Google PCA Practice Question: Managing and Provisioning a Solution Infrastructure
A startup wants to deploy a stateless containerized API that must scale automatically from zero and be billed only when requests are processed. The team has no Kubernetes expertise and wants minimal operational overhead. Which Google Cloud service should the architect recommend?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is equating autoscaling with scale-to-zero, when GKE, managed instance groups, and App Engine flexible all keep minimum capacity running and bill for it even with no traffic.
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 image deployed as a service.
Cloud Run is the managed serverless container platform that scales to zero, bills per request and resource consumption, and removes cluster and node operations. Deploying the container image as a Cloud Run service gives the startup an HTTPS endpoint with automatic scaling and no idle cost, matching the stateless API, minimal operations, and pay-per-use requirements.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
App Engine flexible environment with automatic scaling.
Why it's wrong here
App Engine flexible runs containers on managed VMs but keeps at least one instance running, so it does not scale to zero and incurs baseline cost. It also has longer deployment times and less granular control over the runtime. For a stateless API that should be billed only when requests are processed, this does not meet the zero-cost-when-idle goal.
- ✗
Compute Engine managed instance group behind an external Application Load Balancer.
Why it's wrong here
A managed instance group can autoscale based on metrics, but it does not scale to zero and always keeps at least a minimum number of VMs running and billable. It also requires patching, image management, and load balancer configuration. This is more operational work and higher baseline cost than the serverless container option the scenario calls for.
- ✗
Google Kubernetes Engine with a cluster autoscaler and Horizontal Pod Autoscaler.
Why it's wrong here
GKE can scale pods and nodes, but it requires cluster management, node pool configuration, and Kubernetes expertise. It also does not scale to zero by default, so idle capacity remains billable. For a team without Kubernetes skills and a desire for request-based billing, this adds operational burden and cost that the scenario explicitly wants to avoid.
- ✓
Cloud Run with the container image deployed as a service.
Why this is correct
Cloud Run runs stateless containers, scales automatically including down to zero when there is no traffic, and bills per request and resource usage. It abstracts away cluster and node management, so a team without Kubernetes expertise can deploy a container image and get a managed HTTPS endpoint. This matches the scaling, billing, and low-overhead requirements precisely.
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
IAM Policies, Service Accounts, and Auditing
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.
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.