Google Distributed Cloud, a component of Google Distributed Cloud (GDC), is software that brings Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)
to on-premises data centers. With Google Distributed Cloud, you can create,
manage, and upgrade Kubernetes clusters on your own premises.
Google Distributed Cloud runs on your premises in a
vSphere environment.
vSphere is
VMware's
virtualization platform. The two main components of vSphere are
ESXi
and
vCenter Server.
New documentation structure for 1.11
This is the documentation for version 1.11 of Google Distributed Cloud. The
structure of this documentation is substantially different from what it has been
in previous versions:
The sequence of quickstart topics has been condensed into two topics under the
Get started heading.
The load balancing topics are now
part of the infrastructure section.
In general, the table of contents better reflects the journey of planning your
installation, setting up infrastructure, and creating clusters.
Getting Google Distributed Cloud
Google Distributed Cloud is a feature of GKE Enterprise.
For an overview of the GKE Enterprise product and information on how to
contact sales, see Anthos.
To install Google Distributed Cloud, you create an admin cluster and one or more
user clusters. Before you create your clusters, you need to have a vSphere
environment and a Google Cloud project
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-25 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eGoogle Distributed Cloud is software that enables the use of Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) in on-premises data centers, allowing users to manage and upgrade Kubernetes clusters locally.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eGoogle Distributed Cloud operates within a vSphere environment, which is VMware's virtualization platform that contains ESXi and vCenter Server as its primary components.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe documentation for version 1.11 of Google Distributed Cloud features a new structure, including condensed quickstart topics, integrated load balancing topics, and configuration files under the Reference heading.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eGoogle Distributed Cloud is included as a feature within GKE Enterprise, where one can find pricing information and contact sales.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eInstalling Google Distributed Cloud involves creating an admin cluster and one or more user clusters, requiring a vSphere environment and a Google Cloud project.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Google Distributed Cloud overview\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\nGoogle Distributed Cloud, a component of Google Distributed Cloud (GDC), is software that brings [Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)](/kubernetes-engine/docs/concepts/kubernetes-engine-overview)\nto on-premises data centers. With Google Distributed Cloud, you can create,\nmanage, and upgrade Kubernetes clusters on your own premises.\n\nGoogle Distributed Cloud runs on your premises in a\n[vSphere environment](https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/index.html).\nvSphere is\n[VMware's](https://www.vmware.com/company.html)\nvirtualization platform. The two main components of vSphere are\n[ESXi](https://www.vmware.com/products/esxi-and-esx.html)\nand\n[vCenter Server](https://www.vmware.com/products/vcenter-server.html).\n\nNew documentation structure for 1.11\n------------------------------------\n\nThis is the documentation for version 1.11 of Google Distributed Cloud. The\nstructure of this documentation is substantially different from what it has been\nin previous versions:\n\n- The sequence of quickstart topics has been condensed into two topics under the\n [Get started](/anthos/clusters/docs/on-prem/1.11/how-to/minimal-infrastructure) heading.\n\n- The [load balancing](/anthos/clusters/docs/on-prem/1.11/how-to/setup-load-balance) topics are now\n part of the infrastructure section.\n\n- [Configuration files](/anthos/clusters/docs/on-prem/1.11/how-to/configuration-file-overview)\n are now under the Reference heading.\n\n- In general, the table of contents better reflects the journey of planning your\n installation, setting up infrastructure, and creating clusters.\n\nGetting Google Distributed Cloud\n--------------------------------\n\nGoogle Distributed Cloud is a feature of GKE Enterprise.\nFor an overview of the GKE Enterprise product and information on how to\ncontact sales, see [Anthos](/anthos).\n\nFor a deeper discussion of GKE Enterprise features and how they\nwork together, see the\n[GKE Enterprise technical overview](/anthos/docs/concepts/overview).\n\nFor pricing information, see\n[Anthos pricing](/anthos/pricing).\n\nInstalling Google Distributed Cloud\n-----------------------------------\n\nTo install Google Distributed Cloud, you create an admin cluster and one or more\nuser clusters. Before you create your clusters, you need to have a vSphere\nenvironment and a Google Cloud project\n\nFor a full overview of the installation process, see the\n[installation overview](/anthos/clusters/docs/on-prem/1.11/how-to/install-overview).\n\nVersions\n--------\n\nTo learn about Google Distributed Cloud versions, see\n[Version history](/anthos/clusters/docs/on-prem/1.11/version-history)."]]
