The best practice is to create the internal load balancer in the host project and share the backend from service projects. This is correct because in a Shared VPC architecture, the host project owns the VPC network and all its resources, including internal load balancers. By placing the ILB in the host project, its IP address is natively routable across the entire shared VPC, allowing any project in the organization to access it without needing additional peering or VPNs. On the Google Professional Cloud Network Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the host project’s central role in network control and the distinction between where the load balancer lives versus where its backends reside. A common trap is assuming the ILB must be created in each service project, which would fragment access and break cross-project connectivity. Remember the memory tip: “Host the frontend, share the backend”—the host project owns the ILB’s frontend IP, while service projects contribute backend instances.
PCNE Practice Question: Designing, planning, and prototyping a GCP network
This PCNE practice question tests your understanding of designing, planning, and prototyping a gcp network. 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.
A company uses Shared VPC with multiple service projects. They need to allow certain service projects to create internal load balancers (ILBs) that are accessible from all projects in the organization. What is the best practice?
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.
Deploy ILB in each service project and use global access
Why wrong: This creates multiple ILBs, not a single shared LB; global access allows cross-region clients to reach a regional ILB but does not solve cross-project access.
B
Create the ILB in the host project and share the backend
ILB in host project is accessible to all service projects in the Shared VPC.
C
Use Cloud NAT for outbound connectivity
Why wrong: Cloud NAT is for outbound internet, not internal LB.
D
Use VPC peering between each service project and the host project
Why wrong: Peering does not automatically allow access to host project resources.
E
Enable Private Service Connect
Why wrong: Private Service Connect is for exposing managed services, not internal LB.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create the ILB in the host project and share the backend
In a Shared VPC architecture, the host project owns the VPC network and its resources, including internal load balancers (ILBs). By creating the ILB in the host project and sharing its backend (e.g., instance groups from service projects), the ILB becomes accessible from all projects in the organization without additional connectivity. This approach centralizes network control and ensures the ILB's IP address is routable within the shared VPC, meeting the requirement for cross-project access.
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.
✗
Deploy ILB in each service project and use global access
Why it's wrong here
This creates multiple ILBs, not a single shared LB; global access allows cross-region clients to reach a regional ILB but does not solve cross-project access.
✓
Create the ILB in the host project and share the backend
Why this is correct
ILB in host project is accessible to all service projects in the Shared VPC.
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 Cloud NAT for outbound connectivity
Why it's wrong here
Cloud NAT is for outbound internet, not internal LB.
✗
Use VPC peering between each service project and the host project
Why it's wrong here
Peering does not automatically allow access to host project resources.
✗
Enable Private Service Connect
Why it's wrong here
Private Service Connect is for exposing managed services, not internal LB.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume 'global access' on an ILB enables cross-project access, but global access only allows clients from any region within the same VPC network to reach the ILB, not clients from different projects.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, an ILB in a Shared VPC uses the host project's VPC network, and its frontend IP is allocated from a subnet in the host project. Backend services can reference instance groups from any service project attached to the shared VPC, as long as those instances are in the same region and VPC network. This design leverages the fact that all service projects share the same VPC, so the ILB's VIP is natively routable to all projects without needing peering or additional routing rules.
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.
Designing, planning, and prototyping a GCP network — This question tests Designing, planning, and prototyping a GCP network — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create the ILB in the host project and share the backend — In a Shared VPC architecture, the host project owns the VPC network and its resources, including internal load balancers (ILBs). By creating the ILB in the host project and sharing its backend (e.g., instance groups from service projects), the ILB becomes accessible from all projects in the organization without additional connectivity. This approach centralizes network control and ensures the ILB's IP address is routable within the shared VPC, meeting the requirement for cross-project access.
What should I do if I get this PCNE 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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Question Discussion
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