Google PCA Manage implementation of cloud architecture Practice Question
A startup wants to deploy a containerized web application that must scale automatically based on incoming HTTP request volume and must be reachable at a stable HTTPS endpoint. The team has no Kubernetes experience and wants to minimize infrastructure management. Which Google Cloud service should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is equating containers with Kubernetes, when a managed serverless container platform can run the same image with far less operational effort.
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, with the container deployed as a service and request concurrency used to drive automatic scaling.
Cloud Run is a fully managed container platform that scales automatically in response to request volume and exposes an HTTPS endpoint by default. Because it abstracts away clusters and VMs, it fits a team without Kubernetes skills that wants to minimize infrastructure management while still running a containerized web application.
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 Autopilot with a HorizontalPodAutoscaler and an Ingress resource.
Why it's wrong here
GKE Autopilot reduces node management, but the team still needs to understand Kubernetes objects such as Deployments, Services, Ingress, and autoscaler configuration. For a team with no Kubernetes experience, this introduces a significant learning curve. It is more capable than needed and does not minimize operational complexity for this simple web workload.
- ✗
Compute Engine managed instance groups with an HTTP(S) load balancer and autoscaling based on CPU.
Why it's wrong here
Managed instance groups can autoscale and sit behind a load balancer, but the team must build and manage VM images, patching, and scaling logic themselves. There is no native request-based autoscaling signal, and the operational burden is high for a team without deep infrastructure experience. This does not minimize management effort as required.
- ✗
App Engine flexible environment with automatic scaling enabled and a custom runtime.
Why it's wrong here
App Engine flexible runs containers on managed VMs, but it still involves more configuration around runtimes, scaling settings, and instance management than Cloud Run. It is a valid platform, yet for a simple containerized web app with a stable HTTPS endpoint, Cloud Run offers a more streamlined, serverless experience with less operational overhead.
- ✓
Cloud Run, with the container deployed as a service and request concurrency used to drive automatic scaling.
Why this is correct
Cloud Run runs containers on a fully managed platform, scales instances automatically based on incoming requests and concurrency, and provides an HTTPS endpoint out of the box. It requires no cluster or VM management, which directly matches the team's lack of Kubernetes experience and their goal of minimizing infrastructure work.
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Related to this question
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Billing, Budgets, and Cost Management
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
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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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.