> Source: https://meetrix.io/blogs/redash-gcp-developer-guide/ > Markdown copy of that page. Cite the URL above, not this file. Development # Redash on GCP - Developer Guide [By Binuka Ranatunga](https://meetrix.io/blogs/authors/binuka-ranatunga/) • July 15, 2026 • 8 min read Welcome to the Meetrix Redash developer guide for Google Cloud Platform! Redash lets you connect to any data source, build queries, visualize results, and share insights with your team. With the Meetrix pre-configured GCP image, you can deploy a production-ready Redash instance in minutes. This guide walks you through finding the product on GCP Marketplace, configuring the deployment, pointing DNS, generating SSL, configuring email, and operating the server. ### Related Article [ Redash on GCP Marketplace - Deploy a Self-Hosted BI Dashboard in Minutes Launch Redash on Google Cloud in minutes with the Meetrix pre-configured GCP Marketplace listing, query any data source and build dashboards inside your own GCP project. Meetrix.IO • Shalomi Umeshika ![Redash on GCP Marketplace self-hosted BI dashboard listing](https://meetrix.io/blog-images/paas-products-articles/redash-gcp/redash-gcp-blog.png)](https://meetrix.io/blogs/redash-data-visualization-gcp/) Prerequisites Before you begin, make sure you have the following: - Basic Google Cloud Platform knowledge. - An active Google account with a GCP project and billing enabled. - A domain name you can manage DNS records for. ## Launch the Product ### Step 1: Find the Product 1. Log in to your Google account. 2. Go directly to the product page: [Redash on GCP Marketplace](https://console.cloud.google.com/marketplace/product/meetrix-public/redash-data-visualization) 3. You can also browse all Meetrix products at the [Meetrix Solutions Page](https://console.cloud.google.com/marketplace/browse?filter=partner:Meetrix%20Pte%20Ltd&ref=meetrix.io). 4. You will see the Redash listing published by Meetrix Pte Ltd. ![Redash product listing on GCP Marketplace](https://meetrix.io/blog-images/paas-dev-guides/redash-gcp/redash-gcp-1.png) ### Step 2: Launch the Product 1. Select your GCP project from the project selector at the top. 2. Review the product description and pricing details. 3. Click the **GET STARTED** button. 4. Accept the terms and conditions and click **AGREE**. ![Accepting agreements and terms before deploying Redash on GCP](https://meetrix.io/blog-images/paas-dev-guides/redash-gcp/redash-gcp-2.png) ### Free Trial This product includes a free trial with license fee credits. To activate it, tick **I accept the solution trial Terms and Conditions** on the launch screen before proceeding. ![Accepting the solution trial terms and conditions for Redash on GCP](https://meetrix.io/blog-images/paas-dev-guides/redash-gcp/redash-gcp-3.png) Trial note Infrastructure charges (VM, disk) still apply during the trial. Only the Meetrix licence fee is credited. You can cancel the trial at any time by deleting the deployment. ## Configure the Deployment You will see the deployment configuration form. Fill in the fields across the following sections: ![Redash GCP deployment configuration form showing deployment name, service account, zone, and machine type](https://meetrix.io/blog-images/paas-dev-guides/redash-gcp/redash-gcp-4.png) #### General - **Deployment name** - A unique name for this deployment. - **Deployment Service Account** - Use an existing service account with the `config.agent`, `compute.admin`, and `iam.serviceAccountUser` roles, or create a new one. - **Machine type** - Default `e2-medium` (2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM) works for most teams. Choose a larger type for heavier query workloads. - **Zone** - Select the GCP zone closest to your users. #### Boot Disk - **Boot disk type** - Default `Balanced persistent disk` is recommended. - **Boot disk size** - Default 20 GB is sufficient for most workloads; increase it if you expect large query result caches. #### Networking - **Network / Subnetwork** - Leave as `default` unless you have a custom VPC. - **External IP** - Leave as `Ephemeral` so the server is reachable for DNS and SSL setup. - **Allow SSH (TCP port 22)** - Enabled by default. Restrict the source IP range if you want to limit SSH access to specific IPs. ![Redash GCP networking and firewall configuration](https://meetrix.io/blog-images/paas-dev-guides/redash-gcp/redash-gcp-5.png) #### Application Settings - **Domain name** - The domain for your Redash instance (e.g. `redash.yourdomain.com`). Point your DNS A record to the instance IP before or shortly after deploying. - **Admin email** - Used for SSL certificate registration via Let's Encrypt. Click **DEPLOY** and wait 5-10 minutes for the deployment to complete. ## Point DNS to the Server ### Step 1: Get the External IP 1. Once deployment is complete, open the deployment in [Solution deployments](https://console.cloud.google.com/products/solutions/deployments) and expand the **Outputs** section, or click the VM instance resource name in the deployment details. 2. Copy the **External IP** shown there (or from the Network interfaces section of the VM instance page). ![Redash VM instance network details showing the external IP address](https://meetrix.io/blog-images/paas-dev-guides/redash-gcp/redash-gcp-6.png) ### Step 2: Create a DNS A Record 1. Go to your DNS provider. 2. Add an **A record** pointing your Redash domain (e.g. `redash.yourdomain.com`) to the copied external IP. 3. Wait for DNS propagation before proceeding (typically a few minutes to 1 hour). ## Access Redash You can access Redash immediately over HTTP using the External IP address (e.g. `http://`) before DNS and SSL are configured, or via your domain once DNS has propagated and SSL is issued. On first load, complete the **Redash Initial Setup** form to create the admin account and organization name; all subsequent users can be managed through the Redash Settings panel. ![Redash Initial Setup screen for creating the admin account](https://meetrix.io/blog-images/paas-dev-guides/redash-gcp/redash-gcp-8.png) (If you encounter a "502 Bad Gateway" error, please wait about 5 minutes and then refresh the page while the application finishes starting up.) Once setup is complete, you'll land on the Redash home dashboard, ready to connect data sources, build queries, and create dashboards. ![Redash home dashboard after initial setup](https://meetrix.io/blog-images/paas-dev-guides/redash-gcp/redash-gcp-9.png) ## Generate SSL Manually DNS must propagate first The SSL script uses Let's Encrypt, which verifies domain ownership over HTTP. Make sure your DNS A record is pointing to the server IP and has propagated before running the certificate script. Redash will automatically try to set up SSL when a matching domain is configured. If it fails, follow these steps to generate SSL manually. ### Step 1: SSH into the Server 1. Go to the VM instance page in the GCP console. 