[Google Cloud Next '26 Recap #1] Hands-On with the Agentic Hack Zone
Source: Dev.to
Introduction
I recently attended Google Cloud Next ‘26 in Las Vegas and wanted to share my experience at one of the most engaging spots on the EXPO floor: the Agentic Hack Zone.
The Next EXPO isn’t just about flashy demos—it’s packed with booths where you can open a terminal or console and try things out yourself. That hands‑on element is what makes the event special.
The Agentic Hack Zone
At the Welcome desk a bold message set the tone:
“Build better agents to scale your impact and accelerate your work.”
The zone featured five booths, each offering a different codelab focused on a specific aspect of agent development. The flow at each booth was simple:
- Watch a ~5‑minute live demo from an instructor.
- Run through the codelab yourself.
Completing all five booths earned a piece of swag (an Agent Platform T‑shirt).
Codelab Themes
| # | Theme | Codelab URL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agent Development Kit (ADK) | |
| 2 | Agent‑to‑Agent Protocol (A2A) | |
| 3 | Agent Tools / MCP | |
| 4 | Agent Governance & Security | |
| 5 | Agent Builder / Agent Engine |
Together, the labs cover the full agent development lifecycle—from the fundamentals of ADK, to inter‑agent communication (A2A), tool integration (MCP), governance and security, and finally deployment and scaling.
Practical Details
- Duration: Each lab takes roughly 20–30 minutes to complete.
- Cost: Expect to spend a few dollars on cloud resources while running them.
My Experience
At the venue I completed one of the booths. The booth provided a dedicated PC and a lab account, so there was no setup overhead on my side—I just sat down and got started. Within 20–30 minutes I had a working agent up and running. The instructor’s short demo beforehand was really helpful, giving me a clear mental model of where the lab was heading before I dove into the steps.
I’m planning to tackle the remaining four labs back home.
Takeaway
You don’t have to be at Next to do these codelabs. They are publicly available online, so anyone interested in modern agent development—ADK, A2A, MCP, and the rest—can give them a try using the URLs above. The labs are short, focused, and a great way to get a feel for the full agent stack.
Happy hacking!