The answer is to set the Cloud Run service to require authentication and restrict the IAM policy to principals from the corporate domain. This configuration is correct because Cloud Run integrates with IAM to enforce authentication via the `--no-allow-unauthenticated` flag, and then uses IAM conditions—specifically checking that `request.auth.claims.email` ends with `@example.com`—to ensure only authenticated requests from that domain are permitted. On the Google Professional Cloud Developer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of combining IAM conditions with Cloud Run’s identity-aware proxy capabilities, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly try to use network-level restrictions or domain-wide firewall rules instead of IAM-based domain filtering. A common memory tip is to think “auth first, domain filter second”—always require authentication before applying domain conditions, as unauthenticated requests bypass IAM entirely. Remember the mnemonic “No Unauthenticated, then Domain Restricted” to lock in the correct two-step approach.
PCD Building and testing applications Practice Question
This PCD practice question tests your understanding of building and testing applications. 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 is developing a REST API on Cloud Run. They need to ensure that only authenticated requests from their corporate domain (example.com) are allowed. Which configuration should they use?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Set the Cloud Run service to require authentication and allow only the domain 'example.com' in the IAM policy
Option A is correct because Cloud Run's IAM integration allows you to require authentication (via the `--no-allow-unauthenticated` flag) and then use IAM conditions to restrict access to principals from a specific domain (e.g., `request.auth.claims.email` ends with `@example.com`). This ensures only authenticated requests from the corporate domain are permitted, leveraging Google Cloud's identity-aware proxy (IAP) capabilities without additional infrastructure.
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.
✓
Set the Cloud Run service to require authentication and allow only the domain 'example.com' in the IAM policy
Why this is correct
IAM policy with 'domain:example.com' on the service's roles/run.invoker restricts access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Implement custom authentication using Firestore to validate user tokens
Why it's wrong here
Overly complex; Cloud Run's IAM integration can handle domain restriction.
✗
Use Cloud Endpoints with an API key that is shared only with corporate users
Why it's wrong here
API keys do not authenticate users; they identify projects.
✗
Use Cloud Armor to deny traffic except from the corporate IP range
Why it's wrong here
Cloud Armor operates at load balancing layer, not authentication per request.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between authentication (verifying identity) and authorization (controlling access), and the trap here is that candidates confuse IP-based controls (Cloud Armor) with identity-based controls (IAM conditions), leading them to choose option D despite its inability to handle authenticated domain restrictions.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud Run uses IAM roles like `roles/run.invoker` to control access, and IAM conditions can evaluate `request.auth.claims.email` or `request.auth.claims.hd` (hosted domain) for Google-issued tokens. Under the hood, Cloud Run integrates with Google's Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP) to enforce these conditions at the edge, ensuring only tokens with the correct `hd` claim (e.g., `example.com`) are accepted. A real-world scenario is a company with a hybrid workforce where IP-based restrictions fail; domain-based IAM conditions provide a scalable, identity-centric solution.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Building and testing applications — This question tests Building and testing applications — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set the Cloud Run service to require authentication and allow only the domain 'example.com' in the IAM policy — Option A is correct because Cloud Run's IAM integration allows you to require authentication (via the `--no-allow-unauthenticated` flag) and then use IAM conditions to restrict access to principals from a specific domain (e.g., `request.auth.claims.email` ends with `@example.com`). This ensures only authenticated requests from the corporate domain are permitted, leveraging Google Cloud's identity-aware proxy (IAP) capabilities without additional infrastructure.
What should I do if I get this PCD 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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Question Discussion
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