How should HipLocal appropriately manage application state?

Using Cloud SQL to manage application state is a sound approach due to its fully managed nature, automated backups, and built-in scalability that aligns well with modern application's needs. Cloud SQL provides a relational database service that is compatible with MySQL, which means existing applications can easily transition to this environment with minimal overhead.

One of the key benefits of Cloud SQL is that it allows for robust handling of stateful data with ACID transactions, which ensures data integrity and consistency—essential aspects of application state management in many scenarios. Additionally, Cloud SQL can automatically scale to meet demand and can be integrated with other Google Cloud services, enhancing the overall architecture.

In contrast, other options might present limitations. Local SSDs, while offering low-latency storage options, may not provide the necessary durability and management features required for application state. Using a memcache layer can help improve performance for read-heavy workloads but may not be suitable as a primary state management solution. Moving to Cloud Spanner, while beneficial for certain use cases, could introduce unnecessary complexity and cost, especially for simpler applications that do not require the scalability and multi-regional capabilities it provides.

Thus, utilizing Cloud SQL stands out as an optimal strategy for managing application state in terms of ease of use,