- A
Cloud DNS — create a CNAME record pointing to the Cloud Run URL
Why wrong: Cloud DNS can create CNAME records, but Cloud Run URLs are not static endpoints — a Cloud Run domain mapping is needed to get a stable endpoint for DNS.
- B
Cloud Run Domain Mappings or a Global Load Balancer with a Serverless NEG
Cloud Run Domain Mappings provide the simplest path to custom domains with automatic TLS. For advanced routing, a Global Load Balancer with a Serverless Network Endpoint Group (NEG) is used.
- C
Cloud Endpoints with an API gateway configuration
Why wrong: Cloud Endpoints is an API management layer — it can be used with Cloud Run but adds complexity. It's not the standard approach for simply mapping a custom domain.
- D
Firebase Hosting rewrites to Cloud Run
Why wrong: Firebase Hosting can proxy requests to Cloud Run, but it adds a Firebase dependency — Cloud Run Domain Mappings are the direct, native solution.
Map a Custom Domain to Cloud Run Service
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of ace exam topics. 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 startup runs its application entirely on Cloud Run. They want to use a custom domain (api.mycompany.com) instead of the default Cloud Run URL. Which GCP feature maps a custom domain to a Cloud Run service?
Quick Answer
The answer is Cloud Run Domain Mappings or a Global Load Balancer with a Serverless NEG, as both are officially supported GCP features for mapping a custom domain to a Cloud Run service. Cloud Run Domain Mappings provide a native, managed solution that automatically provisions an SSL certificate and handles DNS verification without requiring additional infrastructure, making it the simplest direct approach. Alternatively, a Global Load Balancer with a Serverless NEG offers advanced capabilities like traffic splitting, custom URL rules, and multi-region failover, which is why the exam tests your understanding of both options. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this question often appears as a scenario where you must choose between a lightweight, fully managed mapping versus a more feature-rich load-balanced solution. A common trap is assuming only the load balancer works, but remember that Domain Mappings are purpose-built for this exact task. Memory tip: think “Domain Mappings for direct, Load Balancer for control.”
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
Cloud Run Domain Mappings or a Global Load Balancer with a Serverless NEG
Option B is correct because Cloud Run Domain Mappings provide a native, managed way to map a custom domain to a Cloud Run service without additional infrastructure. Alternatively, a Global Load Balancer with a Serverless NEG (Network Endpoint Group) can also route traffic from a custom domain to Cloud Run, offering advanced features like SSL termination and traffic splitting. Both approaches are officially supported by Google Cloud for custom domain mapping.
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.
- ✗
Cloud DNS — create a CNAME record pointing to the Cloud Run URL
Why it's wrong here
Cloud DNS can create CNAME records, but Cloud Run URLs are not static endpoints — a Cloud Run domain mapping is needed to get a stable endpoint for DNS.
- ✓
Cloud Run Domain Mappings or a Global Load Balancer with a Serverless NEG
Why this is correct
Cloud Run Domain Mappings provide the simplest path to custom domains with automatic TLS. For advanced routing, a Global Load Balancer with a Serverless Network Endpoint Group (NEG) is used.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Cloud Endpoints with an API gateway configuration
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Endpoints is an API management layer — it can be used with Cloud Run but adds complexity. It's not the standard approach for simply mapping a custom domain.
- ✗
Firebase Hosting rewrites to Cloud Run
Why it's wrong here
Firebase Hosting can proxy requests to Cloud Run, but it adds a Firebase dependency — Cloud Run Domain Mappings are the direct, native solution.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume a simple DNS CNAME record is sufficient, but Cloud Run requires domain ownership verification and SSL certificate management, which only Domain Mappings or a Load Balancer with Serverless NEG provide.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud Run Domain Mappings automatically provision a Google-managed SSL certificate via Let's Encrypt and handle domain verification through Google Search Console or DNS TXT records. When using a Global Load Balancer with a Serverless NEG, the load balancer terminates SSL and forwards traffic to Cloud Run via HTTP, enabling features like Cloud Armor, CDN, and custom routing rules. A subtle behavior: if you use a Serverless NEG, the Cloud Run service must be configured to accept traffic from the load balancer's VPC, and the load balancer's IP address must be used for DNS resolution, not the Cloud Run URL.
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
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ACE question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Cloud Run Domain Mappings or a Global Load Balancer with a Serverless NEG — Option B is correct because Cloud Run Domain Mappings provide a native, managed way to map a custom domain to a Cloud Run service without additional infrastructure. Alternatively, a Global Load Balancer with a Serverless NEG (Network Endpoint Group) can also route traffic from a custom domain to Cloud Run, offering advanced features like SSL termination and traffic splitting. Both approaches are officially supported by Google Cloud for custom domain mapping.
What should I do if I get this ACE 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 →
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This ACE 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 ACE exam.
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