Google PCA Practice Question: Managing and Provisioning a Solution Infrastructure
An engineer wants to store a database password securely and allow a Cloud Run service to access it. Which GCP service should they use?
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
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Secret Manager
Secret Manager is designed for storing secrets like passwords, API keys, and certificates. It integrates with Cloud Run via volume mounts or environment variables. Cloud KMS is for encryption keys. Cloud Storage is for objects. Firestore is a database.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Secret Manager
Why this is correct
Secret Manager securely stores secrets and provides fine-grained access control.
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Cloud Storage
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Storage can store files, but it's not designed for secret management with versioning and IAM.
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Cloud Key Management Service (KMS)
Why it's wrong here
KMS manages cryptographic keys, not secrets directly.
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Firestore
Why it's wrong here
Firestore is a NoSQL database, not a secret store.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to Google Cloud Platform
Key term
Secret Manager
A Secret Manager is a centralized tool that securely stores, manages, and controls access to sensitive information like passwords, API keys, and certificates, often automating their rotation and injection into applications.
Key term
Cloud KMS
Cloud KMS (Key Management Service) is a cloud-based service that lets you create, manage, and use encryption keys to protect your data at rest and in transit.
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JA
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.