easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
Google PCA Practice Question: Run a containerized web application that…
A company wants to run a containerized web application that experiences unpredictable traffic spikes. They want to pay only for resources used during request processing, with no idle cost. Which compute service should they choose?
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
✓
Cloud Run
Cloud Run is a serverless container platform that scales to zero when not in use and charges per request. It eliminates idle costs. GKE Autopilot has a per-pod billing model but still incurs some cost for the cluster control plane. App Engine Standard supports scaling to zero but is limited to specific runtimes. Compute Engine VMs incur cost for running instances even if idle.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) Autopilot
Why it's wrong here
Autopilot still has a cluster management fee and pods incur cost even if idle, though it scales down aggressively.
- ✓
Cloud Run
Why this is correct
Cloud Run scales to zero and charges per request, ideal for unpredictable traffic with no idle cost.
- ✗
App Engine Standard
Why it's wrong here
App Engine Standard can scale to zero but requires using specific runtimes; Cloud Run is more flexible for containers.
- ✗
Compute Engine with managed instance groups
Why it's wrong here
VMs run continuously; you pay for uptime even when idle.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
Key term
GKE
GKE is Google's managed Kubernetes service that automates deploying, scaling, and managing containerized applications in the cloud.
Key term
Service
A service is a software component or system that performs a specific function and is available to be used by other programs or users over a network.
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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.