Merge pull request #237 from DefangLabs/eric-add-gcp-account-setup

Docs for setting up a gcp account.

Author: jordanstephens

docs/tutorials/setting_up_your_gcp_account.md

@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+---
+title: Setting Up Your GCP Account
+sidebar_position: 0
+description: Follow these steps to set up your Google Cloud Platform (GCP) account for deploying applications with Defang.
+---
+
+# Setting Up Your GCP Account
+
+ Follow these steps to set up your Google Cloud Platform (GCP) account for deploying applications with Defang.
+
+---
+
+### Step 1: Create Your GCP Account
+
+Start by creating a Google Cloud account using the [GCP account creation flow](https://cloud.google.com/).
+
+---
+
+### Step 2: Create a GCP Project
+
+To deploy apps using Defang, you need a GCP project. Projects help organize related resources such as services, IAM policies, quotas, and billing.
+
+If you already have a project, skip to [Step 3](#step-3-create-your-billing-account).
+
+To create a new project:
+
+1. Visit the [GCP Console](https://console.cloud.google.com/).
+2. Click the project selector button (it may say **"Select a project"** or display a previous project name).
+<figure>
+  <img src="/img/setting-up-your-gcp-account/select-project.png" alt="GCP console with the project select button highlighted" style={{ width: 300 }} />
+  <figcaption><strong>Select project button to open the project dialog</strong></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+3. Follow the prompts to create a new project.
+
+:::info
+Take note of your **Project ID** — you’ll need it later when setting the `GCP_PROJECT_ID` environment variable.
+:::
+
+<figure>
+  <img src="/img/setting-up-your-gcp-account/new-project.png" alt="GCP project creation dialog" style={{ width: 300 }} />
+  <figcaption><strong>Create a new project in the dialog</strong></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+---
+
+### Step 3: Create Your Billing Account
+
+Billing accounts let Google allocate costs to specific entities or users. You’ll need one to deploy services.
+
+1. In the [GCP Console](https://console.cloud.google.com/), open the navigation menu.
+2. Select **Billing**.
+
+<figure>
+  <img src="/img/setting-up-your-gcp-account/billing-menu-option.png" alt="Billing option in GCP menu" style={{ width: 300 }} />
+  <figcaption><strong>Billing menu option</strong></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+3. In the billing side panel, select **Manage billing accounts**, then click **Create account**.
+4. Follow the steps to create a billing account. A credit card is required.
+
+<figure>
+  <img src="/img/setting-up-your-gcp-account/create-billing-account.png" alt="Create billing account page" style={{ width: 300 }} />
+  <figcaption><strong>Billing management page</strong></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+---
+
+### Step 4: Link Your Project to the Billing Account
+
+Once your project and billing account are created, link them together:
+
+1. In the GCP Console, select your project from the project selector.
+2. Open the **Billing** section again from the left sidebar.
+3. Click **Link a billing account**.
+
+<figure>
+  <img src="/img/setting-up-your-gcp-account/link-billing-account.png" alt="Link billing account dialog" style={{ width: 300 }} />
+  <figcaption><strong>Link billing account dialog</strong></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+4. Choose the billing account to link.
+
+<figure>
+  <img src="/img/setting-up-your-gcp-account/link-billing-select-account-dialog.png" alt="Billing account selection dialog" style={{ width: 300 }} />
+  <figcaption><strong>Select a billing account to link</strong></figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+---
+
+### Step 5: Set Up Your GCP CLI
+
+To complete your setup, install the **gcloud CLI** by following the [installation guide](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/install).
+
+After installation, authenticate with:
+
+```
+gcloud auth application-default login
+```
+
+This will generate your **application default credentials** used during deployment.
+
+---
+
+Now you're ready to deploy! See the [Deploy to GCP tutorial](/docs/tutorials/deploy-to-gcp.mdx) for next steps.