PCNE Configuring Network Services Practice Question
A developer wants to use Cloud CDN to cache static assets from an external origin (not a GCP bucket). Which backend type supports this?
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
✓
Internet NEG
Internet NEG allows specifying an external FQDN as a backend, enabling Cloud CDN to cache content from external origins. Backend buckets are for GCS. Serverless NEG is for Cloud Run/Functions/App Engine. Zonal NEG is for GCP VMs/containers.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Backend bucket
Why it's wrong here
Backend bucket is for Cloud Storage, not arbitrary external origins.
- ✗
Serverless NEG
Why it's wrong here
Serverless NEG points to GCP serverless services, not external origins.
- ✗
Zonal NEG
Why it's wrong here
Zonal NEG is for GCP backends (VM instances or containers), not external origins.
- ✓
Internet NEG
Why this is correct
Internet NEG is designed to reference an external endpoint via FQDN, enabling CDN caching.
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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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.