Cloud Functions scale to zero when idle. When invoked after inactivity, they undergo a "cold start," initializing runtime, loading dependencies, and establishing any required network connections (e.g., VPC connectors). These cold starts can dramatically increase execution time, especially for functions with: * High memory allocations * Heavy initialization logic * VPC connector requirements If cold starts are frequent, customers may be paying for unnecessary compute time — particularly in latency-sensitive workloads — without receiving proportional value.
Billed based on: * Number of invocations * Execution duration (rounded up to the nearest 100ms) * Memory allocated per function * Network egress (if applicable) Cold starts — which occur when no instances are available to handle an incoming request — result in latency and extended compute time, especially for larger functions or functions requiring VPC access. This not only affects performance but increases billable time per invocation.
