Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer Practice Exam

Which characteristic is true about VPC peering?

1. Transitive networks can communicate directly

2. Peering allows for communication between any networks

3. Only directly peered networks can communicate

4. VPC peering automatically balances network load

The correct answer is: Only directly peered networks can communicate

VPC peering indeed only allows communication between directly peered networks. This characteristic is fundamental to how VPC peering operates within cloud environments like Google Cloud. Each Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) network can be connected to another VPC for traffic to flow between them. However, this communication is not transitive; meaning if VPC A is peered with VPC B and VPC B is peered with VPC C, VPC A cannot communicate directly with VPC C. They would require a separate peering connection to facilitate direct communication. This design improves security and control, allowing organizations to maintain strict boundaries around their network environments. Administrators can configure routes and manage traffic based solely on direct peering without complicating network policies with transitive rules. By understanding this fundamental aspect of VPC peering, one can effectively design and manage network architectures in Google Cloud with enhanced security and efficiency.