Google PCA Practice Question: Managing and Provisioning a Solution Infrastructure
A team is deploying a microservice on Cloud Run that needs to access a Cloud SQL database securely. They want to avoid using public IPs and ensure traffic stays within Google's network. Which configuration should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
PCA often tests the confusion between Private Google Access (for Google APIs) and Serverless VPC Access (for reaching VPC resources like Cloud SQL private IPs), leading candidates to pick the wrong connectivity mechanism.
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
✓
Use Serverless VPC Access and assign a private IP to the Cloud SQL instance
To keep Cloud Run traffic private and avoid public IPs, you use Serverless VPC Access to connect the Cloud Run service to a VPC, and the Cloud SQL instance is configured with a private IP in that VPC. This keeps all traffic within Google's network and avoids exposing the database publicly. The connector allows the serverless service to reach internal resources by IP.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure Cloud SQL with a public IP and use Cloud SQL Proxy in the Cloud Run service
Why it's wrong here
A public IP on Cloud SQL contradicts the requirement to avoid public IPs, even though the Cloud SQL Auth Proxy encrypts the connection. It is tempting because the proxy is the standard secure connector, and would be correct when the instance must be reached over a public address.
- ✗
Enable Private Google Access on the VPC subnet
Why it's wrong here
Private Google Access lets subnet resources reach Google APIs without external IPs, but Cloud Run's serverless egress does not use that subnet path to reach Cloud SQL. It is tempting because it removes public IPs for Google API traffic, and would be correct for Compute Engine VMs calling Google APIs privately.
- ✓
Use Serverless VPC Access and assign a private IP to the Cloud SQL instance
Why this is correct
Serverless VPC Access routes Cloud Run egress through a VPC connector, reaching Cloud SQL via its private IP entirely within Google's network. This satisfies the no-public-IP constraint, unlike the Cloud SQL Auth Proxy, which secures connectivity but still requires a public IP or private path.
- ✗
Create a VPC network peering between the Cloud Run tenant project and the Cloud SQL project
Why it's wrong here
VPC peering cannot be established with Cloud Run's Google-managed tenant project, so it never connects the service to Cloud SQL. It is tempting because peering is the usual private connectivity method between VPCs, and would be correct for linking two customer-owned VPC networks.
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
Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Networking Basics
Key term
IPS
An Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) is a network security device that monitors traffic in real time and automatically blocks threats before they reach your systems.
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.
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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.