Why serverless functions matter in GCP - Test Your Understanding

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to deploy a simple serverless function on Google Cloud Functions.

GCP

gcloud functions deploy myFunction --runtime [1] --trigger-http --allow-unauthenticated

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

Apython39

Bnodejs14

Cgo113

Druby27

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Choosing a runtime not supported by Google Cloud Functions.

Using an outdated or incorrect runtime version.

The correct runtime for deploying a Python 3.9 serverless function on Google Cloud Functions is python39.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to specify the entry point function name for your serverless function.

GCP

gcloud functions deploy myFunction --runtime python39 --entry-point [1] --trigger-http --allow-unauthenticated

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

Ahandler

Bmain

Cfunction

Dstart

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using a function name that does not exist in the code.

Leaving out the entry point parameter.

The entry point is the name of the function in your code that Cloud Functions will execute. handler is commonly used as the function name.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the function code to correctly handle an HTTP request in Python.

GCP

from flask import Response
def handler(request):
    return [1]('Hello, world!')

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

Astr

Bprint

CResponse

Dreturn

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Returning a plain string instead of an HTTP response.

Using print instead of return.

Google Cloud Functions expects an HTTP response object. Using flask.Response correctly returns an HTTP response.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to configure environment variables and memory allocation for the serverless function.

GCP

gcloud functions deploy myFunction --runtime python39 --trigger-http --set-env-vars [1]=prod --memory [2]

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

AENVIRONMENT

BREGION

C256MB

D512MB

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using incorrect environment variable names.

Omitting memory units or using invalid values.

Setting ENVIRONMENT=prod defines the environment variable. Allocating 256MB memory is a common minimal memory setting for serverless functions.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a serverless function that logs a message and returns a JSON response.

GCP

import json
import logging

def handler(request):
    logging.[1]('Function called')
    response = {'message': 'Success'}
    return json.[2](response), [3]

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

Ainfo

Bdumps

C200

Derror

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using wrong logging levels like error instead of info.

Returning a Python dict instead of a JSON string.

Omitting the HTTP status code.

logging.info logs an informational message. json.dumps converts the dictionary to a JSON string. 200 is the HTTP status code for success.

Practice

1. What is the main advantage of using serverless functions in cloud computing?

easy

A. You don't have to manage or maintain servers.

B. You get unlimited free storage space.

C. You can run code only on your local machine.

D. You must manually scale the servers.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand serverless function basics

   Serverless functions let you run code without worrying about the underlying servers.

2. Step 2: Compare options

   Only "You don't have to manage or maintain servers." correctly states that serverless means no server management is needed.

3. Final Answer:

   You don't have to manage or maintain servers. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Serverless means no server management [OK]

Hint: Serverless means no servers to manage [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking serverless means free unlimited storage
• Believing code runs only locally
• Assuming manual scaling is needed

2. Which of the following is the correct way to define a simple Google Cloud Function in Python?

easy

A. def my_function(): print('Hello World!')

B. def my_function(request): return 'Hello World!'

C. function my_function() { return 'Hello World!'; }

D. my_function = lambda: 'Hello World!'

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Google Cloud Function Python syntax

   Google Cloud Functions in Python expect a function with a request parameter to handle HTTP events.

2. Step 2: Check options

   def my_function(request): return 'Hello World!' matches the correct signature and returns a response string. Others either lack the request parameter or use wrong syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   def my_function(request): return 'Hello World!' -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Python cloud function needs request parameter [OK]

Hint: Python cloud functions need a request parameter [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting the request parameter in Python function
• Using JavaScript syntax in Python
• Defining functions without return statements

3. Consider this Google Cloud Function code snippet in Python:

def hello_world(request):
    name = request.args.get('name', 'Guest')
    return f'Hello, {name}!'

What will be the response if the function is called with URL parameter ?name=Alice?

medium

A. Hello, Alice!

B. Hello, Guest!

C. Error: missing name parameter

D. Hello, None!

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand request parameter handling

   The function looks for 'name' in the URL parameters and defaults to 'Guest' if not found.

2. Step 2: Analyze given URL parameter

   The URL has '?name=Alice', so the function gets 'Alice' as the name.

3. Final Answer:

   Hello, Alice! -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   URL param name=Alice returns Hello, Alice! [OK]

Hint: Check URL params; default used only if missing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming default is always used
• Expecting an error if parameter is missing
• Confusing None with default value

4. You deployed a Google Cloud Function but it never triggers on HTTP requests. Which of these is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The function is too large in size.

B. The function code has a syntax error.

C. The function was not set to trigger on HTTP events.

D. The function uses an unsupported runtime.

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify trigger configuration importance

   Cloud Functions must be configured with the correct trigger type to respond to events.

2. Step 2: Analyze the problem

   If HTTP requests don't trigger the function, likely the trigger is not set to HTTP.

3. Final Answer:

   The function was not set to trigger on HTTP events. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Trigger type must match event source [OK]

Hint: Check trigger type matches event source [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming syntax error causes no trigger
• Blaming function size for trigger failure
• Ignoring trigger configuration

5. You want to build a serverless app that processes images uploaded to Cloud Storage and resizes them automatically. Which approach best uses serverless functions to achieve this?

hard

A. Schedule a daily batch job on Compute Engine to resize all images.

B. Run a VM that constantly checks Cloud Storage for new images to resize.

C. Use a Cloud Function triggered by HTTP requests to resize images manually.

D. Deploy a Cloud Function triggered by Cloud Storage upload events to resize images.

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify event-driven serverless use case

   Serverless functions work well when triggered by events like file uploads.

2. Step 2: Match approach to automatic image resizing

   Deploy a Cloud Function triggered by Cloud Storage upload events to resize images uses Cloud Storage upload events to trigger resizing immediately without managing servers.

3. Final Answer:

   Deploy a Cloud Function triggered by Cloud Storage upload events to resize images. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Event-driven serverless = automatic processing [OK]

Hint: Use event triggers for automatic serverless tasks [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using VMs instead of serverless for event tasks
• Triggering functions manually via HTTP for automatic jobs
• Scheduling batch jobs instead of event triggers