PCNE Configuring Network Services Practice Question
A global e-commerce company has deployed a web application across multiple GCP regions using an external HTTPS load balancer. Traffic is expected to originate from users worldwide. They want to minimize latency and improve user experience, while also ensuring that traffic is served from the nearest healthy backend. Which load balancing configuration should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between global anycast-based load balancers and regional load balancers with DNS routing, where candidates mistakenly think that regional load balancers with Cloud CDN can achieve the same latency optimization as a global anycast load balancer.
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 a global external HTTP(S) load balancer with an anycast IP and enable Cloud CDN.
A global external HTTP(S) load balancer uses a single anycast IP address, which directs each user to the closest healthy backend based on the user's geographic location and backend health. Enabling Cloud CDN further reduces latency by caching content at Google's global edge locations, ensuring that static and dynamic content is served from the nearest point of presence.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Deploy a regional external HTTP(S) load balancer in each region and use Cloud CDN to cache content.
Why it's wrong here
Regional load balancers only serve traffic within that region; global routing is needed.
- ✓
Use a global external HTTP(S) load balancer with an anycast IP and enable Cloud CDN.
Why this is correct
Global load balancer uses anycast to route users to the nearest healthy backend automatically.
- ✗
Configure an internal TCP/UDP load balancer in each region with DNS-based geolocation routing.
Why it's wrong here
Internal load balancers are not exposed to the internet.
- ✗
Set up a global external TCP proxy load balancer with SSL termination at each backend.
Why it's wrong here
TCP proxy does not support HTTPS termination; it's for TCP traffic only.
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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.