This PCD practice question tests your understanding of deploying applications. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 deploying a static website on Cloud Storage with a custom domain. They want to serve the website over HTTPS. They have created a bucket with the same name as the domain and uploaded the files. They have verified the domain ownership in Search Console and added the bucket as a CNAME record in their DNS. Users report that when they navigate to the domain, they get a 404 error. The company has verified that the bucket's main page suffix is set to index.html. The team is confident the files are uploaded correctly. They need to resolve the 404 error and serve the site over HTTPS. What should they do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a Cloud Load Balancer with the bucket as backend and update DNS.
Option C is correct because to serve a static website on Cloud Storage with a custom domain and HTTPS, you must use a Cloud Load Balancer (HTTP(S) LB) with the bucket as the backend, and then point your DNS to the load balancer's IP address. Option A is incorrect because you cannot point an A record directly to a bucket; Cloud Storage does not provide a static IP. Option B is incorrect because Cloud CDN improves performance but does not enable HTTPS for a custom domain. Option D is incorrect because setting public ACLs is not sufficient for HTTPS; you still need a load balancer for SSL termination.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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 Cloud Load Balancer with the bucket as backend and update DNS.
Why this is correct
A Cloud Load Balancer provides SSL termination and a static IP for custom domains.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Add a DNS A record pointing to the load balancer IP instead of a CNAME.
Why it's wrong here
There is no load balancer yet; simply changing DNS record type does not create one.
✗
Enable Cloud CDN on the bucket.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud CDN does not provide custom domain HTTPS; it only accelerates content delivery.
✗
Set the bucket's default object ACL to public read.
Why it's wrong here
Public ACLs allow access but do not enable HTTPS for a custom domain.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related PCD NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Deploying applications — This question tests Deploying applications — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a Cloud Load Balancer with the bucket as backend and update DNS. — Option C is correct because to serve a static website on Cloud Storage with a custom domain and HTTPS, you must use a Cloud Load Balancer (HTTP(S) LB) with the bucket as the backend, and then point your DNS to the load balancer's IP address. Option A is incorrect because you cannot point an A record directly to a bucket; Cloud Storage does not provide a static IP. Option B is incorrect because Cloud CDN improves performance but does not enable HTTPS for a custom domain. Option D is incorrect because setting public ACLs is not sufficient for HTTPS; you still need a load balancer for SSL termination.
What should I do if I get this PCD question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related PCD NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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