Google Cloud Certified Associate Cloud Engineer Practice

Which service in Google Cloud is used to run web applications on a managed platform?

1. Cloud Functions

2. App Engine

3. Custom monitoring metric

4. Cloud Launcher

The correct answer is: App Engine

App Engine is a fully managed platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering that allows developers to build and deploy web applications without the need to manage the underlying infrastructure. It automatically handles the deployment, scaling, and load balancing of web applications, which enables developers to focus more on writing code rather than managing servers or operating systems. One of the key features of App Engine is its ability to automatically scale applications based on user traffic, ensuring that performance remains optimal as demand fluctuates. It also comes with built-in services such as traffic splitting for version management and the ability to integrate with other Google Cloud services seamlessly. This managed environment simplifies many aspects of web application development and helps teams innovate faster. In contrast, while Cloud Functions allows for running small pieces of code in response to events, it is not specifically designed for running full web applications in the way App Engine is. Custom monitoring metrics pertain to tracking application's performance and health, and Cloud Launcher is a marketplace for deploying virtual machines and applications rather than a service intended for managing and running web apps. These distinctions clearly indicate why App Engine is the correct choice for running web applications on a managed platform.