Google ACE Practice Question: Ensuring Successful Operation of a Cloud Solution
You have a Compute Engine instance running a web server. You need to allow HTTP traffic from the internet to this instance. You have already created a firewall rule that allows ingress on tcp:80 from 0.0.0.0/0. However, the instance is not receiving any traffic. You check the instance and see it has no external IP address. What should you do to allow external traffic?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is thinking that a firewall rule alone is sufficient for external access, when the instance also needs a public IP address to be reachable from the internet.
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
✓
Add an external IP address to the instance, either ephemeral or static.
The instance lacks an external IP address, so it cannot receive traffic from the internet even though the firewall rule allows it. Assigning an external IP (ephemeral or static) enables inbound connectivity. Cloud NAT is for outbound only, and a load balancer, while possible, adds unnecessary complexity for this scenario.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Assign a static external IP address to the instance.
Why it's wrong here
Assigning a static external IP address provides a permanent public IP, but the instance still needs to be configured to accept external traffic. The firewall rule already allows traffic, but without an external IP, the instance cannot receive traffic from the internet. However, a static IP is not strictly necessary; an ephemeral external IP would also work. The core issue is the lack of any external IP.
- ✗
Configure an HTTP(S) load balancer with the instance as a backend, and use the load balancer's IP for external traffic.
Why it's wrong here
An HTTP(S) load balancer can route external traffic to a backend instance without an external IP, but it requires additional configuration and the instance must be in an instance group. The question states the instance is not receiving traffic due to no external IP; the simplest solution is to assign an external IP. A load balancer is overkill and not the direct fix.
- ✓
Add an external IP address to the instance, either ephemeral or static.
Why this is correct
Without an external IP address, the instance cannot receive traffic from the internet. Adding an external IP (ephemeral or static) enables the instance to communicate with external clients. The firewall rule already permits ingress on tcp:80, so once the instance has an external IP, traffic will reach it. This is the correct action.
- ✗
Create a Cloud NAT gateway and configure the instance to use it.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud NAT allows instances without external IPs to initiate outbound connections to the internet, but it does not allow inbound connections from the internet. Since you need to allow HTTP traffic from the internet to the instance, Cloud NAT is not suitable. The instance requires a public IP to accept inbound traffic.
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Cloud Run and App Engine
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.
Key term
NAT
NAT (Network Address Translation) is a method that allows multiple devices on a private network to share a single public IP address when accessing the internet.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Google Cloud exam blueprint
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.