- A
Increase max-instances
Why wrong: Increases capacity but does not directly reduce per-request latency.
- B
Enable HTTP/2
Why wrong: May improve multiplexing but not as impactful as cold start reduction.
- C
Reduce container image size
Reduces startup time, lowering latency for new instances.
- D
Use a regional endpoint
Why wrong: May add network latency compared to global endpoint.
- E
Enable min-instances
Keeps instances warm, reducing cold start latency.
Question 986 of 1,000
PCDOE Optimizing service performance Practice Question
This PCDOE practice question tests your understanding of optimizing service performance. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 optimizing a Cloud Run service. Which two actions can reduce request latency? (Select TWO.)
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
✓
Reduce container image size
Reducing the container image size decreases the time required to pull the image from the registry to the compute instance, which directly reduces cold-start latency. Enabling min-instances keeps a specified number of instances always warm, eliminating cold-start delays for baseline traffic. Both actions address the most common sources of latency in serverless Cloud Run deployments.
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.
- ✗
Increase max-instances
Why it's wrong here
Increases capacity but does not directly reduce per-request latency.
- ✗
Enable HTTP/2
Why it's wrong here
May improve multiplexing but not as impactful as cold start reduction.
- ✓
Reduce container image size
Why this is correct
Reduces startup time, lowering latency for new instances.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use a regional endpoint
Why it's wrong here
May add network latency compared to global endpoint.
- ✓
Enable min-instances
Why this is correct
Keeps instances warm, reducing cold start latency.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that increasing max-instances or enabling HTTP/2 directly reduces per-request latency, when in fact those options address scalability and concurrency, not the cold-start or image-pull delays that dominate latency in serverless environments.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Container image size affects cold-start latency because Cloud Run must pull the image from Artifact Registry or Container Registry to the worker node; smaller images (e.g., using distroless or Alpine bases) reduce pull time from seconds to sub-second. Min-instances pre-allocate instances and keep them idle, so requests bypass the entire cold-start sequence (image pull, filesystem setup, container startup), which can take 2–10 seconds depending on image size and runtime. In practice, combining min-instances with a small image provides the best latency profile for production workloads.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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 |
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Optimizing service performance — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Optimizing service performance practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All PCDOE questions
1,000 questions across all exam domains
- →
Google Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
PCDOE practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related PCDOE practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Design and Plan Database Solutions practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Design and Plan Database Solutions.
Manage Database Solutions practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Manage Database Solutions.
Migrate Database Solutions practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Migrate Database Solutions.
Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery.
Bootstrapping a Google Cloud organization for DevOps practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Bootstrapping a Google Cloud organization for DevOps.
Managing service incidents practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Managing service incidents.
Managing Google Cloud costs practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Managing Google Cloud costs.
Building and implementing CI/CD pipelines practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Building and implementing CI/CD pipelines.
Implementing service monitoring strategies practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Implementing service monitoring strategies.
Optimizing service performance practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Optimizing service performance.
PCDOE fundamentals practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to PCDOE fundamentals.
PCDOE scenario practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to PCDOE scenario.
Practice this exam
Start a free PCDOE practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCDOE question test?
Optimizing service performance — This question tests Optimizing service performance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Reduce container image size — Reducing the container image size decreases the time required to pull the image from the registry to the compute instance, which directly reduces cold-start latency. Enabling min-instances keeps a specified number of instances always warm, eliminating cold-start delays for baseline traffic. Both actions address the most common sources of latency in serverless Cloud Run deployments.
What should I do if I get this PCDOE 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 →
Keep practising
More PCDOE practice questions
- Order the steps to configure a VPC Network Peering between two projects.
- Refer to the exhibit. The Cloud Build fails with a permission error. The Cloud Build service account has roles/cloudbuil…
- A company is setting up a new Google Cloud organization. They want to ensure that all projects inherit common IAM polici…
- A DevOps team is bootstrapping their Google Cloud organization and wants to enable Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Te…
- To securely manage secrets (e.g., API keys) used in Cloud Build pipelines, which service should be used?
- A DevOps engineer needs to set up a centralized logging solution for multiple projects. They want to store logs in a Big…
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PCDOE 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 PCDOE exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.