mediumMultiple Select
Google PCA Practice Question: Run containerized applications on Google Cloud…
A company wants to run containerized applications on Google Cloud with minimal operational overhead. They prefer to use a serverless container platform. Which TWO compute options should they consider? (Choose 2.)
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
✓
GKE Autopilot
GKE Autopilot (D) is correct because it is a fully managed, serverless-style Kubernetes mode in which Google provisions and manages the nodes, scaling, and cluster infrastructure, letting the company run containerized workloads with minimal operational overhead. Cloud Run (fully managed) (E) is correct because it is a serverless container platform that abstracts away all infrastructure, scales automatically (including to zero), and bills only for resources used, directly matching the requirement to run containers with minimal operations. Compute Engine (A) is not appropriate because it provides raw VMs that the company must patch, scale, and manage itself, which is high operational overhead and not serverless. GKE Standard (B) is not the best fit because, although it runs containers, the company remains responsible for node pools, upgrades, and cluster operations. Cloud Functions (C) is incorrect because it runs event-driven functions rather than arbitrary containerized applications, so it does not satisfy the containerized-application requirement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Compute Engine
Why it's wrong here
Compute Engine provides raw virtual machines, leaving OS patching, scaling and cluster management to the customer, which contradicts the minimal-overhead requirement. It is correct when full kernel-level control or persistent VM workloads are needed, not for serverless container hosting.
- ✗
GKE Standard
Why it's wrong here
GKE Standard leaves node pool provisioning, upgrades and scaling under customer control, so operational overhead stays high. It is the right choice when custom node configurations, daemonsets or specific networking control are required, unlike the fully managed serverless container platforms sought here.
- ✗
Cloud Functions
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Functions executes event-driven source code, not container images, so it cannot host the containerised workloads described. It is the right choice for lightweight single-purpose functions triggered by HTTP, Pub/Sub or storage events, not for packaging and running OCI containers.
- ✓
GKE Autopilot
Why this is correct
GKE Autopilot provisions and manages the cluster's nodes, scaling and patching them automatically, so teams deploy pods without handling node operations. It runs containers natively, satisfying the serverless preference and the minimal-operational-overhead constraint, unlike standard GKE where you manage node pools yourself.
- ✓
Cloud Run (fully managed)
Why this is correct
Cloud Run abstracts all cluster and node management, scaling to zero and billing per request, so the team deploys containers without provisioning or patching servers. That directly satisfies the stem's demand for a serverless container platform with minimal operational overhead.
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
Deployment Manager and Infrastructure as Code
Key term
Cloud Run
Cloud Run is a fully managed compute platform from Google Cloud that lets you run containerized applications in a serverless environment, automatically scaling from zero to thousands of requests.
Key term
Cloud Functions
Cloud Functions are serverless compute services that let you run single-purpose code in response to events without managing servers.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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