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Question 347 of 1,000
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How to Authenticate Cloud Scheduler to Cloud Run Using OIDC

This ACE practice question tests your understanding of ace exam topics. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 team wants to configure a Cloud Scheduler job to invoke a Cloud Run service endpoint every hour using HTTP POST. The Cloud Run service requires authentication. How should the Scheduler job be configured to authenticate?

Quick Answer

The correct answer is to configure the Cloud Scheduler job with OIDC authentication using a service account that has the Cloud Run Invoker permission. This works because Cloud Scheduler uses OpenID Connect to generate a short-lived OIDC token for the attached service account, which it then sends as a Bearer token in the Authorization header of the HTTP POST request to Cloud Run. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to securely invoke authenticated services without hardcoding credentials—a common trap is selecting basic authentication or forgetting to assign the `run.invoker` role to the service account. Remember that OIDC is the only method that automatically handles token generation and rotation for scheduled jobs. A helpful memory tip: "OIDC = Only IAM Does the Credentials"—the service account handles all the token work, so you never manage secrets.

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

✓

Configure the Cloud Scheduler job with OIDC authentication using a service account that has Cloud Run Invoker permission

Cloud Scheduler can authenticate to Cloud Run using OIDC (OpenID Connect) by attaching a service account to the job. The scheduler obtains an OIDC token for that service account and includes it as a Bearer token in the Authorization header. The service account must have the `run.invoker` IAM role on the Cloud Run service to authorize the invocation.

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.

  • ✗

    Include a Bearer token in the Authorization header of the scheduled HTTP request

    Why it's wrong here

    Static Bearer tokens are not recommended — they are long-lived credentials. OIDC tokens are short-lived and generated dynamically by Cloud Scheduler.

  • ✓

    Configure the Cloud Scheduler job with OIDC authentication using a service account that has Cloud Run Invoker permission

    Why this is correct

    Cloud Scheduler supports OIDC token authentication — it generates a short-lived token for the configured service account and sends it with each request. The service account needs Cloud Run Invoker on the target service.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • ✗

    Make the Cloud Run service publicly accessible and use Cloud Armor to restrict access to Cloud Scheduler IPs

    Why it's wrong here

    Cloud Scheduler IPs are not static — using OIDC is the correct, scalable authentication approach.

  • ✗

    Configure an API key for the Cloud Run service and include it in the scheduled request URL

    Why it's wrong here

    Cloud Run authentication uses IAM/OIDC tokens — API keys are not a valid authentication mechanism for Cloud Run.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Google Cloud often tests the distinction between OIDC and OAuth 2.0 in Cloud Scheduler, and the trap here is that candidates mistakenly think a static Bearer token or an API key can be used for Cloud Run authentication, when in fact only OIDC (or OAuth 2.0 for Google APIs) is supported for service-to-service invocation.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

When Cloud Scheduler uses OIDC authentication, it generates a signed JWT (JSON Web Token) with the service account's email as the `sub` claim and the Cloud Run service URL as the `aud` claim. The Cloud Run IAM proxy validates the token by checking the signature against Google's public keys and verifying the `aud` matches the service's URL. This mechanism ensures that only the scheduler job (with the correct service account) can invoke the endpoint, and it works even if the Cloud Run service is set to require authentication (i.e., `--no-allow-unauthenticated`).

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.

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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: Configure the Cloud Scheduler job with OIDC authentication using a service account that has Cloud Run Invoker permission — Cloud Scheduler can authenticate to Cloud Run using OIDC (OpenID Connect) by attaching a service account to the job. The scheduler obtains an OIDC token for that service account and includes it as a Bearer token in the Authorization header. The service account must have the `run.invoker` IAM role on the Cloud Run service to authorize the invocation.

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 30, 2026

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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.