easyMultiple Choice
Google PCA Practice Question: A startup wants to deploy a containerized web…
A startup wants to deploy a containerized web application with zero server management and automatic scaling based on HTTP requests. They expect very low traffic initially but want to scale to thousands of requests per second without configuration changes. Which compute service is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
PCA often tests the difference between serverless containers (Cloud Run) and orchestrated containers (GKE) — candidates may pick GKE for 'automatic scaling' but overlook that GKE requires cluster management, violating the zero-server-management requirement.
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 fully managed serverless container platform that abstracts all infrastructure, scales automatically from zero to thousands of requests per second based on HTTP traffic, and requires no cluster or server management. It directly matches the requirements of zero server management, automatic HTTP-based scaling, and no configuration changes as traffic grows.
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 with managed instance groups
Why it's wrong here
Managed instance groups require you to define instance templates, machine types and autoscaling policies, so servers are still managed and scaling is not request-driven. It is tempting because it autoscales VMs and suits lift-and-shift workloads, but it cannot scale to thousands of HTTP requests per second without configuration.
- ✓
Cloud Run
Why this is correct
Cloud Run scales automatically from zero to thousands of requests per second using request concurrency, with no server management or manual scaling configuration. This matches the low initial traffic and large burst capacity requirements without changes.
- ✗
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) Standard
Why it's wrong here
GKE Standard leaves node pool provisioning, sizing and cluster upgrades to the operator, so it does not deliver zero server management. It is tempting because it runs containers with horizontal pod autoscaling, but that suits teams wanting Kubernetes control, not a startup avoiding infrastructure configuration.
- ✗
App Engine Standard
Why it's wrong here
App Engine Standard runs sandboxed language runtimes, not arbitrary container images; custom containers require the Flexible environment, which provisions VMs and scales less instantly. It is tempting because it offers zero server management and request-based autoscaling, but only for supported runtimes.
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
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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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This PCA question is part of Courseiva's 807-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.