HTTP(S) Load Balancer (Layer 7) in GCP - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to specify the protocol used by the HTTP(S) Load Balancer.

GCP

load_balancer = compute.loadBalancers().insert(project=project_id, body={"protocol": "[1]"})

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AFTP

BTCP

CUDP

DHTTP

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Choosing TCP or UDP which are Layer 4 protocols.

The HTTP(S) Load Balancer uses the HTTP protocol at Layer 7 to route requests.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to define the backend service for the HTTP(S) Load Balancer.

GCP

backend_service = compute.backendServices().insert(project=project_id, body={"name": "my-backend", "protocol": "[1]"})

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ASSL

BTCP

CHTTP

DUDP

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using TCP or UDP which are Layer 4 protocols.

The backend service for an HTTP(S) Load Balancer must use the HTTP protocol to handle Layer 7 traffic.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the URL map configuration for routing HTTP requests.

GCP

url_map = compute.urlMaps().insert(project=project_id, body={"defaultService": "[1]"})

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Abackend_service

BbackendService

Cbackend-service

Dbackendservice

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using underscores or hyphens instead of camelCase.

The correct key for specifying the backend service in a URL map is 'backendService' in camelCase.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a health check configuration for the HTTP(S) Load Balancer.

GCP

health_check = compute.healthChecks().insert(project=project_id, body={"type": "HTTP", "port": [1], "requestPath": "[2]"})

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A80

B/healthz

C443

D/status

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using HTTPS port 443 for HTTP health checks.

Using incorrect request paths.

HTTP health checks typically use port 80 and a path like '/healthz' to verify backend health.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to define a URL map with path matcher and host rule for the HTTP(S) Load Balancer.

GCP

url_map = compute.urlMaps().insert(project=project_id, body={"hostRules": [{"hosts": ["[1]"], "pathMatcher": "[2]"}], "pathMatchers": [{"name": "[3]", "defaultService": backend_service_url}]})

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aexample.com

Bpath-matcher-1

CpathMatcher1

Ddefault-matcher

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mismatching path matcher names.

Using invalid host names.

The host rule uses the domain 'example.com', and the path matcher name must match between hostRules and pathMatchers, here 'path-matcher-1'.

Practice

1. What is the primary function of an HTTP(S) Load Balancer in Google Cloud Platform?

easy

A. Distribute incoming web traffic across multiple backend services

B. Store user data securely in the cloud

C. Create virtual machines automatically

D. Monitor network latency between regions

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of HTTP(S) Load Balancer

   It is designed to spread incoming web traffic to multiple backend services to improve performance and reliability.

2. Step 2: Eliminate unrelated functions

   Storing data, creating VMs, and monitoring latency are not functions of the load balancer.

3. Final Answer:

   Distribute incoming web traffic across multiple backend services -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Load balancer = traffic distribution [OK]

Hint: Load balancer = spreading traffic to backends [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing load balancer with storage or VM services
• Thinking it monitors network latency
• Assuming it creates resources automatically

2. Which component is NOT part of the HTTP(S) Load Balancer setup in GCP?

easy

A. Cloud Storage bucket

B. Forwarding rule

C. Target proxy

D. URL map

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify components of HTTP(S) Load Balancer

   It includes URL maps, forwarding rules, and target proxies to route traffic.

2. Step 2: Recognize unrelated components

   Cloud Storage bucket is for storing files, not part of load balancing setup.

3. Final Answer:

   Cloud Storage bucket -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Storage bucket ≠ load balancer component [OK]

Hint: Storage buckets store files, not route traffic [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing storage services with load balancer parts
• Mixing forwarding rules with storage buckets
• Assuming all GCP services are load balancer components

3. Given this URL map configuration snippet, which backend service will handle requests to /images/*?

{
  "hostRules": [{"hosts": ["*"], "pathMatcher": "allpaths"}],
  "pathMatchers": [{
    "name": "allpaths",
    "defaultService": "backend-service-default",
    "pathRules": [{"paths": ["/images/*"], "service": "backend-service-images"}]
  }]
}

medium

A. backend-service-default

B. backend-service-images

C. backend-service-static

D. backend-service-api

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze path rules in URL map

   The path rule for /images/* points to backend-service-images.

2. Step 2: Understand default service role

   Requests not matching specific paths use backend-service-default, but /images/* matches a specific path rule.

3. Final Answer:

   backend-service-images -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Specific path rule overrides default service [OK]

Hint: Specific path rules override default backend [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing default service instead of specific path service
• Ignoring path pattern matching
• Confusing backend service names

4. A user configures an HTTP(S) Load Balancer but finds that requests to /api/* are not routed to the intended backend service. Which is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The backend service is not in the same region

B. The forwarding rule is missing

C. The target proxy is not HTTPS

D. The URL map lacks a path rule for /api/*

Solution

1. Step 1: Check URL map path rules

   If /api/* is missing in path rules, requests won't route correctly.

2. Step 2: Verify other components

   Forwarding rule and target proxy affect traffic flow but missing path rule directly causes routing failure. Backend region mismatch usually causes latency, not routing failure.

3. Final Answer:

   The URL map lacks a path rule for /api/* -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Missing path rule = routing failure [OK]

Hint: Check URL map paths if routing fails [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming forwarding rule absence causes routing error
• Confusing HTTPS proxy with routing logic
• Ignoring URL map path rules

5. You want to design a scalable web application using GCP's HTTP(S) Load Balancer that routes traffic based on URL paths to different backend services. Which design approach ensures high availability and efficient routing?

hard

A. Use a single backend service for all traffic and scale it vertically

B. Deploy multiple forwarding rules each pointing to different backend services without URL maps

C. Configure URL map with path matchers directing to multiple regional backend services behind managed instance groups

D. Use TCP Load Balancer instead of HTTP(S) Load Balancer for path-based routing

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand path-based routing needs

   HTTP(S) Load Balancer uses URL maps with path matchers to route requests to different backends efficiently.

2. Step 2: Ensure scalability and availability

   Using multiple regional backend services behind managed instance groups provides scalability and high availability.

3. Step 3: Evaluate other options

   Single backend limits scalability; multiple forwarding rules without URL maps cannot do path-based routing; TCP Load Balancer does not support Layer 7 routing.

4. Final Answer:

   Configure URL map with path matchers directing to multiple regional backend services behind managed instance groups -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   URL map + regional backends = scalable routing [OK]

Hint: Use URL maps with regional backends for scalable routing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using single backend limits scalability
• Misusing forwarding rules for path routing
• Choosing TCP Load Balancer for HTTP path routing