Freedom251 › Distributed SQL Databases
Google Cloud Spanner
What Google Cloud Spanner is
Google Cloud Spanner is a globally distributed database that brings relational, graph, key-value, and search capabilities together. It supports strongly consistent transactions described as Strong-ACID with TrueTime ordering, along with horizontal read and write scaling, automatic sharding, and geo-partitioning. Google describes availability of up to 99.999% and offers single-region, dual-region, and multi-region configurations. Spanner includes graph, vector search, and full-text search features; its columnar engine supports analytics on live data, and BigQuery integration enables federated queries. Spanner Omni can run on-premises, across clouds, or on a laptop. A free trial instance is available for up to 90 days, with a 10 GB limit, no SLA, and no production-use intent. Compute plans list hourly per-100-processing-unit, per-replica rates: $0.03 a month for Standard, $0.04 a month for Enterprise, and $0.06 a month for Enterprise Plus.
Who it suits
Spanner suits application teams needing a distributed database with strong transactional consistency, multiple data models, and regional deployment choices. Its trial instance is limited and is not intended for production use.
What it does well
- Horizontal read and write scalability
- Automatic sharding and geo-partitioning
- Supports multi-region configurations
- Analytics on live data
- Client libraries span eight listed languages
What to know first
- Trial instance limited to 10 GB
- Trial instance has no SLA
- Trial instance is not intended for production
- MySQL compatibility is listed as no
Limits
The free trial instance is available for up to 90 days, with up to 10 GB of data, one instance per project lifecycle, and a maximum of five databases. It is regional only, has no SLA, and excludes backup and restore and customer-managed encryption keys; it is not intended for production use.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Regional configuration · Pay-as-you-use compute pricing | On request |
| Enterprise | Regional configuration · Additional multi-model and advanced capabilities | On request |
| Enterprise Plus | Regional, dual-region, and multi-region configurations · Highest availability, performance, compliance, and governance tier | On request |
| Spanner free trial instance | At no cost for up to 90 days. · 10 GB storage · One instance per project lifecycle · Maximum five databases · No SLA · Regional configurations only · No backup and restore · No customer-managed encryption keys | Free |
| Standard edition compute | Hourly, per 100 processing units, per replica; compute capacity is provisioned as processing units or nodes (1 node = 1000 processing units). · Regional (single-region) configurations | $0.03 a month |
| Enterprise edition compute | Hourly, per 100 processing units, per replica; compute capacity is provisioned as processing units or nodes (1 node = 1000 processing units). · Additional multi-model and advanced search capabilities | $0.04 a month |
| Enterprise Plus edition compute | Hourly, per 100 processing units, per replica; compute capacity is provisioned as processing units or nodes (1 node = 1000 processing units). · Highest levels of availability, performance, compliance, and governance | $0.06 a month |
As cloud.google.com lists them, read 20 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open https://cloud.google.com/spanner.
- Choose a paid edition or start a free trial instance.
- For the free trial, use a regional configuration and stay within its 10 GB storage limit.
- Connect through a client library for C++, C#, Go, Java, Node.js, PHP, Python, or Ruby.
- Use the web or API platform, or consider Spanner Omni for on-premises, cross-cloud, or laptop deployment.
Verdict
Spanner combines several data models with scaling, search, and live-data analytics capabilities. The trial has notable limits, and compute charges are listed hourly per 100 processing units per replica, with rates varying by edition.
Questions
Is Google Cloud Spanner free?
A free trial instance costs nothing for up to 90 days. The pricing model is paid, and there is no free plan.
Which platforms and deployment options does Spanner support?
Listed platforms are API, Linux, self-hosted, and web. Deployment is both, and Spanner Omni can run on-premises, across clouds, or on a laptop.
Does Spanner support PostgreSQL or MySQL compatibility?
PostgreSQL compatibility is listed as yes. MySQL compatibility is listed as no.
Which integrations are documented for Spanner?
Documented integrations include Cloud Run, Dataflow, Cloud Storage, Compute Engine, GKE, Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, and Looker.
Facts from Google Cloud Spanner's own pages
- Analytics
- Its columnar engine supports ad hoc analytics on live data, and it integrates with BigQuery for federated queries. · cloud.google.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Availability
- Google says Spanner delivers up to 99.999% availability and offers single-region, dual-region, and multi-region configurations. · cloud.google.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Compliance
- Google lists ISO 27001, SOC 2, and HIPAA among Spanner’s certifications and compliance credentials. · docs.cloud.google.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Database
- Spanner is a globally distributed database that unifies relational, graph, key-value, and search capabilities. · cloud.google.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Deployment
- Spanner Omni is a downloadable version that can run on-premises, across clouds, or on a laptop. · cloud.google.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Free plan
- No · cloud.google.com, 20 Sept 2026
- Integrations
- Google documents integrations with Cloud Run, Dataflow, Cloud Storage, Compute Engine, GKE, Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, and Looker. · docs.cloud.google.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Programming languages
- Client libraries are available for C++, C#, Go, Java, Node.js, PHP, Python, and Ruby. · docs.cloud.google.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Scaling
- Spanner provides horizontal read and write scalability, automatic database sharding, and geo-partitioning. · cloud.google.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Search and graph
- Spanner includes Spanner Graph, vector search, and built-in full-text search. · cloud.google.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Security
- Spanner provides encryption in transit, identity and access controls, and security controls under a shared responsibility model. · docs.cloud.google.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Support
- Google lists support packages, Stack Overflow, online help communities, and bug or feature requests as support options for Spanner instances. · docs.cloud.google.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Transactions
- Spanner provides strong transactional consistency and describes its transactions as Strong-ACID with TrueTime ordering. · cloud.google.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Trial limits
- Free trial instances support up to 10 GB of data, do not include an SLA, and are not intended for production use. · docs.cloud.google.com, 29 Sept 2026
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