Managing Implementation and Ensuring Solution and Operations Reliability →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
Google PCA Practice Question: Managing Implementation and Ensuring Solution and Operations Reliability
A company runs a microservices application on GKE Autopilot. They want to implement canary deployments where a new version of a service receives 10% of traffic. Which approach should they use?
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 a Kubernetes Service with label selectors pointing to two Deployments (stable and canary) and scale the number of replicas to achieve 10% traffic
GKE Autopilot supports canary deployments using Kubernetes native features like multiple Deployments with a Service selector using a common label, and adjusting replica counts to control traffic. Istio or Traffic Director are not required. Cloud Deploy can be used but the simplest approach is to use a single Kubernetes Service with label selectors pointing to both Deployments and scaling replicas.
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 Istio VirtualService to split traffic between two subsets of the same Service
Why it's wrong here
While Istio can do this, the question does not mention Istio being installed. GKE Autopilot does not natively include Istio.
- ✓
Use a Kubernetes Service with label selectors pointing to two Deployments (stable and canary) and scale the number of replicas to achieve 10% traffic
Why this is correct
This is a standard Kubernetes canary pattern: a Service routes traffic to pods matching labels from both Deployments. By scaling replicas, you can approximate traffic percentage.
- ✗
Deploy the canary version using a separate Service with a different DNS name and configure the application to split traffic
Why it's wrong here
Deploying a separate Service with a different DNS name requires the application itself to implement client-side traffic splitting logic, which GKE Autopilot does not natively enforce at the ingress or service mesh level. This approach is tempting because it mirrors a common pattern for A/B testing or blue/green deployments where distinct DNS names allow manual routing via a load balancer or DNS weighting, but it fails here because the question demands a declarative, platform-managed traffic split without modifying application code.
- ✗
Use Cloud Deploy with a rollout strategy that sets traffic percentage to 10% for the canary
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Deploy is a CI/CD tool that can orchestrate canary deployments, but it typically works with GKE and can use native Kubernetes features. However, the simplest and most direct answer is the Kubernetes-native approach without assuming extra tools.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
Key term
GKE Autopilot
GKE Autopilot is a managed mode of Google Kubernetes Engine that automatically handles node provisioning, scaling, and maintenance so you only pay for your running pods.
Key term
Cloud Deploy
Cloud Deploy is the process of releasing software applications and updates from development to production environments that run on cloud infrastructure.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCA 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 PCA exam.