- A
Wait for the CDN TTL to expire — cached content automatically refreshes
Why wrong: Waiting for TTL expiry is valid but slow — TTLs can range from minutes to days. Cache invalidation provides immediate freshness.
- B
Run a CDN cache invalidation for the affected URL paths
`gcloud compute url-maps invalidate-cdn-cache [URL_MAP] --path=[PATH_PATTERN]` immediately purges matching cached content. CDN fetches fresh content on the next request.
- C
Delete and recreate the Cloud Storage bucket — CDN will detect the new bucket as a fresh origin
Why wrong: Deleting the bucket is destructive and unnecessary. Cache invalidation purges the CDN cache without affecting the origin.
- D
Disable Cloud CDN temporarily — all users will hit the origin until CDN is re-enabled
Why wrong: Disabling CDN causes all requests to hit Cloud Storage directly, increasing origin load and cost. Cache invalidation surgically fixes the stale content.
Fastest Way to Clear Cloud CDN Cache After Update
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 Cloud CDN cache is serving stale content after a website update. New files were deployed to Cloud Storage but CDN is still serving the old versions to some users. What is the fastest way to force CDN to serve the updated content?
Quick Answer
The answer is to run a CDN cache invalidation for the affected URL paths. This is the fastest way to clear Cloud CDN cache after an update because invalidation immediately removes stale cached objects from all edge locations, forcing the CDN to fetch fresh content from the origin—in this case, Cloud Storage—on the very next user request. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this question tests your understanding that cache invalidation overrides TTL-based expiration, which is the default behavior but can leave stale content served for minutes or hours. A common trap is choosing to lower the TTL or re-deploy files, but those options do not instantly purge the cache; invalidation is the only immediate fix. Remember the mnemonic: “Invalidate to update—don’t wait, don’t hesitate.”
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
Run a CDN cache invalidation for the affected URL paths
Option B is correct because Cloud CDN supports cache invalidation, which immediately removes cached objects from edge caches for specified URL paths. This forces the CDN to fetch fresh content from the origin (Cloud Storage) on the next request, providing the fastest way to serve updated content without waiting for TTL expiry.
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.
- ✗
Wait for the CDN TTL to expire — cached content automatically refreshes
Why it's wrong here
Waiting for TTL expiry is valid but slow — TTLs can range from minutes to days. Cache invalidation provides immediate freshness.
- ✓
Run a CDN cache invalidation for the affected URL paths
Why this is correct
`gcloud compute url-maps invalidate-cdn-cache [URL_MAP] --path=[PATH_PATTERN]` immediately purges matching cached content. CDN fetches fresh content on the next request.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Delete and recreate the Cloud Storage bucket — CDN will detect the new bucket as a fresh origin
Why it's wrong here
Deleting the bucket is destructive and unnecessary. Cache invalidation purges the CDN cache without affecting the origin.
- ✗
Disable Cloud CDN temporarily — all users will hit the origin until CDN is re-enabled
Why it's wrong here
Disabling CDN causes all requests to hit Cloud Storage directly, increasing origin load and cost. Cache invalidation surgically fixes the stale content.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that modifying the origin (e.g., deleting/recreating a bucket) automatically clears the CDN cache, when in fact the CDN cache is independent and requires explicit invalidation or TTL expiry to refresh.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud CDN cache invalidation uses a hash-based lookup to remove objects from all edge locations globally, typically propagating within minutes. Under the hood, invalidation sends a request to the CDN's control plane, which marks cached entries as invalid and triggers a re-fetch from the origin on the next user request. In real-world scenarios, invalidation is critical for urgent content updates like security patches or breaking news, where waiting for TTL could cause data integrity issues.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
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: Run a CDN cache invalidation for the affected URL paths — Option B is correct because Cloud CDN supports cache invalidation, which immediately removes cached objects from edge caches for specified URL paths. This forces the CDN to fetch fresh content from the origin (Cloud Storage) on the next request, providing the fastest way to serve updated content without waiting for TTL expiry.
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 30, 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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