This ACE practice question tests your understanding of setting up a cloud solution environment. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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.
An organization needs to set up a new Google Cloud project with restricted access to only approved IP ranges for SSH into VMs. Which Google Cloud service should be used?
Cloud Armor
Why wrong: Cloud Armor is for network DDoS protection, not IP-based access to VMs.
Cloud NAT
Why wrong: Cloud NAT provides outbound internet access, not inbound restriction.
VPC Firewall Rules
Firewall rules can restrict inbound SSH to specific source IP ranges.
Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP) TCP forwarding
Why wrong: IAP uses identity, not source IP, to control access.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
VPC Firewall Rules
VPC Firewall Rules (Option C) are the correct choice because they allow you to restrict inbound SSH (TCP port 22) traffic to specific source IP ranges by defining ingress rules at the VPC network level. This directly enforces IP-based access control for SSH into VM instances without additional services or proxies.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Cloud Armor
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Armor is for network DDoS protection, not IP-based access to VMs.
Cloud NAT
Why it's wrong here
Cloud NAT provides outbound internet access, not inbound restriction.
VPC Firewall Rules
Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP) TCP forwarding
Why it's wrong here
IAP uses identity, not source IP, to control access.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Cloud Armor (a WAF for HTTP/S) with network-layer firewall rules, or assume IAP TCP forwarding is for IP whitelisting when it actually uses identity-based access, not source IP restrictions.
Detailed technical explanation
VPC Firewall Rules are stateful and evaluated at the instance network interface level, supporting both ingress and egress rules with priority-based ordering (0-65535, lower number = higher priority). A common subtlety is that firewall rules apply to the entire VPC network or subnetwork, not to individual instances, and they support protocol-specific filtering (e.g., tcp:22 for SSH) with source ranges in CIDR notation (e.g., 203.0.113.0/24).
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Setting up a cloud solution environment — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Setting up a cloud solution environment practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All ACE questions
500 questions across all exam domains
Google Associate Cloud Engineer study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
ACE practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise ACE questions linked to Setting up a cloud solution environment.
Practise ACE questions linked to Planning and configuring a cloud solution.
Practise ACE questions linked to Deploying and implementing a cloud solution.
Practise ACE questions linked to Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution.
Practise ACE questions linked to Configuring access and security.
Practise ACE questions linked to ACE fundamentals.
Practise ACE questions linked to ACE scenario.
Practise ACE questions linked to ACE troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Setting up a cloud solution environment — This question tests Setting up a cloud solution environment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: VPC Firewall Rules — VPC Firewall Rules (Option C) are the correct choice because they allow you to restrict inbound SSH (TCP port 22) traffic to specific source IP ranges by defining ingress rules at the VPC network level. This directly enforces IP-based access control for SSH into VM instances without additional services or proxies.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 →
Keep practising
Last reviewed: Jun 25, 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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.