How are virtual machine instances created in Google Cloud?

Virtual machine instances in Google Cloud are created by utilizing Google Compute Engine. Compute Engine is the core service that enables users to run virtual machines (VMs) on Google’s infrastructure. It provides the resources needed to configure and deploy virtual machines with a range of operating systems and options tailored to different workloads.

When you create a VM instance, you can choose various machine types, disk types, and networking options according to the requirements of your application. The ability to customize these parameters is critical as it allows users to optimize performance and costs effectively.

Other services listed, such as Google Cloud Storage, Cloud Functions, and App Engine, serve different purposes. Cloud Storage is specifically designed for storing and accessing data, while Cloud Functions is a serverless platform designed for executing single tasks triggered by events. App Engine is a platform-as-a-service that allows developers to build and deploy applications without managing the underlying infrastructure, which includes VMs but does not focus on creating individual VM instances directly. Thus, for the creation of VM instances, Google Compute Engine is the appropriate choice.