- A
Refactor the application into microservices and deploy on Google Kubernetes Engine.
Why wrong: Refactoring requires significant code changes, which contradicts the requirement to minimize changes.
- B
Rehost the application on Compute Engine and use Cloud SQL for MySQL as the database.
Rehosting on Compute Engine with Cloud SQL minimizes changes and improves scalability and reliability.
- C
Containerize the application with Docker and run it on Cloud Run.
Why wrong: Containerization may require code changes for statelessness and Cloud Run has limitations that may not suit a monolithic app.
- D
Migrate the database to Firestore and rewrite the application to use Firestore APIs.
Why wrong: Rewriting to use Firestore involves significant code changes and is not a lift-and-shift approach.
Quick Answer
The answer is to rehost the application on Compute Engine and use Cloud SQL for MySQL. This is the correct choice because rehosting, also known as lift-and-shift, is the best migration strategy for a monolithic app with minimal code changes, as it moves the existing server and local MySQL database to Google Cloud without requiring application refactoring. By pairing Compute Engine with Cloud SQL, you gain managed backups, automated replication, and failover, directly improving scalability and reliability while keeping the application code untouched. On the Google Professional Cloud Architect exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the six common migration strategies—rehost, replatform, refactor, etc.—and the common trap is to over-engineer by choosing a container or serverless option, which would demand significant code changes. Remember the memory tip: "Lift it, shift it, don't rewrite it" to quickly identify rehosting when the question emphasizes minimal code changes.
Google PCA Design and plan a cloud solution architecture Practice Question
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of design and plan a cloud solution architecture. 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.
A company is migrating a legacy monolithic application to Google Cloud. The application currently runs on a single on-premises server and uses a local MySQL database. The company wants to minimize changes to the application code while improving scalability and reliability. Which migration strategy should the architect recommend?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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
Rehost the application on Compute Engine and use Cloud SQL for MySQL as the database.
Option B is correct because rehosting (lift-and-shift) the monolithic application to Compute Engine with Cloud SQL for MySQL minimizes code changes while improving scalability and reliability. Cloud SQL provides managed MySQL with automated backups, replication, and failover, addressing the need for reliability without requiring application refactoring.
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.
- ✗
Refactor the application into microservices and deploy on Google Kubernetes Engine.
Why it's wrong here
Refactoring requires significant code changes, which contradicts the requirement to minimize changes.
- ✓
Rehost the application on Compute Engine and use Cloud SQL for MySQL as the database.
Why this is correct
Rehosting on Compute Engine with Cloud SQL minimizes changes and improves scalability and reliability.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Containerize the application with Docker and run it on Cloud Run.
Why it's wrong here
Containerization may require code changes for statelessness and Cloud Run has limitations that may not suit a monolithic app.
- ✗
Migrate the database to Firestore and rewrite the application to use Firestore APIs.
Why it's wrong here
Rewriting to use Firestore involves significant code changes and is not a lift-and-shift approach.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often over-engineer the solution by choosing containerization or microservices, forgetting that the primary constraint is minimizing code changes, not modernizing the architecture.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Rehosting on Compute Engine allows the use of the same OS and MySQL version, while Cloud SQL for MySQL offers a fully managed database service with automatic storage scaling, read replicas, and point-in-time recovery. Under the hood, Cloud SQL uses a regional persistent disk and configures synchronous replication to a standby zone for high availability, which is transparent to the application via a single DNS endpoint.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCA question test?
Design and plan a cloud solution architecture — This question tests Design and plan a cloud solution architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Rehost the application on Compute Engine and use Cloud SQL for MySQL as the database. — Option B is correct because rehosting (lift-and-shift) the monolithic application to Compute Engine with Cloud SQL for MySQL minimizes code changes while improving scalability and reliability. Cloud SQL provides managed MySQL with automated backups, replication, and failover, addressing the need for reliability without requiring application refactoring.
What should I do if I get this PCA question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
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 PCA 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 PCA exam.
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