- A
Cloud VPN connecting the VPC to the internet
Why wrong: Cloud VPN connects a GCP VPC to an on-premises network or another VPC — it's not used for providing internet access to private VMs.
- B
Cloud NAT configured on the VPC's Cloud Router
Cloud NAT provides outbound internet connectivity for VMs with private IPs through NAT translation, while keeping them unreachable from inbound internet traffic.
- C
A VPC firewall rule allowing egress to 0.0.0.0/0 on all ports
Why wrong: A firewall egress rule allows outbound traffic, but VMs with only private IPs still can't reach the internet without a NAT gateway — routing is the issue, not firewall rules alone.
- D
An internal load balancer with internet routing enabled
Why wrong: Internal load balancers route traffic within a VPC — they don't provide NAT or internet access for private VMs.
Quick Answer
The answer is Cloud NAT configured on the VPC's Cloud Router. This service is the correct choice because it enables outbound internet from private IP VMs by translating their internal addresses into ephemeral public IPs for outbound traffic only, while explicitly blocking any unsolicited inbound connections from the internet. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Cloud NAT works with Cloud Router to dynamically allocate NAT IPs and ports, often appearing as a distractor against using a bastion host or a VM with a public IP. A common trap is confusing Cloud NAT with a VPN or proxy—remember that Cloud NAT is strictly for outbound-only internet access, not for inbound traffic or site-to-site connectivity. Memory tip: think “NAT = outbound only, no inbound gate.”
Google ACE Configuring access and security Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of configuring access and security. 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.
A GCP project needs to allow outbound internet access from VMs that have only private IP addresses, without exposing those VMs to inbound internet traffic. Which GCP service provides 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
Cloud NAT configured on the VPC's Cloud Router
Cloud NAT (Network Address Translation) is the correct service because it allows VMs with only private IP addresses to initiate outbound connections to the internet while preventing any inbound connections from the internet. It works by translating the private source IP addresses of outbound packets to a set of ephemeral public IP addresses managed by Google, using the VPC's Cloud Router to dynamically allocate NAT IPs and ports. This meets the requirement of outbound-only internet access without exposing the VMs to inbound traffic.
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 VPN connecting the VPC to the internet
Why it's wrong here
Cloud VPN connects a GCP VPC to an on-premises network or another VPC — it's not used for providing internet access to private VMs.
- ✓
Cloud NAT configured on the VPC's Cloud Router
- ✗
A VPC firewall rule allowing egress to 0.0.0.0/0 on all ports
- ✗
An internal load balancer with internet routing enabled
Why it's wrong here
Internal load balancers route traffic within a VPC — they don't provide NAT or internet access for private VMs.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse egress firewall rules (which only permit traffic to leave) with the need for a NAT gateway to provide a routable public source IP for return traffic, leading them to incorrectly select the firewall rule option.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud NAT uses source network address translation (SNAT) with port address translation (PAT) to map multiple private VM instances to a pool of public IP addresses, typically using RFC 1918 addresses. It integrates with Cloud Router to handle dynamic IP allocation and supports manual or automatic NAT IP assignment, with a default connection timeout of 10 minutes for TCP and 30 seconds for UDP. In a real-world scenario, this is critical for private VMs that need to download updates or access external APIs without exposing them to inbound attacks, as Cloud NAT does not allow unsolicited inbound connections even if the NAT IP is known.
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 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
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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Configuring access and security — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ACE question test?
Configuring access and security — This question tests Configuring access and security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Cloud NAT configured on the VPC's Cloud Router — Cloud NAT (Network Address Translation) is the correct service because it allows VMs with only private IP addresses to initiate outbound connections to the internet while preventing any inbound connections from the internet. It works by translating the private source IP addresses of outbound packets to a set of ephemeral public IP addresses managed by Google, using the VPC's Cloud Router to dynamically allocate NAT IPs and ports. This meets the requirement of outbound-only internet access without exposing the VMs to inbound traffic.
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.
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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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