Google PCA Practice Question: Analysing and Optimising Technical and Business Processes
An application running on Compute Engine frequently makes connection requests to a Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance. The connections are short-lived and many are created per second. What should be implemented to reduce latency and connection overhead?
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
✓
Deploy PgBouncer on the application server or as a sidecar
Connection pooling reuses database connections instead of creating new ones for each request. PgBouncer is a lightweight connection pooler for PostgreSQL. Cloud SQL Auth Proxy is for secure connections but does not pool.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Deploy PgBouncer on the application server or as a sidecar
Why this is correct
PgBouncer pools and reuses backend connections, so many short-lived client connections multiplex onto a small set of persistent Cloud SQL connections. This removes per-request connection setup overhead, directly addressing the stem's high connection rate and latency constraint.
- ✗
Increase the number of vCPUs on the Cloud SQL instance
Why it's wrong here
Adding vCPUs increases query processing capacity, not connection handling; Cloud SQL's connection overhead stems from per-connection process creation, which a connection pooler such as Auth Proxy or PgBouncer addresses. It is tempting because more CPU helps under load, but it does not reduce the cost of establishing each short-lived connection.
- ✗
Enable connection scaling in Cloud SQL
Why it's wrong here
Connection scaling adjusts Cloud SQL's own instance resources, not the per-connection handshake cost that short-lived connections incur. It is tempting because it addresses connection load generally, and would suit sustained high concurrent session counts against a single instance rather than rapid connect/disconnect churn.
- ✗
Use Cloud SQL Auth Proxy with private IP
Why it's wrong here
Cloud SQL Auth Proxy secures and authenticates connectivity but still establishes a fresh database session per connection, so handshake and authentication overhead remains. It is tempting because it is the standard secure-connectivity method, and would be correct when the requirement is encrypted, IAM-authenticated access without authorised networks.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Virtual Machine Instances in Compute Engine
Key term
Proxy
A proxy is an intermediary server that sits between a client and a destination server, forwarding requests and responses while providing security, privacy, and control.
Key term
Cloud SQL
Cloud SQL is a fully managed relational database service that lets you set up, maintain, and scale SQL databases (like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server) in the cloud without managing the underlying infrastructure.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.