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ACE Practice Question: A CI/CD pipeline running outside GCP (on GitHub…
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of a ci/cd pipeline running outside gcp (on github…. 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 CI/CD pipeline running outside GCP (on GitHub Actions) needs to authenticate to GCP to push images to Artifact Registry, without storing any long-lived service account key files. Which authentication mechanism achieves this?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
API keys created for the Artifact Registry service
Artifact Registry uses IAM for access control — API keys are not a supported authentication mechanism for Artifact Registry.
B
Distractor review
Store a service account JSON key as a GitHub Actions secret and use it in the workflow
JSON key files are long-lived credentials and a security risk — they can be leaked via logs, forks, or misconfigurations. Workload Identity Federation eliminates the need for key files.
C
Best answer
Workload Identity Federation with GitHub Actions as the identity provider
Workload Identity Federation allows GitHub Actions workflows to authenticate to GCP using the workflow's OIDC token — no service account key file is ever created or stored.
D
Distractor review
OAuth 2.0 user credentials from a developer's Google account
User credentials tie access to a specific person's account — not appropriate for automated CI/CD pipelines.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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.
Related practice questions
Related ACE practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
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Question 3
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Question 4
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Question 5
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Question 6
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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: Workload Identity Federation with GitHub Actions as the identity provider — Workload Identity Federation allows external identity providers (GitHub Actions, AWS, Azure, OIDC) to exchange their own tokens for short-lived GCP access tokens without any key files. GitHub Actions OIDC tokens are exchanged for GCP credentials via the `google-github-actions/auth` action.
What should I do if I get this ACE question wrong?
Identify which ACE exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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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.