The Google API Console is a cloud-based tool that allows API developers to manage coding projects that use Google APIs, providing access to dozens of services like Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube. To access the console, developers need a free Google account and can create a project by selecting or creating one, naming it, and setting a parent organization or folder if applicable. The console offers intuitive web-based interface, automation services, and direct connection to popular Google services, making it beneficial for API development. Developers can use the console's robust tools to implement API calls more quickly and efficiently in their code, with benefits including easy collaboration, access to APIs and documentation, and a central location to observe traffic, errors, and latency. The console is compared to competitors like Amazon API Gateway and Microsoft Azure's API Management, with differences in pricing, usage, and features. Developers can shut down a project by deleting it or requesting a quota increase, with a 30-day confirmation period before deletion.