Google ACE Planning and Configuring a Cloud Solution Practice Question
A company is migrating a legacy monolithic application to Google Cloud. The application consists of a web frontend, a business logic layer, and a MySQL database. They want to minimise operational overhead and use managed services where possible. Which two services should they choose? (Choose TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
ACE often tests the misconception that serverless functions like Cloud Functions can replace any application tier, but they are limited to event-driven, short-lived tasks and cannot host a full business logic layer.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Cloud SQL for MySQL to host the database
Cloud SQL for MySQL (option B) is correct because it is a fully managed relational database service that supports MySQL, letting the company lift and shift its existing MySQL database with minimal code changes while offloading patching, backups, and replication to Google. Cloud Run (option C) is correct because it is a fully managed serverless container platform that can host both the web frontend and the business logic layer as containerized services, scaling automatically and requiring no server or cluster management, which directly minimizes operational overhead. Cloud Functions (option A) is not suitable because it is an event-driven FaaS environment best for short, single-purpose functions rather than a full business logic layer of a monolithic application. Compute Engine (option D) is incorrect because managing VMs still requires significant operational effort (OS patching, scaling, capacity), contradicting the goal of minimizing overhead. Cloud Spanner (option E) is incorrect because it is a globally distributed, horizontally scalable database that is overkill and requires schema/application changes, whereas the existing MySQL workload maps directly to Cloud SQL.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cloud Functions for the business logic
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Functions is designed for event-driven, stateless, short-lived executions, not for hosting a persistent business logic layer that requires synchronous, stateful processing of requests from a web frontend. It is tempting because it is a managed, serverless compute service that reduces operational overhead, and would be correct for processing discrete events like file uploads or database triggers, but the scenario demands a continuously running application tier.
- ✓
Cloud SQL for MySQL to host the database
Why this is correct
Cloud SQL for MySQL is a fully managed relational database service that provides automated backups, patching, replication, and high availability without requiring you to run MySQL yourself. It is a direct drop-in replacement for an existing MySQL database, preserving compatibility while eliminating the administrative burden of managing database infrastructure. This aligns with the migration goal of reducing operational overhead.
- ✓
Cloud Run for the frontend and business logic
Why this is correct
Cloud Run executes stateless HTTP workloads as packaged containers, automatically scaling from zero to hundreds of instances based on incoming traffic, so you pay only for requests served. It supports any language and lets you deploy the frontend and business logic together as a single container image without provisioning or managing servers. This removes the operational overhead of VM and cluster management, making it an ideal fit for the application tier.
- ✗
Compute Engine to host the frontend and business logic
Why it's wrong here
Deploying the frontend and business logic on Compute Engine means managing a fleet of virtual machines, including OS security patches, disk sizing, health checks, and an autoscaling policy for peak loads. Unlike serverless options, these VMs remain running even when traffic is low, wasting resources, and require additional services like instance groups and load balancers to achieve similar availability. This significantly increases operational burden compared to a managed compute service.
- ✗
Cloud Spanner for the database
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Spanner is a massively scalable, globally distributed relational database that offers strong consistency and horizontal scaling across regions, but it is overprovisioned for a single MySQL workload. It requires schema changes and data migration efforts that would complicate an otherwise simple lift-and-shift migration. For a legacy application with a single database, the higher cost and complexity far exceed any benefit, making Cloud SQL the pragmatic choice.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Service Account Key Management
Key term
Service
A service is a software component or system that performs a specific function and is available to be used by other programs or users over a network.
Key term
Compute Engine
Compute Engine is Google Cloud's Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering that lets you create and run virtual machines on Google's infrastructure.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Google Cloud exam blueprint
This ACE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the ACE exam.