- A
The GKE cluster automatically generates a self-signed TLS certificate for the domain
Why wrong: GKE clusters don't automatically provision trusted TLS certificates for custom domains — that's the load balancer's responsibility.
- B
A Google-managed SSL certificate attached to the load balancer's HTTPS target proxy
Google-managed SSL certificates are provisioned automatically and renewed before expiry. They're attached to the load balancer's target HTTPS proxy — zero manual certificate management.
- C
Cloud DNS automatically provisions a TLS certificate when a domain is added
Why wrong: Cloud DNS manages DNS records — it doesn't provision TLS certificates. Certificates are managed at the load balancer.
- D
cert-manager in GKE automatically obtains Let's Encrypt certificates for the Ingress
Why wrong: cert-manager with Let's Encrypt is a valid alternative but requires installing and managing cert-manager in the cluster. Google-managed certificates are the native GCP approach requiring no cluster-side tooling.
TLS Certificate for Global External Application Load Balancer
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of ace exam topics. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A team deploys an application on GKE and needs it to be accessible at https://api.company.com with automatic TLS certificate provisioning. They use a Global external Application Load Balancer. What handles the TLS certificate?
Quick Answer
The correct answer is a Google-managed SSL certificate attached to the load balancer's HTTPS target proxy. This is because a Global external Application Load Balancer terminates TLS at the HTTPS target proxy, which is the component that handles encrypted connections. To automatically provision and renew a TLS certificate for a custom domain like api.company.com, you attach a Google-managed SSL certificate directly to that proxy, and Google handles the entire lifecycle—including domain verification through Cloud DNS—without any manual certificate generation. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this question tests your understanding of how GCP’s managed services integrate with load balancing; a common trap is assuming the certificate is attached to the backend service or the GKE Ingress controller, but the target proxy is the correct attachment point. Remember the mnemonic: “Proxy for the cert, backend for the work”—the HTTPS target proxy owns the TLS certificate, while the backend service handles the application traffic.
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
A Google-managed SSL certificate attached to the load balancer's HTTPS target proxy
A Global external Application Load Balancer uses an HTTPS target proxy to terminate TLS. To automatically provision and renew TLS certificates for a custom domain, you attach a Google-managed SSL certificate to that target proxy. Google manages the entire lifecycle, including domain verification via Cloud DNS, so no manual certificate generation or third-party tools are needed.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The GKE cluster automatically generates a self-signed TLS certificate for the domain
Why it's wrong here
GKE clusters don't automatically provision trusted TLS certificates for custom domains — that's the load balancer's responsibility.
- ✓
A Google-managed SSL certificate attached to the load balancer's HTTPS target proxy
Why this is correct
Google-managed SSL certificates are provisioned automatically and renewed before expiry. They're attached to the load balancer's target HTTPS proxy — zero manual certificate management.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Cloud DNS automatically provisions a TLS certificate when a domain is added
Why it's wrong here
Cloud DNS manages DNS records — it doesn't provision TLS certificates. Certificates are managed at the load balancer.
- ✗
cert-manager in GKE automatically obtains Let's Encrypt certificates for the Ingress
Why it's wrong here
cert-manager with Let's Encrypt is a valid alternative but requires installing and managing cert-manager in the cluster. Google-managed certificates are the native GCP approach requiring no cluster-side tooling.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse the Kubernetes Ingress resource (which can use cert-manager) with the Global external Application Load Balancer's HTTPS target proxy, which requires a Google-managed SSL certificate attached directly to the proxy, not a Kubernetes-native certificate solution.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A Global external Application Load Balancer uses an HTTPS target proxy that references an SSL certificate resource. Google-managed certificates are provisioned by Google's Certificate Authority and automatically renewed 30 days before expiry, provided the domain's DNS A/AAAA records point to the load balancer's IP. This integration avoids the operational overhead of manual certificate rotation and is the recommended approach for production workloads using Google Cloud's global load balancing.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ACE question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: A Google-managed SSL certificate attached to the load balancer's HTTPS target proxy — A Global external Application Load Balancer uses an HTTPS target proxy to terminate TLS. To automatically provision and renew TLS certificates for a custom domain, you attach a Google-managed SSL certificate to that target proxy. Google manages the entire lifecycle, including domain verification via Cloud DNS, so no manual certificate generation or third-party tools are needed.
What should I do if I get this ACE question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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