Introduction

Welcome to Understanding Google Cloud Functions Architecture. In this tutorial, you will learn about the architecture of Google Cloud Functions, how these functions are triggered by events, and how they interact with other cloud services.

By the end of this tutorial, you should understand:

• The basics of Google Cloud Functions architecture.
• How Google Cloud Functions are triggered.
• How to create, deploy, and test Google Cloud Functions.

Prerequisites:
Before you begin this tutorial, you should have a basic understanding of JavaScript (Node.js) and have a Google Cloud account. Familiarity with Cloud Services is also recommended.

Step-by-Step Guide

Google Cloud Functions are part of Google Cloud Platform's serverless architecture. They allow you to execute your code in response to specific events, such as HTTP requests, changes in Cloud Storage, or messages in a Pub/Sub queue.

Components of Google Cloud Functions:

• Triggers: These are the specific events that initiate the execution of a cloud function.
• Function: The piece of code you want to run in response to a trigger.
• Resources: These are the objects that your function reads from or writes to (like a database or a file in cloud storage).

Creating and Deploying a Cloud Function:

1. Find the Cloud Functions section in the Google Cloud Console and click on "Create Function".
2. Name your function, choose the region and the trigger (HTTP, Pub/Sub, Firestore, etc.).
3. Write your function in the inline editor or upload a .zip file, select the runtime (Node.js, Python, Go, etc.) and the entry point (name of the function to execute).
4. Click on "Create" to deploy your function.

Code Examples

Let's create a simple HTTP-triggered cloud function in Node.js.

/**
 * Responds to any HTTP request.
 *
 * @param {!express:Request} req HTTP request context.
 * @param {!express:Response} res HTTP response context.
 */
exports.helloWorld = (req, res) => {
  let message = req.query.message || req.body.message || 'Hello World!';
  res.status(200).send(message);
};

In this example, exports.helloWorld is our Cloud Function. When this function is triggered via HTTP, it checks for a 'message' query parameter in the request. If found, it sends that message as the response, otherwise, it defaults to 'Hello World!'.

Summary

In this tutorial, we have covered the basics of Google Cloud Functions architecture, how to create, deploy, and test a Cloud Function. Keep practicing with different types of triggers and functions to solidify your understanding.

For more learning, refer to the Official Google Cloud Functions Documentation.

Practice Exercises

1. Create a Cloud Function that is triggered by a new file upload to a Cloud Storage bucket and logs the name of the file.
2. Create a Pub/Sub triggered Cloud Function that capitalizes and logs the message it receives.
3. Create an HTTP triggered Cloud Function that returns a random joke from an array of jokes.

Remember, practice makes perfect. Keep experimenting with Google Cloud Functions and their different triggers to enhance your learning.