- A
Global external Application Load Balancer with Cloud Armor blocking non-VPN IPs
Why wrong: External load balancers expose the service publicly — blocking IPs with Cloud Armor is fragile and doesn't truly restrict access to internal networks.
- B
Internal Application Load Balancer with a VPC-private IP
Internal ALBs receive a private RFC 1918 IP reachable within the VPC and connected networks (VPN, Interconnect). The service is never exposed to the public internet.
- C
A ClusterIP Service with an external IP range allowlist
Why wrong: ClusterIP Services are cluster-internal only — they're not reachable from on-premises systems, even via VPN.
- D
NodePort Service with VPC firewall rules restricting access to VPN IP ranges
Why wrong: NodePort exposes a port on every node and requires the VPN client to know node IPs directly — not a scalable or clean solution for internal API exposure.
Quick Answer
The correct choice is an Internal Application Load Balancer with a VPC-private IP because it exposes your GKE APIs exclusively within your Virtual Private Cloud network, making them reachable from other cluster services and from on-premises systems via VPN while blocking all public internet traffic by design. This Layer 7 load balancer uses an internal IP address that is not internet-routable, so no additional firewall rules are needed to keep the APIs private—the VPN connection simply extends the VPC, allowing on-premises traffic to reach the internal IP. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this question tests your understanding of when to use an internal versus external load balancer, with the common trap being to choose an external load balancer paired with a firewall rule, which still exposes a public endpoint. Remember the key distinction: if the requirement says “accessible via VPN” and “not from the public internet,” the answer is always an internal load balancer with a private IP. A helpful memory tip is “Internal for VPN, External for everyone.”
Google ACE Planning and configuring a cloud solution Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of planning and configuring a cloud solution. 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 deploys an application with sensitive internal APIs on GKE. The APIs should be reachable from other GKE services in the cluster and from on-premises systems via VPN, but not from the public internet. Which load balancer configuration meets 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
Internal Application Load Balancer with a VPC-private IP
An Internal Application Load Balancer (HTTP/HTTPS) with a VPC-private IP is correct because it exposes the APIs only within the VPC network, making them reachable from other GKE services in the cluster and from on-premises systems via VPN (which extends the VPC), while blocking all public internet traffic by design. This load balancer operates at Layer 7 and uses an internal IP address that is not routable from the internet, satisfying the requirement without relying on additional access controls.
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.
- ✗
Global external Application Load Balancer with Cloud Armor blocking non-VPN IPs
Why it's wrong here
External load balancers expose the service publicly — blocking IPs with Cloud Armor is fragile and doesn't truly restrict access to internal networks.
- ✓
Internal Application Load Balancer with a VPC-private IP
Why this is correct
Internal ALBs receive a private RFC 1918 IP reachable within the VPC and connected networks (VPN, Interconnect). The service is never exposed to the public internet.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
A ClusterIP Service with an external IP range allowlist
Why it's wrong here
ClusterIP Services are cluster-internal only — they're not reachable from on-premises systems, even via VPN.
- ✗
NodePort Service with VPC firewall rules restricting access to VPN IP ranges
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that a ClusterIP Service can be made externally accessible with an allowlist, but ClusterIP is strictly cluster-internal and cannot be reached from on-premises systems via VPN without additional components like a proxy or ingress.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
An Internal Application Load Balancer in GKE is implemented as a regional internal HTTP(S) load balancer that uses a private IP from a VPC subnet and is accessible only within the VPC network or via Cloud VPN/VPC peering. Under the hood, it uses Envoy-based proxies deployed in Google's managed infrastructure, which terminate TLS and route traffic based on host and path rules, making it ideal for internal microservices communication. A real-world scenario where this matters is when an organization must comply with strict security policies that prohibit any public exposure of internal APIs, even with IP allowlisting, as allowlists can be bypassed by spoofing or misconfiguration.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ACE question test?
Planning and configuring a cloud solution — This question tests Planning and configuring a cloud solution — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Internal Application Load Balancer with a VPC-private IP — An Internal Application Load Balancer (HTTP/HTTPS) with a VPC-private IP is correct because it exposes the APIs only within the VPC network, making them reachable from other GKE services in the cluster and from on-premises systems via VPN (which extends the VPC), while blocking all public internet traffic by design. This load balancer operates at Layer 7 and uses an internal IP address that is not routable from the internet, satisfying the requirement without relying on additional access controls.
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 30, 2026
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