Google PCA Design and plan a cloud solution architecture Practice Question
A small e-commerce team wants to deploy a containerized storefront to Google Cloud with minimal operational overhead. Traffic is steady, the team has no Kubernetes expertise, and they want to pay only for what they use while the service scales automatically. Which compute option should the architect recommend?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is equating any autoscaling service with zero operational overhead, when managed instance groups and Kubernetes still require the team to run infrastructure.
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 services with request-based autoscaling and scale-to-zero enabled.
The deciding factors are the containerized workload, the lack of Kubernetes skills, and the desire for consumption-based pricing with automatic scaling. Cloud Run accepts a container image, manages all infrastructure, and scales instances up and down with request load, including down to zero when idle. That removes cluster operations entirely while still billing per use, which is exactly the profile the team described.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Cloud Run services with request-based autoscaling and scale-to-zero enabled.
Why this is correct
Cloud Run runs container images on a fully managed platform, scales instances automatically with incoming requests, and can scale to zero so the team pays only for requests actually served. There are no clusters or nodes to manage, and the developer workflow is a simple container push and deploy. This directly matches the requirements for minimal operations, automatic scaling, and consumption-based cost.
- ✗
Compute Engine managed instance groups with an autoscaling policy based on CPU utilization.
Why it's wrong here
Managed instance groups autoscale VMs, but the team must still build and patch images, manage instance templates, and handle rolling updates themselves. That is more operational work than a fully managed container platform, and the team asked to minimize overhead. It also does not deploy the container image directly without additional tooling, so it does not match the request.
- ✗
Google Kubernetes Engine Autopilot cluster with a Horizontal Pod Autoscaler.
Why it's wrong here
GKE Autopilot removes node management, but the team still has to design deployments, services, ingress, and autoscaling policies, which requires Kubernetes expertise the team does not have. It is a strong choice for teams already fluent in Kubernetes, but here it adds conceptual overhead and a steeper learning curve than the scenario calls for. Pay-per-pod billing does not offset that operational burden.
- ✗
App Engine standard environment with automatic scaling and an instance class sized for peak traffic.
Why it's wrong here
App Engine standard scales automatically and is fully managed, but it imposes runtime and language constraints and does not run arbitrary container images the way the team's containerized storefront requires. Sizing for peak traffic also conflicts with paying only for what is used. It is a reasonable platform for certain web apps, but the container packaging requirement makes it a poorer fit here.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Resource Monitoring and Logging with Cloud Operations
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.
Key term
Image
An image is a complete snapshot of a system's operating system, applications, and settings, used to deploy or restore computing environments quickly.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Google Cloud exam blueprint
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.