PCNE Configuring Network Services Practice Question
A company runs a global e-commerce platform with a monolithic application deployed on Compute Engine. They want to modernize by splitting the monolith into microservices running on Cloud Run and Cloud Functions, and expose them externally via a single anycast IP with Google-managed SSL certificates. Which load balancer 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
✓
Global External HTTPS Load Balancer
The Global External HTTPS Load Balancer supports serverless NEGs for Cloud Run and Cloud Functions, provides an anycast IP, and offers Google-managed SSL certificates. The Regional External HTTPS LB is regional and does not provide global anycast. The Global SSL Proxy LB does not support serverless NEGs. The Global TCP Proxy LB also does not support serverless NEGs.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Global TCP Proxy Load Balancer
Why it's wrong here
Does not support serverless NEGs; only TCP backends without SSL offload.
- ✗
Regional External HTTPS Load Balancer
Why it's wrong here
Regional, not global; does not provide anycast IP across regions.
- ✗
Global SSL Proxy Load Balancer
Why it's wrong here
Does not support serverless NEGs; only TCP backends.
- ✓
Global External HTTPS Load Balancer
Why this is correct
Correct. It supports serverless NEGs, global anycast IP, and Google-managed SSL certificates.
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 |
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCNE 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 PCNE exam.