine-type=e2-small \
     --image=dbconvert-streams-1744047008 \
     --image-project=dbconvert-streams \
     --tags=http-server,https-server

3. SSH into the VM:

   Method A: Using gcloud command

   # Using instance name (recommended)
   gcloud compute ssh dbconvert-vm --zone=europe-west4-a
   
   # Or using IP address directly (if you know the external IP)
   gcloud compute ssh USERNAME@EXTERNAL_IP

   Method B: Using Google Cloud Console

   • Click the SSH button in the VM instances list

4. Access the web UI via:

   http://<your-external-ip>

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🛠 Option 2: Use Install Script on a Clean VM

If you prefer more control or want to install on your own image.

✅ Steps:

1. Create a VM with your preferred Linux distribution:

   Method A: Using Command Line

   # Example for Ubuntu 22.04 with minimum specs
   gcloud compute instances create dbconvert-vm \
     --zone=europe-west4-a \
     --machine-type=e2-small \
     --image-family=ubuntu-2204-lts \
     --image-project=ubuntu-os-cloud \
     --tags=http-server,https-server
   
   # For production workloads
   gcloud compute instances create dbconvert-vm \
     --zone=europe-west4-a \
     --machine-type=e2-medium \  # or e2-standard-2 for more memory
     --image-family=ubuntu-2204-lts \
     --image-project=ubuntu-os-cloud \
     --tags=http-server,https-server

   Method B: Using Google Cloud Console

   1. Go to Google Cloud Console
   2. Navigate to Compute Engine > VM instances > Create Instance
   3. Configure the basic settings:
      • Select machine type:
        • Minimum: e2-small (2 vCPU, 2GB memory)
        • Production: e2-medium or larger
      • Choose your preferred Linux distribution
   4. Under "Networking" tab:
      • ✅ Check "Allow HTTP traffic"
      • ✅ Check "Allow HTTPS traffic"

   Supported Linux distributions:

   • Ubuntu (recommended)
   • Debian
   • CentOS
   • RHEL
   • Fedora

   OS Selection Note

   While Google Cloud offers Container-Optimized OS (COS), we recommend using standard Linux distributions instead. COS is a minimal OS designed primarily for running containers but has limitations that may affect DBConvert Streams installation:

   • Limited system utilities
   • Read-only file system in many directories
   • No package manager for additional tools

2. SSH into the VM:

   Method A: Using gcloud command

   # Using instance name (recommended)
   gcloud compute ssh dbconvert-vm --zone=europe-west4-a
   
   # Or using IP address directly (if you know the external IP)
   gcloud compute ssh USERNAME@EXTERNAL_IP

   Method B: Using Google Cloud Console

   • Click the SSH button in the VM instances list

3. Run the install script:

   # Basic installation
   curl -fsSL https://dbconvert.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/downloads/streams/latest/docker-install.sh | sh
   
   # Or download and run with options
   curl -fsSL https://dbconvert.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/downloads/streams/latest/docker-install.sh -o install.sh
   chmod +x install.sh
   ./install.sh --help  # Show available options

4. Start the service:

   cd ~/dbconvert-streams-docker
   
   # Start with HTTPS enabled (recommended for production)
   ./start.sh -s    # or --secure
   
   # Start with HTTP only (for testing)
   ./start.sh

   HTTPS vs HTTP

   • Use -s or --secure for production environments (enables HTTPS)
   • Use without flags for testing or development (HTTP only)
   • Both modes will work with the firewall rules we created

Network Access

The required ports (22, 80, 443) are automatically configured when creating the VM with --tags=http-server,https-server. No additional firewall rules are needed.

These tags tell GCP to:

• Allow SSH access (port 22)
• Allow HTTP traffic (port 80)
• Allow HTTPS traffic (port 443)

IP Configuration

DBConvert Streams automatically detects and configures your server's public IP address. If you experience any connection issues, you can manually specify the IP:

./start.sh --ip YOUR_PUBLIC_IP

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✅ Check Your VM Status

After creating the instance, run this to verify it's running:

gcloud compute instances list

Look for the EXTERNAL_IP column — that's where you can access the web UI.

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📦 Which One Should I Use?

Use Case	Recommended Option	Explanation
Fastest deploy	📦 Prebuilt GCP Image	One command setup with no additional installation steps needed
Custom Linux distribution	🛠 Install Script	Can be installed on any supported Linux distribution
Custom installation directory	🛠 Install Script	Can be installed to any directory using -d option
Testing different versions	🛠 Install Script	Can specify version with -v option

Common Features

Both installation methods provide:

• Automatic IP detection and configuration
• Pre-configured HTTP/HTTPS access
• Management commands (start.sh, stop.sh, update.sh)
• Docker-based deployment

Main Difference

The main difference is in the initial setup:

• Prebuilt Image: Everything is pre-installed and ready to run
• Install Script: You control the installation process and configuration