- A
Inject them directly in the Cloud Run YAML configuration.
Why wrong: Exposing secrets in plaintext in configuration files is insecure.
- B
Embed them in the container image as environment variables.
Why wrong: Embedding secrets in the image is insecure; they are visible to anyone with image access.
- C
Store them in a Cloud Storage bucket and mount as a volume.
Why wrong: Not recommended without additional encryption; Secret Manager is better.
- D
Use Secret Manager to store the secrets and refer to them in the Cloud Run service.
Secret Manager securely stores secrets and integrates with Cloud Run.
Question 390 of 999
PCD Deploying applications Practice Question
This PCD practice question tests your understanding of deploying applications. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A team is deploying a microservice on Cloud Run that requires environment variables with sensitive information, such as database passwords. What is the recommended way to provide these secrets?
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 Secret Manager to store the secrets and refer to them in the Cloud Run service.
Option D is correct because Secret Manager is Google Cloud's dedicated service for securely storing and managing sensitive data like API keys and database passwords. Cloud Run natively integrates with Secret Manager, allowing you to reference secret versions by name in your service configuration without exposing the secret value in plaintext. This approach ensures secrets are encrypted at rest and in transit, and access can be tightly controlled via IAM permissions.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Inject them directly in the Cloud Run YAML configuration.
Why it's wrong here
Exposing secrets in plaintext in configuration files is insecure.
- ✗
Embed them in the container image as environment variables.
Why it's wrong here
Embedding secrets in the image is insecure; they are visible to anyone with image access.
- ✗
Store them in a Cloud Storage bucket and mount as a volume.
Why it's wrong here
Not recommended without additional encryption; Secret Manager is better.
- ✓
Use Secret Manager to store the secrets and refer to them in the Cloud Run service.
Why this is correct
Secret Manager securely stores secrets and integrates with Cloud Run.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse Cloud Storage with a volume mount capability in Cloud Run, or mistakenly think embedding secrets in the container image is acceptable because it 'works' in local development, ignoring the security and compliance implications in a production environment.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Cloud Run resolves Secret Manager references at deployment time by injecting the secret value as an environment variable or mounted volume, but the secret value is never stored in the Cloud Run service configuration. The integration uses the Secret Manager API with IAM conditions to ensure only the Cloud Run service account has access to the specific secret version. A subtle behavior is that if you update the secret version in Secret Manager, Cloud Run does not automatically pick up the new value unless you redeploy the service, which is important for secret rotation strategies.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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Deploying applications — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCD question test?
Deploying applications — This question tests Deploying applications — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Secret Manager to store the secrets and refer to them in the Cloud Run service. — Option D is correct because Secret Manager is Google Cloud's dedicated service for securely storing and managing sensitive data like API keys and database passwords. Cloud Run natively integrates with Secret Manager, allowing you to reference secret versions by name in your service configuration without exposing the secret value in plaintext. This approach ensures secrets are encrypted at rest and in transit, and access can be tightly controlled via IAM permissions.
What should I do if I get this PCD question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PCD 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 PCD exam.
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