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Google ACE Practice Question: Which TWO actions should a DevOps engineer take…
Which TWO actions should a DevOps engineer take to reduce egress costs when transferring large amounts of data from Compute Engine to Cloud Storage in the same region?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that using a multi-regional bucket in the same region reduces costs, but the trap here is that multi-regional buckets incur higher egress charges due to replication across zones, and candidates may overlook that internal IPs are the key to avoiding internet egress fees.
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
✓
Use internal IP addresses for the Compute Engine instances.
Using internal IP addresses for Compute Engine instances ensures that traffic to Cloud Storage stays within Google's internal network, avoiding internet egress charges. When instances communicate with Cloud Storage using external IPs, the traffic is routed over the public internet, incurring egress costs. Internal IPs keep the data transfer on Google's backbone, which is free for same-region transfers.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use internal IP addresses for the Compute Engine instances.
Why this is correct
Assigning internal IP addresses to Compute Engine instances ensures that instance-to-instance traffic stays within Google's private VPC network, which is never billed as egress. Traffic between instances using external IPs, even in the same zone, incurs standard egress charges because it leaves the internal network. Internal IPs also eliminate the need for public IP addresses, reducing both cost and potential security exposure.
- ✓
Use a regional Cloud Storage bucket in the same region as the instances.
Why this is correct
A regional Storage bucket placed in the same region as your Compute Engine instances makes data transfers between the instances and the bucket flow over the regional endpoint, which incurs zero egress charges. By contrast, a multi-regional bucket may serve reads from a far-flung location, causing networking costs. Regional buckets also offer lower per-GB storage pricing, amplifying the savings from co-locating workloads.
- ✗
Set up a VPN between the instances and Cloud Storage.
Why it's wrong here
Setting up a VPN between your instances and Cloud Storage is ineffective because Cloud Storage is a public service accessed via HTTPS, not through an encrypted tunnel to a private network. VPN tunnels are designed for hybrid connectivity to on-premises or peered VPCs, and any traffic traversing the tunnel still counts as egress from the VPC, potentially incurring normal data transfer charges. Adding a VPN introduces extra configuration and per-tunnel costs without eliminating the underlying egress meter.
- ✗
Use a multi-regional Cloud Storage bucket.
Why it's wrong here
A multi-regional Cloud Storage bucket replicates data across multiple geographic locations, but an instance accessing the bucket will be directed to the nearest replication point, which may be in a different region than the instance. That cross-region data read is billed as egress, potentially increasing rather than decreasing the network bill. Additionally, multi-regional storage has higher per-GB pricing than regional buckets, so choosing it works against the goal of reducing egress and storage costs.
- ✗
Configure a Cloud NAT gateway.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud NAT provides outbound internet connectivity for private instances, but it does not waive or reduce egress fees; every byte sent through the NAT gateway is billed at standard egress rates, plus you pay an hourly processing fee for the gateway itself. Configuring NAT also requires additional network plumbing, such as cloud router and firewall rules, adding operational overhead. Therefore, of these options, a Cloud NAT gateway is the least suitable for cutting egress costs.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Google Cloud Platform Overview
Key term
Region
A region is a distinct geographic location where a cloud provider operates multiple data centers that are connected by low-latency networks and provide cloud services.
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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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.