TerraformPilot

Troubleshooting

Fix: GCP Project Quota Exceeded for Networks

Fix Google Cloud network quota exceeded errors in Terraform. Request quota increases, clean up unused VPCs, and optimize shared VPC configurations.

LLuca Berton2 min read

Quick Answer

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You've hit the VPC network quota for your GCP project (default: 5-15 networks). Request a quota increase, delete unused VPCs, or use shared VPC to reduce the number of networks per project.

The Error

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Error: Error creating Network: googleapi: Error 403:
  Quota 'NETWORKS' exceeded. Limit: 15.0 in project my-project.
Error: Error creating Subnetwork: googleapi: Error 403:
  Quota 'SUBNETWORKS' exceeded.

What Causes This Error

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  1. Too many VPC networks — each project has a default quota (typically 5-15)
  2. Default network still exists — GCP creates a default network in new projects
  3. Unused networks from old deployments — orphaned VPCs consuming quota
  4. Separate VPCs per environment in the same project instead of using subnets

How to Fix It

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Solution 1: Request Quota Increase

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# Check current quota
gcloud compute project-info describe --project my-project \
  --format='value(quotas[name=NETWORKS])'
 
# Request increase via Console:
# IAM & Admin → Quotas → search "Networks"
# Or via gcloud:
gcloud alpha services quota update \
  --consumer=projects/my-project \
  --service=compute.googleapis.com \
  --metric=compute.googleapis.com/networks \
  --value=25

Solution 2: Delete Unused Networks

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# List all networks
gcloud compute networks list --project my-project
 
# Delete the default network (recommended for IaC projects)
gcloud compute firewall-rules list --filter="network=default" \
  --format="value(name)" | xargs -I {} gcloud compute firewall-rules delete {}
gcloud compute networks delete default --project my-project
 
# Find and delete orphaned networks
gcloud compute networks list --project my-project --format="table(name,subnetworks.len())"

Solution 3: Use Shared VPC

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# Host project — single VPC shared across service projects
resource "google_compute_shared_vpc_host_project" "host" {
  project = var.host_project_id
}
 
resource "google_compute_network" "shared" {
  project                 = var.host_project_id
  name                    = "shared-vpc"
  auto_create_subnetworks = false
}
 
resource "google_compute_subnetwork" "app" {
  project       = var.host_project_id
  name          = "app-subnet"
  ip_cidr_range = "10.0.1.0/24"
  region        = var.region
  network       = google_compute_network.shared.id
}
 
# Service project uses the shared VPC
resource "google_compute_shared_vpc_service_project" "service" {
  host_project    = var.host_project_id
  service_project = var.service_project_id
}

Solution 4: Use Subnets Instead of Separate VPCs

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# ONE network with multiple subnets per environment
resource "google_compute_network" "main" {
  name                    = "main-vpc"
  auto_create_subnetworks = false
}
 
resource "google_compute_subnetwork" "dev" {
  name          = "dev-subnet"
  ip_cidr_range = "10.0.0.0/20"
  region        = var.region
  network       = google_compute_network.main.id
}
 
resource "google_compute_subnetwork" "prod" {
  name          = "prod-subnet"
  ip_cidr_range = "10.1.0.0/20"
  region        = var.region
  network       = google_compute_network.main.id
}

GCP Network Quotas

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QuotaDefaultCan Increase
Networks per project15✅ Yes
Subnetworks per project100✅ Yes
Firewall rules per project500✅ Yes
Routes per project250✅ Yes

Troubleshooting Checklist

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  1. ✅ How many networks exist? (gcloud compute networks list)
  2. ✅ What's your current quota? (gcloud compute project-info describe)
  3. ✅ Are there unused or default networks to delete?
  4. ✅ Can you use subnets instead of separate VPCs?
  5. ✅ Would shared VPC reduce your network count?

Prevention Tips

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  • Delete the default network in all new projects
  • Use subnets for isolation instead of separate VPCs per environment
  • Use shared VPC for multi-project architectures
  • Request quota increases proactively before large deployments
  • Tag networks with managed-by = terraform to identify orphans
#

Conclusion

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Network quota exceeded means you've hit the VPC limit for your project. Delete unused networks (especially the default), use subnets instead of separate VPCs, consider shared VPC for multi-project setups, and request quota increases before large deployments.

#Terraform#Google Cloud#Troubleshooting#Error Fix

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