GKE vs Cloud Run decision in GCP - Interactive Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to choose the right service for running containerized apps without managing servers.

GCP

Use [1] when you want a fully managed serverless platform that scales automatically.

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

ACompute Engine

BCloud Run

CApp Engine

DGKE

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Choosing GKE for serverless automatic scaling

Confusing Compute Engine with serverless container services

Cloud Run is a fully managed serverless platform that automatically scales your containers without you managing servers.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to select the service best for complex container orchestration with custom networking.

GCP

Use [1] when you need full control over container clusters and networking.

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

AGKE

BCloud Run

CCloud Functions

DApp Engine

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Choosing Cloud Run for complex cluster management

Confusing Cloud Functions with container orchestration

GKE lets you manage Kubernetes clusters giving you control over container orchestration and networking.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the statement about scaling behavior.

GCP

Cloud Run scales [1] based on incoming requests, while GKE requires manual or autoscaler setup.

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

Amanually

Bnever

Cslowly

Dautomatically

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Saying Cloud Run scales manually

Confusing scaling speed with scaling method

Cloud Run automatically scales containers based on request load, unlike GKE which needs manual or configured autoscaling.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to complete the comparison of deployment complexity and control.

GCP

GKE offers [1] control and requires [2] deployment management compared to Cloud Run.

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

Amore

Bless

Cmanual

Dautomatic

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Reversing control and deployment management terms

Confusing manual with automatic deployment

GKE provides more control but needs manual deployment management, while Cloud Run is simpler with automatic deployment.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to complete the decision factors for choosing between GKE and Cloud Run.

GCP

Choose GKE if you need [1], [2], and [3]; choose Cloud Run for simplicity, automatic scaling, and serverless.

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

Acustom networking

Bcomplex orchestration

Cfull cluster control

Dbasic app hosting

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Choosing basic app hosting as a reason for GKE

Mixing up features of Cloud Run and GKE

GKE is best when you need custom networking, complex orchestration, and full cluster control. Cloud Run suits simpler, serverless needs.

Practice

1. Which service should you choose if you want to avoid managing servers and focus only on deploying containers?

easy

A. Compute Engine

B. Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)

C. App Engine Standard

D. Cloud Run

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand server management needs

   Cloud Run is serverless, so it handles server management automatically.

2. Step 2: Compare with GKE

   GKE requires managing Kubernetes clusters and nodes, which means more management effort.

3. Final Answer:

   Cloud Run -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Serverless = Cloud Run [OK]

Hint: Serverless means no server management needed [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing GKE as serverless
• Choosing Compute Engine which is VM-based
• Thinking App Engine Standard is container-focused

2. Which of the following is the correct way to deploy a container image to Cloud Run using gcloud CLI?

easy

A. gcloud run deploy SERVICE --image IMAGE_URL --platform managed

B. gcloud container clusters create SERVICE --image IMAGE_URL

C. gcloud compute instances create SERVICE --image IMAGE_URL

D. gcloud app deploy --image IMAGE_URL

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify Cloud Run deployment command

   The correct command uses gcloud run deploy with the service name and image URL.

2. Step 2: Eliminate other commands

   Other options relate to Kubernetes clusters, VM instances, or App Engine, which are incorrect for Cloud Run.

3. Final Answer:

   gcloud run deploy SERVICE --image IMAGE_URL --platform managed -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Cloud Run deploy uses gcloud run deploy [OK]

Hint: Cloud Run deploy always uses 'gcloud run deploy' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'gcloud container clusters create' for Cloud Run
• Confusing Compute Engine commands with Cloud Run
• Using App Engine deploy command for Cloud Run

3. You deploy a containerized app to GKE with autoscaling enabled. What happens when traffic suddenly spikes?

medium

A. Cloud Run automatically pauses the service until traffic decreases.

B. GKE automatically adds more pods to handle the increased load.

C. GKE shuts down pods to save resources during high traffic.

D. Cloud Run requires manual scaling to handle traffic spikes.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand GKE autoscaling behavior

   GKE uses Horizontal Pod Autoscaler to add pods automatically when traffic increases.

2. Step 2: Compare with Cloud Run behavior

   Cloud Run scales automatically but does not pause services; manual scaling is not required.

3. Final Answer:

   GKE automatically adds more pods to handle the increased load. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   GKE autoscaling adds pods on traffic spike [OK]

Hint: GKE autoscaling adds pods automatically on load [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking Cloud Run pauses services on high traffic
• Believing GKE shuts down pods during spikes
• Assuming Cloud Run needs manual scaling

4. You tried deploying a container to Cloud Run but got an error about missing CPU allocation. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. You did not specify the CPU limit in the deployment command.

B. Cloud Run does not support containers with CPU requirements.

C. You deployed to GKE instead of Cloud Run by mistake.

D. The container image is not compatible with Cloud Run.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Cloud Run CPU allocation

   Cloud Run requires CPU allocation settings; missing these can cause errors.

2. Step 2: Check deployment command

   If CPU limits are not specified, Cloud Run deployment fails with CPU allocation errors.

3. Final Answer:

   You did not specify the CPU limit in the deployment command. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Missing CPU limit causes deployment error [OK]

Hint: Always specify CPU limits when deploying to Cloud Run [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming Cloud Run ignores CPU settings
• Confusing GKE deployment with Cloud Run
• Blaming container image compatibility without checking CPU

5. Your team needs to run a complex microservices app with custom networking, persistent storage, and fine-grained control over scaling. Which service is best?

hard

A. Cloud Run because it handles all scaling automatically

B. Cloud Functions because it runs code without servers

C. GKE because it supports complex orchestration and custom setups

D. App Engine because it is fully managed and simple

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze app requirements

   The app needs complex orchestration, custom networking, persistent storage, and detailed scaling control.

2. Step 2: Match requirements to services

   GKE supports Kubernetes features for complex setups, while Cloud Run is simpler and serverless but less customizable.

3. Final Answer:

   GKE because it supports complex orchestration and custom setups -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Complex control needs = GKE [OK]

Hint: Complex apps with custom needs use GKE [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing Cloud Run for complex networking
• Confusing App Engine with container orchestration
• Using Cloud Functions for microservices orchestration