2. Click **SSH** to open a browser-based terminal and authorize access. ![Redash VM instance page with SSH button in GCP console](https://meetrix.io/blog-images/paas-dev-guides/redash-gcp/redash-gcp-7.png) ### Step 2: Run the Certificate Script The image includes a pre-configured certificate script. Run it with: ```bash sudo bash /root/certificate_generate_standalone.sh ``` Redash is Now Running with SSL Your Redash instance is live at `https://redash.yourdomain.com`. ## Email Configuration Configure SMTP settings to enable email invitations and alerts. SSH into the server and edit the environment file with your SMTP provider details: ![Redash SMTP email configuration environment variables](https://meetrix.io/blog-images/paas-dev-guides/redash-gcp/redash-gcp-10.png) ### Apply Changes After updating the email configuration, apply the changes by restarting the services: ```bash cd /opt/redash docker-compose down docker-compose up -d ``` Once email is configured, invite teammates from the Redash **Settings → Users** section. You should see a confirmation that the invite email was sent. ## Check Server Logs ### Step 1: SSH into the Server ```bash ssh -i @ ``` ### Step 2: Check the Logs ```bash sudo docker ps ``` ```bash sudo docker logs ``` ## Shutting Down Redash 1. Go to **Compute Engine → VM Instances** in the GCP console; you'll find your Redash instance listed there. 2. Select the checkbox next to the instance and click **Stop** from the top toolbar. You can restart the instance at any time by selecting it again and clicking **Start**. ## Remove Redash To fully remove the deployment and stop all billing: 1. Go to [**Solution deployments**](https://console.cloud.google.com/products/solutions/deployments) in the GCP console. 2. Find your Redash deployment. 3. Click **Delete** to remove all associated resources. ## Upgrades When there is an upgrade, we will update the product with a newer version. You can check the product version on GCP Marketplace. If a newer version is available, you can remove the previous deployment and launch the product again using the newer version. Remember to back up necessary server data before removing. ## Troubleshoot ### 502 Bad Gateway If you see this error right after deployment or restart, wait about 5 minutes and refresh the page while Redash finishes starting up. ### Check Service Logs ```bash sudo docker ps sudo docker logs ``` ### Quota or Capacity Errors If you face a CPU quota error when deploying, request a quota increase for Compute Engine API CPUs in that region from the GCP console. If you see an insufficient capacity error for your chosen machine type, try a different zone/region or retry later. ### Check Disk Usage Log into the server and run: ```bash df -h ``` If the root volume is between 90-100%, increase the persistent disk size in the GCP console, then reboot the instance and restart the Redash services. ### SSL Certificate Issues If the certificate script fails, ensure DNS has propagated before running it and that port 80 is open in your VPC firewall rules for the ACME HTTP challenge. ## Conclusion The Meetrix Redash developer guide for GCP helps you set up Redash on Google Cloud quickly and securely. Whether you're a DevOps engineer or administrator, this guide provides step-by-step instructions to deploy Redash in a scalable and reliable way. ## Technical Support If you run into any issues, our support team is here to help. Reach out to us at [support@meetrix.io](mailto:support@meetrix.io) and we will respond within 12 hours. ## Frequently Asked Questions What GCP machine type is recommended for Redash? An e2-medium instance (2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM) works well for most teams. Choose a larger machine type in the deployment configuration form if you run heavy queries or have many concurrent users. Can I connect Redash to my own databases and data sources? Yes. Once Redash is running, go to Settings → Data Sources and add a connection to any supported database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, BigQuery, and many others). No redeployment is required. How do I renew the SSL certificate? SSL certificates issued by Let's Encrypt expire every 90 days. SSH into the server and re-run: sudo bash /root/certificate\_generate\_standalone.sh. You can also schedule this with a cron job. How do I update SMTP/email settings after deployment? SSH into the server, edit the environment file in /opt/redash with your SMTP provider details, then apply the changes with: cd /opt/redash && docker-compose down && docker-compose up -d How do I invite more users to Redash? Once email is configured, go to Settings → Users in the Redash dashboard and click Invite. New users will receive an email invitation to set up their account. What happens to my data if I stop the VM instead of deleting the deployment? Stopping the VM preserves all disk data and Redash configuration - you can restart it later with everything intact. Deleting the deployment permanently removes the VM and its disk, so back up any important data first. I'm seeing a quota or capacity error when deploying - what should I do? GCP enforces regional CPU quotas. If you hit a quota error, request a quota increase for Compute Engine API CPUs in that region, or choose a different region/zone with available capacity. ## Deploy Redash on GCP in Minutes Launch a production-ready Redash instance on Google Cloud with a pre-configured Meetrix image. 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