Google Cloud Platform (GCP) provides a variety of options for running Linux-based virtual machines (VMs) and Linux distributions. Linux is a popular choice for cloud-based workloads due to its flexibility, performance, and open-source nature. Here’s an overview of Google Cloud Linux offerings:

1. Compute Engine: Google Cloud Compute Engine allows you to create and manage virtual machines running Linux on Google’s infrastructure. You can choose from a wide range of Linux distributions, including Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, and more. Compute Engine offers full control over VM configurations, making it suitable for a variety of workloads.

2. Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE): GKE is a managed Kubernetes service that supports Linux-based containers. You can deploy and manage containerized applications on GKE using popular Linux distributions as your base image.

3. App Engine Standard Environment: Google App Engine offers a Platform as a Service (PaaS) environment for building and deploying applications. While it abstracts away the underlying infrastructure, it supports several Linux-based runtime environments, including Python, Node.js, and Go.

4. Google Cloud Shell: Google Cloud Shell provides a browser-based, interactive shell environment that runs on a Linux-based VM. It’s a convenient way to use Linux commands and manage GCP resources directly from your web browser.

5. AI Platform Notebooks: AI Platform Notebooks is a managed Jupyter Notebook service that supports various Linux distributions. It’s designed for data science and machine learning workloads.

6. Google Cloud Marketplace: The Google Cloud Marketplace offers a wide range of pre-configured Linux-based software and solutions that you can deploy on Google Cloud, including Linux-based applications, databases, and development environments.

7. Container Registry: Google Cloud Container Registry allows you to store and manage Docker container images, which can be based on various Linux distributions. These images can then be used to deploy containers on GCP services like GKE.

8. Linux Custom Images: You can create custom Linux images on Google Cloud by customizing a base image with your specific software and configurations. This allows you to use standardized images for your VMs.