Modern cloud workloads demand scalable, efficient, and automated infrastructure management. By combining Arm-based Google Axion C4A instances with Puppet, you can take advantage of high-performance, energy-efficient virtual machines and powerful configuration management tools. This section introduces the key technologies you’ll use to automate and optimize your cloud deployments on Arm in Google Cloud.
Google Axion C4A is a family of Arm-based virtual machines built on Google’s custom Axion CPU, which is based on Arm Neoverse-V2 cores. Designed for high-performance and energy-efficient computing, these virtual machines offer strong performance for modern cloud workloads such as CI/CD pipelines, microservices, media processing, and general-purpose applications.
The C4A series provides a cost-effective alternative to x86 virtual machines while leveraging the scalability and performance benefits of the Arm architecture in Google Cloud.
To learn more about Google Axion, see the Google blog Introducing Google Axion Processors, our new Arm-based CPUs .
Puppet is an open-source configuration management and automation tool designed to help system administrators and DevOps teams manage infrastructure as code. Developed by Puppet Labs , it automates the provisioning, configuration, and management of servers and services across large-scale environments.
Puppet uses a declarative language to define system configurations, ensuring that every machine’s state matches the desired setup described in its manifests. It supports both agent-based and agentless architectures, making it flexible for diverse deployment needs.
Known for its scalability, reliability, and idempotent behavior, Puppet continuously enforces configurations, reducing manual effort and configuration drift. It integrates well with major platforms like Linux, Windows, macOS, and cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, and GCP.
Common use cases include automating server configuration, applying security policies, software installation, and infrastructure auditing. Puppet is widely used in enterprises for managing hybrid and multi-cloud environments efficiently.
To learn more, visit the official Puppet website .