Type "**Load balancing**" in the search bar and click on the **Load balancing** option

**Load balancing** wizard will open, click on the **CREATE LOAD BALANCER** button

Refer to this guide to understand and proceed while creating a Load Balancer.<https://scribehow.com/shared/Creating_a_Load_Balancer_in_GCP__Google_Cloud_Platform_V2__QR0iu9a3SdO2sklIpexQLA>

On the **Create global external Application Load Balancer** wizard, click on the **Backend configuration** option

**Backend configuration** wizard will open, click on the **Backend services & backend buckets** dropdown on the right side

Click on the **CREATE A BACKEND SERVICE** button

**What is Backend Service?**

In Google Cloud, a **Backend Service** is a component of the HTTP(S) Load Balancer that defines how traffic is distributed to your backend instances or services. It specifies the configuration for routing requests, such as balancing algorithms, health checks, and session affinity. Backend Services ensure that incoming traffic is efficiently and reliably directed to the appropriate backend resources based on the rules and settings you configure.

**Create backend service** wizard will open, here you can give the Name for the Backend service

Scroll to the **Cloud CDN** section and tick the check box Enable Cloud CDN

**What is Clod CDN?**\
\
**Cloud CDN (Content Delivery Network)** is a Google Cloud service that caches and delivers web content and media from locations close to users to improve performance and reduce latency. By storing cached copies of content on Google’s global edge network, Cloud CDN accelerates content delivery and decreases the load on your origin servers, providing a faster and more reliable user experience.

Scroll to the **Cache mode** section and select the option **Cache static content**

**Note:** You can select the option as per your requirement.

**What is Cache mode?**\
\
**Cache mode** in Cloud CDN determines how content is cached and served from edge locations. It controls whether content is cached, how long it's stored, and when it’s refreshed. Modes include caching everything, caching only successful responses, or adhering to cache settings specified in HTTP headers, helping optimize content delivery and performance.

Scroll to the **Client TTL** dropdown section, here you can set the Client, Default, Maximum TTL

**What is Client TTL?**\
**Client TTL** (Time-To-Live) is the duration that a cached object is considered valid by the client before it requests a fresh copy from the server. It defines how long a client should use a cached response before checking for updates.

**What is Default TTL?**\
**Default TTL** is the default duration that Cloud CDN caches content when no specific TTL is provided in the cache control headers. It determines how long content remains cached at the edge locations before being refreshed.

**What is Maximum TTL?**\
**Maximum TTL** is the maximum duration that Cloud CDN will cache content, regardless of the cache control headers. It sets an upper limit on how long content can be stored in the cache before it is considered stale and needs to be refreshed.

Scroll to the **Cache key** dropdown section and select the option **Default (include all components of a request URL)**

**Note:** You can select the option as per your requirement.

**What is the Cache Key Default option?**\
\
**Cache key Default option** refers to the standard setting used to determine how caching is handled when no custom configuration is applied. It typically includes the URL and query parameters of a request in the cache key, ensuring that cached content is specific to each unique request.

Scroll to the **Health check** dropdown section, here you can configure the Health check for the Load Balancer

**What is Health check?**\
\
A **health check** is a process used to monitor the status and performance of a service or server. It periodically tests whether a service or server is operational and responding correctly. If a health check fails, traffic can be redirected away from the problematic instance to ensure reliable service availability and performance.

To create a new Health check, click on the **CREATE A HEALTH CHECK** button

Google Cloud

This guide offers a comprehensive step-by-step approach to leveraging Cloud CDN for effective content distribution.

Content Distribution with Cloud CDN