Modernizing an application involves more than moving it to a different server. Teams need to understand what should remain familiar, what should change and which decisions deserve deeper technical investigation. Modernize Infrastructure and Applications with Google Cloud introduces that conversation through cloud migration, infrastructure models and application architecture.
This free Google Skills course helps beginners compare options before reaching for an implementation tool. It is especially useful when you need to follow a modernization proposal, explain its purpose to a business team or develop a clearer starting point for further cloud study.
Course at a glance
| Provider | |
|---|---|
| Platform | Google Skills |
| Level | Beginner |
| Language | English |
| Format | Self-paced conceptual lessons, 3 quizzes and a study guide |
| Estimated study time | 1 hour 15 minutes; individual pace varies |
| Access | Free instruction; free Google Skills account required |
| Required tools | Browser; no required cloud lab or paid product license |
| Recognition | Course-completion badge advertised; no professional certification or academic credit |
What you’ll learn
- Use migration terminology to discuss a move from traditional hardware to cloud computing.
- Compare virtual machines, containers and serverless computing at a conceptual level.
- Recognize the role of hybrid and multicloud approaches in distributed workloads.
- Distinguish application modernization from simply rehosting an existing application.
- Explain why APIs matter and how Apigee relates to API management.
Skills you’ll gain
- Infrastructure model comparison
- Cloud migration vocabulary
- Application modernization reasoning
- Hybrid and multicloud awareness
- API strategy concepts
Compare the foundation before changing the application
The course begins with the constraints of traditional infrastructure and the operational and financial changes involved in cloud migration. It then introduces virtualization and modern computing models. Together, those topics help you distinguish a decision about where an application runs from a decision about how it is designed.
Read the virtual machine, container and serverless material as a set of alternatives to investigate. A useful discussion starts with the workload’s needs and the team’s responsibilities. It should leave room for questions about dependencies, operating practices and change effort, rather than choosing an architecture because its name sounds newer.
Make the migration and modernization distinction clear
The application module discusses modern architectures, migration paths and APIs. It includes rehosting legacy applications and API management with Apigee. The emphasis is on understanding choices and their business role, rather than writing an application, deploying a container or configuring an API gateway.
For optional conceptual practice, imagine a small internal booking application. Compare keeping its existing design on a virtual machine with redesigning one function around a serverless approach. Write down what you know, what you are assuming and what a specialist would need to check. This independent reflection requires no paid cloud account and is not a Google project assignment.
For learners who need a map of the options
The course can suit project coordinators, business analysts, early-career technologists and managers involved in a proposed application change. You do not need to arrive with deployment experience: the listed curriculum is introductory and has no required hands-on lab. Knowing what an everyday business application does will make the examples easier to connect with your own questions.
Three quizzes and a study guide accompany the lessons. Pause where similar terms describe different choices, and return to those distinctions before moving on. Google’s estimated duration is a study-time guide. This course contributes to the Cloud Digital Leader learning path but is not the complete path or a certification exam.
Study the options without paying to deploy them
The listed lessons, reading and quizzes are free with a free Google Skills account. No paid subscription, cloud lab or product license is required for this learning route. Running applications, using paid cloud resources or implementing Apigee is a separate activity that can carry its own costs.
Google advertises a completion badge after required activities; academic credit and professional certification are not promised. Use the free course catalogue to choose a more technical follow-up when you know which part of modernization you want to explore.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take this modernization course for free?
Yes. The advertised lessons, reading and quizzes are free with a free Google Skills account. The course does not require you to pay for a cloud deployment or product license.
Is this a hands-on migration lab?
No required hands-on lab is listed. The course introduces migration, computing models and application modernization through conceptual lessons and quizzes.
Is a professional certification included?
No professional certification or academic credit is promised. Google advertises a course-completion badge after required activities; certification exams are separate from this course.
Questions & discussion
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