How to Set Up Google Cloud Billing and Enable Cloud Build for Your Project
Google Cloud is a powerful platform that provides a variety of services for developers, but to unlock its full potential, you often need to set up billing for your project. If you’re trying to use Cloud Build, Artifact Registry, or Container Registry, you might have encountered an error indicating that billing isn’t enabled. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the simple steps to set up billing for your Google Cloud project and get you back on track.
Why Do You Need to Enable Billing?
Google Cloud services like Cloud Build, Artifact Registry, and others may have free tiers, but they still require you to have a billing account associated with your project. This is to prevent misuse and ensure that you have the resources you need as your project scales. Don’t worry—enabling billing doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be charged as long as you stay within the free tier limits.
Step-by-Step Guide to Enable Billing and Cloud Build
Follow these steps to set up billing and enable the necessary APIs for your Google Cloud project:
Step 1: Set Up Billing in Google Cloud Console
- Visit the Google Cloud Console Billing page.
- If you already have a billing account, click on “Link a billing account”.
- If you don’t have a billing account, create one by adding your payment information. Google Cloud often provides free credits for new users, so you might not need to pay anything right away.
Step 2: Link the Billing Account to Your Project
- In the Billing section of the Google Cloud Console, find your project.
- Click on your project and link it to the billing account you just set up.
Step 3: Enable Required APIs
Now that your billing is set up, you’ll need to enable the APIs that are essential for your project:
gcloud services enable cloudbuild.googleapis.com
gcloud services enable artifactregistry.googleapis.com
gcloud services enable containerregistry.googleapis.com
Step 4: Retry Your Cloud Build Command
After you’ve completed the setup, try running your Cloud Build command again:
gcloud builds submit --config=cloudbuild.yaml
This should now work without any issues, allowing you to deploy and manage your applications seamlessly.

Alternatives to Google Cloud Billing
If you’re hesitant about setting up billing on Google Cloud and you’re looking for a completely free solution, platforms like Railway might be a good alternative. Railway offers a generous free tier that doesn’t require a credit card, making it a great choice for small-scale projects and startups. If you need specific features like real-time data, analytics, or advanced infrastructure capabilities, you might need to integrate Firebase or AWS. Firebase provides real-time databases, authentication, analytics, and other mobile and web app development tools that are hard to find in other platforms. If you need features like real-time syncing, authentication, or cloud functions tied directly to your app’s logic, Firebase could be beneficial.
Conclusion
Setting up billing on Google Cloud is a simple but necessary step to access powerful services like Cloud Build and Artifact Registry. While it might seem like an inconvenience at first, it ensures that your project has the resources it needs to grow. And remember, if your usage stays within the free tier, you may not incur any charges at all!
Discover more from Kvnbbg.fr, le blog ⽂
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.