Google PCA Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) Practice Question
A company runs a web application on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) that experiences sudden spikes in traffic. They need to automatically scale the number of pods and also ensure that the cluster itself can scale by adding new nodes when needed. Which TWO components should they configure to achieve this?
⚠ Common exam trap
The question explicitly asks for THREE, but only two options are correct. Do not select a third incorrect option just to fill the count.
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
✓
Cluster Autoscaler
Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) automatically scales the number of pods based on CPU utilization or other metrics. Cluster Autoscaler automatically adjusts the size of the GKE cluster by adding or removing nodes when pods are unschedulable or nodes are underutilized. Together they provide pod-level and node-level scaling. Vertical Pod Autoscaler (VPA) adjusts resource requests but does not scale pods or nodes. Node Auto-Repair handles node health, not scaling. Pod Disruption Budget (PDB) protects pods during maintenance. Only options A and C are correct.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Cluster Autoscaler
Why this is correct
Cluster Autoscaler adds or removes nodes as needed when pods are pending.
- ✗
Vertical Pod Autoscaler (VPA)
Why it's wrong here
VPA adjusts pod resource requests/limits but does not scale pod count or nodes.
- ✓
Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA)
Why this is correct
HPA automatically scales the number of pods based on load.
- ✗
Node Auto-Repair
Why it's wrong here
Node Auto-Repair automatically repairs unhealthy nodes, but does not scale.
- ✗
Pod Disruption Budget (PDB)
Why it's wrong here
A Pod Disruption Budget (PDB) limits the number of pods that can be voluntarily evicted simultaneously during maintenance or upgrades, but it does not trigger any scaling action. The scenario requires automatic scaling of pods and nodes, which is achieved by Horizontal Pod Autoscaler and Cluster Autoscaler, not by a PDB. It is tempting because PDBs protect application availability during disruptions, making them correct for ensuring resilience during node drains, but they lack any mechanism to respond to traffic spikes.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
Key term
Pod
A pod is the smallest deployable unit in Kubernetes, containing one or more containers that share storage, network, and a specification for how to run.
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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