Google Cloud Digital Leader Practice Exam

What computing option automatically provisions resources, like compute power, in the background as needed?

1. Traditional on-premise computing

2. Serverless computing

3. IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-service)

4. PaaS (Platform-as-a-service)

The correct answer is: Serverless computing

Serverless computing is designed to automatically provision and scale resources in the background based on the demands of applications. This model allows developers to focus on writing code without having to manage the underlying infrastructure. Serverless platforms handle the execution of functions in response to events, and they allocate compute power only when it's needed, automatically scaling up or down in response to the workload. This means that you’re billed only for the compute time you actually use, which can lead to important cost savings and efficiencies. In contrast, traditional on-premise computing requires businesses to provision and manage their own hardware and infrastructure, which involves tedious scaling processes and significant capital expenditure. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provides virtualized computing resources over the internet but still requires some level of management and scaling from the user. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offers a managed environment for developing applications but does not fully eliminate the need for some resource configuration or scaling management by the user. This makes serverless computing uniquely advantageous for certain applications, particularly those with variable workloads or unpredictable traffic patterns.