Google PCA Manage implementation of cloud architecture Practice Question
A DevOps team is building a CI/CD pipeline for a microservices application deployed on Google Kubernetes Engine. They want to ensure that each microservice can be deployed independently without affecting other services. Which strategy should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between deployment strategies that affect the entire application (blue/green, global load balancer) versus those that allow per-service granularity (canary with service mesh), and candidates may mistakenly choose blue/green because it is a well-known pattern, ignoring the requirement for independent microservice deployments.
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
✓
Implement canary deployments with a service mesh such as Istio and use separate Cloud Build triggers per microservice.
It combines canary deployments with a service mesh (Istio) to gradually shift traffic to a new version of a single microservice, ensuring independent deployment without impacting other services. Separate Cloud Build triggers per microservice allow each service to be built and deployed independently, aligning with the microservices architecture's requirement for decoupled release cycles.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Implement canary deployments with a service mesh such as Istio and use separate Cloud Build triggers per microservice.
Why this is correct
Canary releases with service mesh enable fine-grained traffic management per microservice.
- ✗
Use blue/green deployments with a global load balancer to switch traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Blue/green typically switches all traffic; not ideal for per-service independent deployment.
- ✗
Use Cloud Deploy with rollout strategies and keep all microservices in the same GKE namespace.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Deploy supports progressive delivery but still needs service mesh for independent canary.
- ✗
Create a single monolithic pipeline that deploys all microservices simultaneously.
Why it's wrong here
No independent deployment possible.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
Key term
Microservices
Microservices is an architectural style where a software application is built as a collection of small, independent services, each handling a specific business function and communicating over a network.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every PCA question from scratch — 955 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.