PCNE Implementing a Virtual Private Cloud Practice Question
A company wants to deploy a web application with a public-facing load balancer and a private backend. The backend instances must not have external IPs. Which statement about the VPC configuration is correct?
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
✓
No additional configuration is required beyond creating the subnet.
Instances without external IPs can still receive traffic from a public load balancer. No additional configuration such as NAT or Private Google Access is needed. Option A is incorrect because Cloud NAT provides outbound internet access, not required for load balancer traffic. Option B is incorrect because the backend subnet does not need a default route to the internet; the load balancer uses internal routing. Option C is incorrect because Private Google Access is for accessing Google APIs, not for load balancer traffic.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cloud NAT must be configured for the backend subnet.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud NAT is used for outbound internet access from private instances, but it is not required for a public load balancer to route traffic to backend instances. The load balancer uses internal routing.
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The backend subnet must have a default route to the internet.
Why it's wrong here
A default route to the internet is not needed. The public load balancer can reach private instances through the VPC internal IP addresses without a default route.
- ✗
Private Google Access must be enabled on the backend subnet.
Why it's wrong here
Private Google Access allows instances without external IPs to access Google APIs and services, but it is not required for load balancer traffic.
- ✓
No additional configuration is required beyond creating the subnet.
Why this is correct
As long as the backend instances are in the same VPC as the load balancer, they can receive traffic from the load balancer without any additional configuration like NAT or Private Google Access.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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