---
title: "Google Batch"
description: "Install Tracer on Google Cloud Batch under two minutes"
---

## Overview

Google Cloud Batch is a fully managed batch processing service that enables you to run large-scale batch jobs on Google Cloud. Tracer integrates with Google Cloud Batch to provide real-time observability for your batch workloads.

## Prerequisites

- Google Cloud account with Batch API enabled
- `gcloud` CLI installed and configured
- Tracer account and API token

## Getting Started

#### 1. Create a Machine Image With Tracer Installed

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a new VM instance in Google Cloud." />
  <Step title="Install Tracer on the instance." />
  <Step title="Configure Tracer to run as a service so it automatically starts when the system boots." />
</Steps>

Once everything is correctly installed and running, create a Machine Image from this VM.
This Machine Image will serve as the base template for future instances.

#### 2. Set the Machine Image as the Default for New Instances

<Steps>
  <Step title="In your Google Batch configuration, set the Machine Image created above to be the default boot image." />
  <Step title="This makes sure that every time a new Batch machine is spawned, it loads the image with Tracer pre-installed and running." />
</Steps>

In this way, all new instances will automatically have Tracer active without any manual setup.

#### 3. Update Your nextflow.config to Work With Tracer

<Steps>
  <Step title="Improve your nextflow.config so that it integrates correctly with Tracer in Google Batch environments." />
  <Step title="You can base the necessary configuration changes on the example below:" />
</Steps>

```groovy
params {
    customUUID = java.util.UUID.randomUUID().toString()
    // GCP bucket for work directory - make configurable
    gcpWorkBucket = 'tracer-nextflow-work'
}

workDir = "gs://${params.gcpWorkBucket}/work"

process {
    executor = 'google-batch'
    machineType = 'template://my-instance-template'

    // Set env vars for the containers
    containerOptions = [
        environment: [
            'TRACER_TRACE_ID': "${params.customUUID}"
        ]
    ]

    env.TRACER_TRACE_ID = params.customUUID

    errorStrategy = 'retry'
    maxRetries = 2

    // Resource labels for Google Batch
    resourceLabels = [
        'launch-time': new java.text.SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd_HH-mm-ss").format(new Date()),
        'custom-session-uuid': "${params.customUUID}",
        'project': 'tracer-467514'
    ]
}

// GCP Batch/credentials configuration (optional)
google {
  project = 'tracer-467514'
  location = 'us-central1'
  serviceAccountEmail = 'nextflow-batch@tracer-467514.iam.gserviceaccount.com'
}
```

Link: https://github.com/Tracer-Cloud/nextflow-test-pipelines/pull/84/files