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Google Cloud Asset Inventory
What it is
Google Cloud Asset Inventory is a cloud service for viewing, searching, exporting, monitoring, and analyzing metadata about Google Cloud assets. It supports resource management, compliance tracking, scheduled audits, analytics, and security or cost audits through web access and an API. Filters can narrow resources by location, creation time, tags, and status, helping teams locate over-permissioned, publicly exposed, or unused resources. Users can search resources and IAM allow policies, query assets with BigQuery SQL, and export metadata to BigQuery or Cloud Storage. Change feeds can be monitored through Pub/Sub. Creation, update, and deletion history is retained for up to 35 days. IAM controls access, and viewing metadata requires suitable permissions such as Cloud Asset Viewer and Service Usage Consumer. VPC Service Controls provide an additional security option. Use is free, but storing generated data, including in Cloud Storage, can create separate costs. The service is not intended for real-time production availability or security enforcement decisions.
For and against
For
- Web and API access
- Filters assets by useful metadata
- Exports to BigQuery and Cloud Storage
- Pub/Sub change monitoring
- Free service usage
Against
- History retained only up to 35 days
- Not designed for real-time asset queries
- Policy Analyzer has daily query limits
- Storage costs may apply
The verdict
Google Cloud Asset Inventory provides broad metadata search, export, and change-monitoring capabilities at no service charge. Plan around its data freshness, retention window, permissions, and storage costs.
Who it suits
It suits Google Cloud teams handling inventories, compliance work, scheduled audits, analytics, or security and cost reviews. It is also useful for teams exporting asset metadata into BigQuery or Cloud Storage.
Plans and prices
Cloud Asset Inventory
Storage costs may apply
Read 8 Oct 2026 · cloud.google.com
On the record
- Access control
- Cloud Asset Inventory uses IAM, and viewing asset metadata requires appropriate permissions such as the Cloud Asset Viewer role and Service Usage Consumer role.docs.cloud.google.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Change monitoring
- You can monitor asset changes by setting up and subscribing to a feed; the documentation describes monitoring with Pub/Sub.docs.cloud.google.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Consistency limitation
- Cloud Asset Inventory is not designed for real-time asset queries where missing or stale data could affect production availability or security enforcement.docs.cloud.google.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Discovery and audits
- You can filter resources by metadata such as location, creation time, tags, and status, and use inventory data to find over-permissioned, publicly exposed, or unused resources.docs.cloud.google.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- History
- Asset create, update, and delete history is kept for up to 35 days.docs.cloud.google.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Cloud Asset Inventory provides exports to BigQuery and Cloud Storage and asset change monitoring with Pub/Sub.docs.cloud.google.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- Google describes the service for work such as resource management, monitoring, compliance tracking, scheduled audits, analytics, and security or cost audits.docs.cloud.google.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Cloud Asset Inventory lets you view, search, export, monitor, and analyze Google Cloud asset metadata for tasks such as compliance tracking, scheduled audits, and analytics.docs.cloud.google.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Queries and exports
- The service supports searching resources and IAM allow policies, querying assets with BigQuery SQL, and exporting metadata to BigQuery or Cloud Storage.docs.cloud.google.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Quota limitation
- Policy Analyzer allows 20 analysis queries per organization per day without organization-level Security Command Center Premium or Enterprise access.docs.cloud.google.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Security controls
- VPC Service Controls can be used with Cloud Asset Inventory to provide additional security for assets.docs.cloud.google.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- Google Cloud offers support packages with options such as 24/7 coverage, phone support, and access to a technical support manager.docs.cloud.google.com · read 8 Oct 2026
