Google Cloud Certified Associate Cloud Engineer Practice

What is the likely consequence of not enabling versioning for objects in a Google Cloud Storage Bucket?

1. Unable to store more than a specified volume of data.

2. Loss of previous versions of objects upon overwriting or deletion.

3. Incurring additional storage costs for maintaining old versions.

4. Decreased durability and reliability of stored objects.

The correct answer is: Loss of previous versions of objects upon overwriting or deletion.

When versioning is not enabled for objects in a Google Cloud Storage bucket, the primary consequence is the loss of previous versions of objects upon overwriting or deletion. Without versioning, when an object is updated or deleted, the previous version is permanently removed and cannot be recovered. This means that any accidental changes or deletions to the object would result in the inability to revert to a prior state or restore data, which could lead to data loss and significant issues for users relying on historical data. Enabling versioning allows users to maintain multiple versions of an object, providing a safety net against unintentional modifications or deletions. Each version is retained separately, giving users the option to retrieve or restore previous iterations of an object as needed. The other consequences mentioned do not apply specifically in the absence of versioning. For example, not enabling versioning does not restrict the storage volume (which is determined by storage class and other factors), it doesn’t incur additional costs in the context of maintaining old versions (since there are no old versions to maintain without versioning), and it does not affect the durability and reliability of the stored objects, which is governed by Google Cloud's underlying infrastructure.