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Question 83 of 500

Deploying and implementing a cloud solution →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is to store sessions in Cloud Memorystore (Redis) shared by all replicas. This is correct because a shared session store decouples session state from individual pod lifecycles; Cloud Memorystore provides a centralized, in-memory data store that all GKE replicas can access simultaneously, ensuring session data persists even if a replica restarts. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of stateful versus stateless application design in Kubernetes—a common trap is assuming session data can be stored locally in a pod’s ephemeral storage, which is lost on restart. Instead, Cloud Memorystore acts as the single source of truth, meeting the requirement for no data loss and shared access across replicas. Memory tip: “Redis for replicas, not local disks”—if sessions must survive restarts, always push them to a centralized store like Memorystore.

Google ACE Deploying and implementing a cloud solution Practice Question

This ACE practice question tests your understanding of deploying and implementing a cloud solution. 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.

You need to deploy a containerized application to GKE that stores user session data. The application has 3 replicas. Session data must not be lost if a replica is restarted. All replicas share the same session store. Which architecture handles this correctly?

Question 1mediummultiple choice

Full question →

A
Store sessions in each pod's memory; use session affinity on the load balancer to route users to the same pod.
Why wrong: Session affinity works until a pod restarts — at that point, session data is lost. It also creates uneven load distribution and doesn't survive pod failures.
B
Store sessions in Cloud Memorystore (Redis) shared by all replicas.
Redis is a fast, shared, durable session store. All replicas read/write to the same Redis instance. Pod restarts don't lose sessions since data lives outside the pod.
C
Use an emptyDir volume shared between replicas for session storage.
Why wrong: emptyDir volumes are pod-local and ephemeral — they can't be shared between different pods and are deleted on pod termination.
D
Store sessions in a Cloud SQL table with a connection pool per replica.
Why wrong: Cloud SQL can store sessions but adds SQL connection overhead and higher latency for what is fundamentally a cache/KV access pattern. Redis is purpose-built for session storage with lower latency.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Store sessions in Cloud Memorystore (Redis) shared by all replicas.

Option B is correct because Cloud Memorystore (Redis) provides a centralized, persistent, and highly available session store that all replicas can access. This ensures session data survives pod restarts and is shared across all replicas, meeting the requirement for no data loss and shared access.

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.

✗
Store sessions in each pod's memory; use session affinity on the load balancer to route users to the same pod.
Why it's wrong here
Session affinity works until a pod restarts — at that point, session data is lost. It also creates uneven load distribution and doesn't survive pod failures.
✓
Store sessions in Cloud Memorystore (Redis) shared by all replicas.
Why this is correct
Redis is a fast, shared, durable session store. All replicas read/write to the same Redis instance. Pod restarts don't lose sessions since data lives outside the pod.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use an emptyDir volume shared between replicas for session storage.
Why it's wrong here
emptyDir volumes are pod-local and ephemeral — they can't be shared between different pods and are deleted on pod termination.
✗
Store sessions in a Cloud SQL table with a connection pool per replica.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud SQL can store sessions but adds SQL connection overhead and higher latency for what is fundamentally a cache/KV access pattern. Redis is purpose-built for session storage with lower latency.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Google Cloud often tests the misconception that session affinity alone ensures session persistence, but the trap here is that session affinity only routes traffic to the same pod, not that the pod's memory survives restarts, so candidates must recognize that shared external storage is required for data durability.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Cloud Memorystore for Redis uses an in-memory data structure store with optional persistence (e.g., AOF or RDB snapshots) to disk, ensuring session data survives restarts. Redis supports atomic operations like SETEX for session expiration, which is ideal for session management. In a real-world scenario, using Redis with a sidecar pattern or as a managed service avoids the overhead of database connections and provides sub-millisecond latency for session reads/writes.

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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.

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?

Deploying and implementing a cloud solution — This question tests Deploying and implementing a cloud solution — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Store sessions in Cloud Memorystore (Redis) shared by all replicas. — Option B is correct because Cloud Memorystore (Redis) provides a centralized, persistent, and highly available session store that all replicas can access. This ensures session data survives pod restarts and is shared across all replicas, meeting the requirement for no data loss and shared access.

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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