Integrate Google App Engine and Compute MongoDB, possible?

Question

I've spent the last few weeks really climbing all around the Google App Engine (GAE) and Google Compute Engine (GCE), so I feel that I have a decent understanding about the two related but different platforms. But I'm stuck and want to make sure I jump in the right direction to move forward.

I'm creating a small private business website with a limited number of customers. We are talking 20 concurrent users.

So this question may be more architectural than technical.

I wanted to try and use the MongoDB because of the flexibility of the schema, so here is where I'm stuck.

My initial attempt was to connect via the following:

Option 1:

• GAE (Java) --> MongoDB Java Driver --> GCE (MongoDB)

• This is a complete failure because the GAE sandbox will not allow this.

Option 2:

• GAE (Java) --> RESTFul MongoDB Call --> GCE (MongoDB / Restful front end)

• I have not fully explored this yet, but this appears promising, but I really don't want to use RESTful to connect to my DB

Which leaves me with where I'm heading.

Option 3:

• GCE (Java/Tomcat) --> MongoDB driver --> GCE (MongoDB)

• Ditch GAE and go full in GCE :|

I'd love some feedback. Here are the other stackoverflow answers that I referenced heavily when researching this issue:

• Old question, but a few of the responses are newer and useful, specifically from user @eloone, but still not clear, how the plumbing would work
  • Any one tried MongoDB on Google App Engine?
• Both below say basically the same thing, which is "NO", so that pushed me to Option #2 or Option #3
  • google app engine and mongodb
  • Accessing MongoDB from AppEngine app

My specific questions:

• Since I don't have to scale, do I really need GAE? (just trying to be fast... and lazy :D)
• What am I giving up by abandoning GAE? I was using it because it seemed easy and quick, (as long as you use mysql)

Needless to say, this is my first question ever on stackoverflow, which I read about every day, so be nice if this question seems out of line. I figured if I was struggling, probably many others were as well. :D

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Answer Summary: 3 perfectly good answers were put forward:

1. User Google Datastore (I had misunderstood what this was)
2. User the new(ish) Java Managed VMs
3. Just use GCE VM and do what I want.

I researched all of these, and decided that for me #1 was the best option for the moment because it was the path of least resistance, but I'm leaving the door wide open to shifting to #2 or #3 in the future if the need arises.

Thanks everybody. I'll mark the response about using GCE as the accepted answer because it does answer the question even though I went in a different direction.

Answer 1

IMO you don't need GAE even if you have to scale

• you can use autoscaler in GCE so you can be lazy and fast with GCE
• by installing MongoDB with a click
• GCE plays nice with MongoDB especially if you want to replicate becouse of the very fast connections between datacenters.