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Google Cloud Certificate Manager
What Google Cloud Certificate Manager is
Google Cloud Certificate Manager helps acquire, deploy, and manage TLS certificates for supported Google Cloud services. Google-managed certificates can be issued and renewed automatically. Alternatively, users can upload and manage self-managed certificates. To verify domain ownership, Certificate Manager supports DNS-based or load balancer-based authorization.
The service supports global and regional certificates on Google Cloud load balancers, regional certificates on Secure Web Proxy, and global certificates on Media CDN. Certificates can be managed through the Google Cloud console, Google Cloud CLI, or Certificate Manager API. Certificate maps associate certificates with hostnames and can be reused across multiple target proxies. Google-managed certificates remove the need for customers to manage private keys, and the service supports mTLS on load balancers. Its Public Certificate Authority uses ACME to issue publicly trusted certificates for endpoints users manage.
Certificate Manager has a free plan, and the listed pricing note says paid from $0.00. Public CA-issued certificates are free, though provisioning them through Certificate Manager can incur charges. The listed certificate charges are $0.00 per month for 0–100 certificates, then $0.000273973 per hour for 100–2,000 and $0.000136986 per hour for 2,000 and above. A billing account is required to use the service.
Who it suits
Certificate Manager suits Google Cloud users who need to issue, deploy, renew, or manage TLS certificates for supported services. It also fits teams that want to manage certificates through the console, command line, or API and map them to hostnames.
What it does well
- Can automatically issue and renew Google-managed certificates.
- Supports uploaded, self-managed certificates.
- Offers DNS-based and load balancer-based domain authorization.
- Certificate maps can be reused across target proxies.
- Google-managed certificates remove customer management of private keys.
- Includes certificate discovery, deployment automation, and revocation workflows.
What to know first
- Using Certificate Manager requires a billing account.
- Provisioning Public CA-issued certificates through the service can incur charges.
- DNS authorization allows at most 100 subject alternative name domains.
- Load balancer authorization allows at most five subject alternative name domains.
Limits
Google-managed certificates allow up to 100 subject alternative name domains with DNS authorization, or five with load balancer authorization. The default API request, read request, and write request quotas are each 300 per minute.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate Manager | Per certificate per month: 0–100 certificates are $0.00; 100–2,000 are $0.000273973 per hour; 2,000 and above are $0.000136986 per hour. RSA-3072/RSA-4096 deployment and qualifying mTLS connections cost $0.45 per 1,000,000; Public CA-issued certificates are free. · Requires a billing account · Regional certificates are counted and tiered separately from global certificates · Other services, including Certificate Authority Service, may incur additional charges | On request |
As docs.cloud.google.com lists them, read 4 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open the Certificate Manager documentation website.
- Set up a billing account, which is required to use the service.
- Choose the Google Cloud console, Google Cloud CLI, or Certificate Manager API to manage certificates.
- Select Google-managed certificates or upload certificates you manage yourself.
- Verify domain ownership using DNS-based or load balancer-based authorization.
- Use certificate maps to assign certificates to hostnames and target proxies.
Verdict
Choose Certificate Manager if you need TLS certificate management for its supported Google Cloud services, especially automatic issuance and renewal or hostname-based certificate maps. Consider the authorization limits and possible provisioning charges when deciding whether its certificate workflows fit your needs.
Questions
Does Certificate Manager have a free plan?
Yes. Public CA-issued certificates are free, but provisioning them through Certificate Manager can incur charges. A billing account is required.
How are certificates priced?
The listed plan charges $0.00 per month for 0–100 certificates, $0.000273973 per hour for 100–2,000, and $0.000136986 per hour for 2,000 and above.
Can certificates renew automatically?
Yes. Google-managed certificates can be issued and renewed automatically. Users can also upload and manage self-managed certificates.
How can I manage certificates?
You can use the Google Cloud console, Google Cloud CLI, or Certificate Manager API.
What Google Cloud services does it support?
It supports global and regional certificates on Google Cloud load balancers, regional certificates on Secure Web Proxy, and global certificates on Media CDN.
Who issues publicly trusted Google-managed certificates?
They are issued through the Public Certificate Authority or Let's Encrypt. Privately trusted Google-managed certificates use Certificate Authority Service.
Facts from Google Cloud Certificate Manager's own pages
- API quota
- The default Certificate Manager API request, read request, and write request quotas are each 300 per minute. · docs.cloud.google.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Certificate maps
- Certificate maps assign certificates to hostnames and can be reused across multiple target proxies. · docs.cloud.google.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Domain validation
- Domain ownership can be verified using DNS-based or load balancer-based authorization. · docs.cloud.google.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Issuance limits
- Google-managed certificates allow at most 100 subject alternative name domains with DNS authorization and five with load balancer authorization. · docs.cloud.google.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Issuing authorities
- Publicly trusted Google-managed certificates are issued through the Public Certificate Authority or Let's Encrypt; privately trusted Google-managed certificates use Certificate Authority Service. · docs.cloud.google.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Managed certificates
- Google-managed certificates can be automatically issued and renewed, while self-managed certificates are uploaded and managed by the user. · docs.cloud.google.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Management interfaces
- Certificates can be managed using the Google Cloud console, Google Cloud CLI, or Certificate Manager API. · docs.cloud.google.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Pricing requirement
- Using Certificate Manager requires a billing account, and Public CA-issued certificates are free while provisioning them through Certificate Manager can incur charges. · cloud.google.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Public certificate authority
- The Public Certificate Authority feature uses ACME to provide publicly trusted certificates for endpoints users manage. · docs.cloud.google.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Certificate Manager simplifies the acquisition, deployment, and management of TLS certificates. · docs.cloud.google.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Security
- Google-managed certificates remove the need for customers to manage certificate private keys, and Certificate Manager supports mTLS on load balancers. · docs.cloud.google.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Supported services
- It supports global and regional certificates on Google Cloud load balancers, regional certificates on Secure Web Proxy, and global certificates on Media CDN. · docs.cloud.google.com, 4 Oct 2026
Where Google Cloud Certificate Manager stands on Freedom251
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