Google Cloud Certified Associate Cloud Engineer Practice 2026 - Free Cloud Engineer Practice Questions and Study Guide

The correct answer is Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) because it provides robust features for managing containerized applications and supports automatic scaling based on demand. GKE uses Kubernetes, which has built-in mechanisms to scale pods (the smallest deployable units) automatically based on resource usage and custom metrics. This capability allows applications to efficiently handle varying loads without manual intervention, optimizing resource usage and ensuring that performance is maintained as demand fluctuates.

Google Kubernetes Engine simplifies the orchestration of containerized applications, which is particularly advantageous for developers who want to focus on code rather than the complexities of infrastructure management. The automatic scaling feature enhances GKE's appeal for microservice architectures and applications with unpredictable traffic patterns.

In contrast, while Google Compute Engine offers virtual machines that can be manually configured for scaling through instance groups, it does not inherently provide the same level of automated scaling capabilities that GKE does. Google App Engine automatically scales applications but is specifically aimed at developing and hosting web applications rather than managing containers or microservices directly. Google Cloud Functions also supports scaling but is designed for serverless functions rather than managing complex applications and services like GKE does.