OpenCost & GCP: Fixing ProviderID Starting With 'gce' Error

This article addresses the error encountered in OpenCost when it identifies a Google Compute Engine (GCE) Provider ID but lacks the necessary GCP key to fetch data. This situation leads to a panic within the application, preventing it from functioning correctly. We'll explore the causes, implications, and, most importantly, how to resolve this issue.

Understanding the "Found ProviderID starting with 'gce'" Error

When deploying OpenCost in an environment that includes Google Cloud resources, OpenCost attempts to identify and integrate with the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to provide cost monitoring and analysis. The message "Found ProviderID starting with 'gce', using GCP Provider" signifies that OpenCost has successfully recognized a GCE instance. However, the subsequent panic indicates a failure to authenticate and access GCP resources due to a missing or improperly configured GCP key.

This error typically arises because OpenCost requires specific credentials to access and retrieve billing and resource information from GCP. Without these credentials, OpenCost cannot accurately calculate and report on the costs associated with your GCP resources. This error can occur even if you are using opencost-yandex-cloudAdditional.

Common Causes

• Missing GCP Key: The most frequent cause is the absence of a GCP service account key configured within OpenCost.
• Incorrect Key Configuration: The provided key might be invalid, corrupted, or not properly formatted.
• Insufficient Permissions: The GCP service account associated with the key may lack the necessary permissions to access the required billing and resource information.
• Incorrect Installation: OpenCost may not be configured properly to read the GCP.JSON file.

Resolving the GCP Key Issue

To resolve this error, you need to ensure that OpenCost has access to a valid GCP service account key with the appropriate permissions. Follow these steps:

1. Create a GCP Service Account

If you don't already have one, create a dedicated service account in your Google Cloud project. This service account will be used by OpenCost to access GCP resources.

1. Go to the Google Cloud Console. Make sure to login with a valid account.
2. Navigate to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
3. Click + Create Service Account.
4. Enter a Service account name and Service account ID. A descriptive name will help you remember its purpose (e.g., "opencost-service-account").
5. Click Create and Continue.

2. Grant Necessary Permissions

The service account needs specific permissions to access billing and resource information. At a minimum, grant the following roles:

• Billing Account Costs Manager: Allows the service account to view cost information for your billing account. To assign the role, click on Select a role, then in the search bar type Billing Account Costs Manager.
• Compute Viewer: Grants read-only access to compute resources.
• Monitoring Viewer: Grants read-only access to monitoring data, which can be helpful for resource utilization analysis.

1. Click + Add Another Role to add multiple roles.
2. Click Continue.

3. Create and Download a Service Account Key

OpenCost uses a JSON key file to authenticate with GCP. Create and download this key file.

1. In the Google Cloud Console, navigate to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
2. Click on the service account you created.
3. Go to the Keys tab.
4. Click Add Key > Create New Key.
5. Select JSON as the key type and click Create.
6. A JSON file containing the service account key will be downloaded to your computer. Treat this file securely, as it grants access to your GCP resources.

4. Configure OpenCost with the GCP Key

There are several ways to provide the GCP key to OpenCost:

• Using a Kubernetes Secret: This is the recommended approach for production environments. Create a Kubernetes secret containing the contents of the JSON key file.

  kubectl create secret generic gcp-key --from-file=key.json=<path-to-your-downloaded-key.json> -n kubecost
  

  Then, update your OpenCost deployment to mount this secret and set the gcp.json path. You'll need to modify your OpenCost Helm chart or Kubernetes manifest to include the following:

  volumes:
    - name: gcp-key-volume
      secret:
        secretName: gcp-key
  volumeMounts:
    - name: gcp-key-volume
      mountPath: /tmp/custom-config
      readOnly: true
  env:
    - name: GCP_CONFIG_PATH
      value: /tmp/custom-config/key.json
  

• Using a ConfigMap: A ConfigMap can be used similarly to a Secret, but is generally less secure for sensitive data like keys.

• Directly as an Environment Variable (Less Secure): You can set the contents of the JSON key file as a base64 encoded environment variable. This is generally not recommended for production environments due to security concerns.

  export GCP_CREDENTIALS=$(base64 <path-to-your-downloaded-key.json>)
  

  Then, set the GCP_CREDENTIALS environment variable in your OpenCost deployment.

5. Verify the Configuration

After configuring OpenCost with the GCP key, restart the OpenCost pod to apply the changes. Check the OpenCost logs for any errors related to GCP authentication. The logs should indicate that OpenCost has successfully authenticated with GCP and is retrieving cost data.

Analyzing the Provided Logs

The provided logs offer valuable insights into the problem:

• INF Could not find Custom Pricing file at path '/tmp/custom-config/gcp.json' indicates that OpenCost is looking for a custom pricing file, which is not directly related to the authentication issue but might be relevant for customizing cost calculations.
• `INF Found ProviderID starting with