- A
Create a service account key, base64-encode it, and store it as a GitHub Actions secret.
Why wrong: This stores a long-lived SA key, which directly violates the organization's security policy.
- B
Use Workload Identity Federation to allow GitHub Actions to impersonate a service account using OIDC tokens.
WIF exchanges the GitHub OIDC token for a short-lived GCP credential. No SA key is created or stored anywhere.
- C
Grant the GitHub Actions runner VM's default service account the necessary roles.
Why wrong: GitHub Actions runners are not GCE VMs; they do not have a GCP-attached service account or access to the GCE metadata server.
- D
Use Cloud Build triggers instead of GitHub Actions to avoid key management.
Why wrong: Cloud Build is a valid alternative but does not solve the GitHub Actions key requirement; it bypasses the constraint rather than addressing it.
Quick Answer
The correct choice is Workload Identity Federation, which allows GitHub Actions to deploy Cloud Run without storing any long-lived service account keys. This approach works by having GitHub’s OIDC provider issue short-lived tokens that Google Cloud can validate, enabling GitHub Actions to impersonate a service account directly—no key material is ever downloaded or stored. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of secure CI/CD integration, often appearing as a trap where candidates might mistakenly choose to store keys in GitHub Secrets or use a service account key file. The key distinction is that Workload Identity Federation eliminates the need for any static secrets by relying on automatically rotated, one-hour tokens. Remember the mnemonic “FED for OIDC” to recall that Federation Exchanges Delegated credentials, keeping keys out of your pipeline entirely.
Google ACE Setting up a cloud solution environment Practice Question
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.
You are designing an environment where a CI/CD pipeline running in GitHub Actions needs to deploy Cloud Run services without storing any long-lived service account keys. Your organization's security policy prohibits downloading SA keys. Which approach meets these requirements?
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
Use Workload Identity Federation to allow GitHub Actions to impersonate a service account using OIDC tokens.
Workload Identity Federation allows GitHub Actions to exchange OIDC tokens from GitHub's identity provider for Google Cloud service account impersonation, eliminating the need to download and store long-lived service account keys. This approach satisfies the security policy by using short-lived, automatically rotated tokens that are valid for only one hour, and it integrates directly with GitHub's OIDC provider without requiring any secret key material.
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.
- ✗
Create a service account key, base64-encode it, and store it as a GitHub Actions secret.
Why it's wrong here
This stores a long-lived SA key, which directly violates the organization's security policy.
- ✓
Use Workload Identity Federation to allow GitHub Actions to impersonate a service account using OIDC tokens.
Why this is correct
WIF exchanges the GitHub OIDC token for a short-lived GCP credential. No SA key is created or stored anywhere.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Grant the GitHub Actions runner VM's default service account the necessary roles.
Why it's wrong here
GitHub Actions runners are not GCE VMs; they do not have a GCP-attached service account or access to the GCE metadata server.
- ✗
Use Cloud Build triggers instead of GitHub Actions to avoid key management.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Build is a valid alternative but does not solve the GitHub Actions key requirement; it bypasses the constraint rather than addressing it.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that you can rely on the runner VM's default service account in GitHub Actions, but GitHub-hosted runners are not GCP VMs, so that service account is irrelevant and the runner has no inherent GCP identity.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Workload Identity Federation uses the OIDC token issued by GitHub (containing the `sub` claim with the repository and environment) to call the GCP `sts.googleapis.com` endpoint via the Security Token Service (STS) to exchange it for a Google Cloud access token. The federation configuration includes an attribute mapping that validates the token's `aud` and `sub` claims against the workload identity pool provider, ensuring only authorized GitHub repositories can impersonate the service account. In real-world scenarios, this setup requires careful configuration of the OIDC thumbprint and the pool provider's attribute condition to prevent token reuse from other repositories.
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?
Setting up a cloud solution environment — This question tests Setting up a cloud solution environment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Workload Identity Federation to allow GitHub Actions to impersonate a service account using OIDC tokens. — Workload Identity Federation allows GitHub Actions to exchange OIDC tokens from GitHub's identity provider for Google Cloud service account impersonation, eliminating the need to download and store long-lived service account keys. This approach satisfies the security policy by using short-lived, automatically rotated tokens that are valid for only one hour, and it integrates directly with GitHub's OIDC provider without requiring any secret key material.
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
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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