The answer is to write logs to stdout and stderr, as Cloud Run automatically captures these streams and forwards them to Cloud Logging without requiring any additional agents, sidecars, or file-based logging configurations. This works because Cloud Run’s runtime environment is built on a serverless container model where standard output and standard error are natively intercepted and routed to the Cloud Logging API, eliminating the need for local file writes or custom logging drivers. On the Google Professional Cloud Developer exam, this question tests your understanding of the 12-factor app methodology and Cloud Run’s zero-configuration observability—a common trap is assuming you need to install a logging agent or mount a persistent volume for log files. Remember the memory tip: “stdout sends it out” — if your app writes to stdout or stderr, Cloud Run does the rest, keeping your migration clean and serverless-native.
PCD Deploying applications Practice Question
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 has a monolithic application that needs to be migrated to Cloud Run. The application currently writes logs to a local file. What is the best practice for handling logs in Cloud Run?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Write logs to stdout and stderr; Cloud Run automatically sends them to Cloud Logging.
Cloud Run is a serverless compute platform that automatically integrates with Cloud Logging. The best practice is to write logs to stdout and stderr because Cloud Run's runtime captures these streams and forwards them to Cloud Logging without any additional agents or sidecars. This approach aligns with the 12-factor app methodology and ensures logs are available for monitoring and troubleshooting.
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.
✗
Use a third-party logging agent installed in the container image.
Why it's wrong here
Not necessary and adds complexity; built-in logging suffices.
✓
Write logs to stdout and stderr; Cloud Run automatically sends them to Cloud Logging.
Why this is correct
Cloud Run collects stdout and stderr and sends them to Cloud Logging.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a sidecar container to ship logs to Stackdriver.
Why it's wrong here
Sidecar is not needed; Cloud Run natively captures stdout/stderr.
✗
Continue writing to a local file; Cloud Run will persist it.
Why it's wrong here
Filesystem is ephemeral and not persisted across requests.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may overcomplicate the solution by thinking a logging agent or sidecar is needed, when Cloud Run's serverless model already provides automatic log ingestion from stdout/stderr, and they may forget that the local filesystem is ephemeral and not suitable for persistent log storage.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Cloud Run uses the Knative serving runtime, which captures all output from the container's stdout and stderr streams and sends it to Cloud Logging via the fluentd-based logging agent built into the platform. This means logs are automatically structured and can be queried using Logs Explorer; there is no need to configure log sinks or install additional software. A subtle behavior is that logs written to stdout/stderr are batched and may have a slight delay (typically a few seconds) before appearing in Cloud Logging, but they are reliably delivered.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Deploying applications — This question tests Deploying applications — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Write logs to stdout and stderr; Cloud Run automatically sends them to Cloud Logging. — Cloud Run is a serverless compute platform that automatically integrates with Cloud Logging. The best practice is to write logs to stdout and stderr because Cloud Run's runtime captures these streams and forwards them to Cloud Logging without any additional agents or sidecars. This approach aligns with the 12-factor app methodology and ensures logs are available for monitoring and troubleshooting.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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This PCD 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 PCD exam.
Question Discussion
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