generated: '2026-06-20'
method: searched
source: https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/emulators, https://cloud.google.com/free
notes: >-
  Google Cloud has no test-vs-live API-key split and publishes no magic test
  card/identifier values. Its testing surface is (1) local service emulators
  shipped in the gcloud CLI, and (2) the Free Tier / free trial credits for
  running real services cheaply. No test credentials are invented here.
local_emulators:
  docs: https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/reference/emulators
  note: >-
    Emulators run the service locally; point the client library at the emulator
    via the *_EMULATOR_HOST environment variable it prints on start.
  services:
    - {name: Firestore, command: "gcloud emulators firestore start", env: FIRESTORE_EMULATOR_HOST}
    - {name: Pub/Sub, command: "gcloud emulators pubsub start", env: PUBSUB_EMULATOR_HOST}
    - {name: Bigtable, command: "gcloud emulators bigtable start", env: BIGTABLE_EMULATOR_HOST}
    - {name: Spanner, command: "gcloud emulators spanner start", env: SPANNER_EMULATOR_HOST}
    - {name: Datastore, command: "gcloud emulators datastore start", env: DATASTORE_EMULATOR_HOST}
free_tier:
  trial: https://cloud.google.com/free
  note: New accounts receive trial credits; many products have an always-free monthly usage allotment.
test_projects:
  note: >-
    Recommended practice is a dedicated throwaway GCP project for testing so
    IAM, quotas, and billing are isolated from production.