Google ACE Deploying and Implementing a Cloud Solution Practice Question
An organization wants to deploy a containerized web application on GKE. They need the application to be accessible from the internet via a stable IP address. Which service type should they use when exposing the deployment?
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
✓
LoadBalancer
A LoadBalancer service type provisions a Google Cloud TCP/UDP Load Balancer and assigns a stable external IP address. NodePort exposes on a high port but requires manual setup; ClusterIP is internal only.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
ClusterIP
Why it's wrong here
ClusterIP is the default Kubernetes Service type, and it exposes the workload on a cluster-internal virtual IP that is only routable from inside the cluster. Because the IP is not reachable from the public internet and there is no external load balancer front-end, it cannot provide a stable external IP for a public web application. You would need an Ingress controller or a LoadBalancer Service to expose it to users.
- ✓
LoadBalancer
Why this is correct
A LoadBalancer Service is the appropriate choice for a containerized web application that needs a stable external IP. When you create this Service on Google Kubernetes Engine, the cloud-controller-manager automatically provisions a Google Cloud (TCP/UDP) load balancer and assigns a regional static external IP address. This gives clients a stable, publicly reachable endpoint, which precisely matches the requirement for an internet-facing web application.
- ✗
NodePort
Why it's wrong here
NodePort is a Service type that opens a high-range port (by default 30000–32767) on every node's external IP address. Although it does make the application reachable from outside the cluster, the port is ephemeral and non-standard, and the traffic path uses the node IP rather than a managed load balancer. This does not provide the stable, dedicated external IP with a well-known port that the organization needs.
- ✗
ExternalName
Why it's wrong here
The ExternalName Service type maps a Kubernetes Service name to an external DNS CNAME record, such as a domain name outside the cluster. It does not create any type of GCP load balancer or assign an IP address; it simply returns a DNS name to clients. Therefore it cannot expose the containerized workload to external traffic or provide a stable external IP, so it is not a valid solution.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Google Cloud Platform Overview
Key term
Organization
An Organization is a top-level container in Google Cloud that represents your company or entities and serves as the root node for all your cloud resources, policies, and access control.
Key term
GKE
GKE is Google's managed Kubernetes service that automates deploying, scaling, and managing containerized applications in the cloud.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.