Deployment Manager as native IaC in GCP - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding Deployment Manager Templates

What is the primary purpose of a template in Google Cloud Deployment Manager?

A To store user credentials for cloud access

B To define reusable resource configurations for deployments

C To monitor deployed resources in real-time

D To automatically scale virtual machines based on load

💡 Hint

Think about what you reuse when creating multiple similar resources.

Templates in Deployment Manager define reusable resource configurations, allowing you to deploy consistent infrastructure repeatedly.

❓ Configuration

intermediate

YAML Configuration for a Compute Engine Instance

Given the following Deployment Manager YAML snippet, how many VM instances will be created?

resources:
- name: my-vm
  type: compute.v1.instance
  properties:
    zone: us-central1-a
    machineType: zones/us-central1-a/machineTypes/n1-standard-1
    disks:
    - deviceName: boot
      type: PERSISTENT
      boot: true
      autoDelete: true
      initializeParams:
        sourceImage: projects/debian-cloud/global/images/family/debian-10
    networkInterfaces:
    - network: global/networks/default
      accessConfigs:
      - name: External NAT
        type: ONE_TO_ONE_NAT

A Depends on the number of zones

B 0

C 1

D 2

💡 Hint

Count the resource entries defined in the YAML.

There is one resource named 'my-vm' of type compute.v1.instance, so one VM instance will be created.

❓ Architecture

advanced

Deployment Manager Resource Dependencies

In Deployment Manager, if you want to ensure a Cloud Storage bucket is created before a Compute Engine instance that uses it, which approach correctly enforces this order?

A Use the 'dependsOn' field in the instance resource to reference the bucket resource

B Create the bucket and instance in separate deployments

C Deploy the instance first, then the bucket manually

D Specify the bucket name as a property without dependencies

💡 Hint

Think about how to tell Deployment Manager about resource creation order.

The 'dependsOn' field explicitly tells Deployment Manager to create the bucket before the instance, ensuring correct order.

❓ security

advanced

Managing Secrets in Deployment Manager

Which is the best practice to handle sensitive data like API keys in Deployment Manager templates?

A Send secrets via email to deployment team before deployment

B Hardcode API keys directly in the YAML configuration

C Include secrets in public Git repositories for easy access

D Store secrets in Google Secret Manager and reference them in templates

💡 Hint

Consider secure storage options provided by Google Cloud.

Using Google Secret Manager to store and reference secrets keeps sensitive data secure and separate from code.

❓ service_behavior

expert

Deployment Manager Update Behavior

When you update a Deployment Manager configuration that changes the machine type of a Compute Engine instance, what is the expected behavior during deployment update?

A Deployment Manager deletes the existing instance and creates a new one with the new machine type

B Deployment Manager updates the machine type in place without downtime

C Deployment Manager ignores the change and keeps the old machine type

D Deployment Manager pauses the deployment and requires manual intervention

💡 Hint

Think about how immutable some resource properties are in GCP.

Changing machine type requires recreating the instance, so Deployment Manager deletes the old instance and creates a new one.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of Google Cloud Deployment Manager?

easy

A. To define and manage cloud resources using code

B. To manually create resources through the console

C. To monitor cloud resource usage in real-time

D. To provide a graphical interface for cloud billing

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Deployment Manager's role

   Deployment Manager lets you write code to define cloud resources instead of manual setup.

2. Step 2: Compare options

   Only To define and manage cloud resources using code describes defining and managing resources using code, which matches Deployment Manager's purpose.

3. Final Answer:

   To define and manage cloud resources using code -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Deployment Manager = Infrastructure as Code [OK]

Hint: Deployment Manager = write code for cloud setup [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Deployment Manager with monitoring tools
• Thinking it is a manual console tool
• Mixing it with billing or cost tools

2. Which of the following is the correct way to start a Deployment Manager YAML configuration file?

easy

A. services:

B. resources:

C. instances:

D. deployments:

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall YAML structure for Deployment Manager

   The root key to list cloud resources is resources:.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   Options like deployments:, instances:, and services: are not valid root keys in Deployment Manager YAML.

3. Final Answer:

   resources: -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   YAML starts with resources: [OK]

Hint: Deployment Manager YAML always starts with resources: [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using wrong root keys like deployments or instances
• Confusing resource types with YAML structure
• Starting with service names instead of resources

3. Given this Deployment Manager snippet:

resources:
- name: my-vm
  type: compute.v1.instance
  properties:
    zone: us-central1-a
    machineType: zones/us-central1-a/machineTypes/n1-standard-1

What resource is being created?

medium

A. A network firewall rule

B. A storage bucket in us-central1-a

C. A SQL database instance

D. A virtual machine instance in zone us-central1-a

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify resource type

   The type compute.v1.instance means a virtual machine (VM) instance.

2. Step 2: Check properties

   The zone and machineType confirm it's a VM in zone us-central1-a with a standard machine type.

3. Final Answer:

   A virtual machine instance in zone us-central1-a -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   compute.v1.instance = VM instance [OK]

Hint: compute.v1.instance means VM instance [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing instance with storage or database
• Ignoring the type field
• Assuming default zone without checking properties

4. You wrote this Deployment Manager YAML:

resources:
- name: my-vm
  type: compute.v1.instance
  properties:
    zone: us-central1-a
    machineType: n1-standard-1

Why does deployment fail?

medium

A. name property cannot be my-vm

B. zone property is invalid

C. machineType property is missing zone prefix

D. type compute.v1.instance is deprecated

Solution

1. Step 1: Check machineType format

   machineType must include full path with zone prefix like zones/us-central1-a/machineTypes/n1-standard-1.

2. Step 2: Validate other fields

   zone is valid, name is allowed, and type is current. Only machineType format is wrong.

3. Final Answer:

   machineType property is missing zone prefix -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   machineType needs full path [OK]

Hint: machineType needs full zone path like zones/zone/machineTypes/type [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using short machineType without zone prefix
• Changing name to fix error
• Assuming type is deprecated

5. You want to create two VM instances in Deployment Manager using one YAML file. Which approach is best?

hard

A. List two separate resource entries under resources with different names

B. Create one resource with two names separated by commas

C. Use a loop inside YAML to repeat the resource

D. Write two separate YAML files and deploy them separately

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand YAML resource listing

   Deployment Manager YAML supports multiple resources by listing each with a unique name under resources:.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options

   List two separate resource entries under resources with different names correctly lists two resources separately. Create one resource with two names separated by commas is invalid syntax. Use a loop inside YAML to repeat the resource is not supported natively in YAML. Write two separate YAML files and deploy them separately works but is less efficient and not best practice.

3. Final Answer:

   List two separate resource entries under resources with different names -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Multiple resources = multiple entries [OK]

Hint: Multiple resources = multiple entries under resources: [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to name one resource with multiple names
• Expecting loops inside YAML
• Splitting into multiple files unnecessarily