AWS DevOps Interview Questions

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With the onset of powerful computing technologies alongside new methods and techniques that help in scaling DevOps methodologies to the cloud by making use of AWS, this concept is immensely adding value to organizations across the globe. This calls for experts in the field who are required to solve problems using the same. With the numerous openings in this field, it will only add more value to your candidature if you could answer all of the AWS DevOps interview questions and answer in a concise way to impress the interviewer.

These top Amazon Web Services DevOps Interview Questions are divided into three segments as shown below:
1. Basic

2. Intermediate

3. Advanced

Check out our YouTube video on AWS DevOps Interview Questions designed especially for beginners:

1. What is AWS in DevOps?

AWS is Amazon’s cloud service platform that lets users carry out DevOps practices easily. The tools provided will help immensely to automate manual tasks, thereby assisting teams to manage complex environments and engineers to work efficiently with the high velocity that DevOps provides.

2. DevOps and Cloud computing: What is the need?

Development and Operations are considered to be one single entity in the DevOps practice. This means that any form of Agile development, alongside Cloud Computing, will give it a straight-up advantage in scaling practices and creating strategies to bring about a change in business adaptability. If the cloud is considered to be a car, then DevOps would be its wheels.

3. Why use AWS for DevOps?

There are numerous benefits of using AWS for DevOps. Some of them are as follows:

• AWS is a ready-to-use service, which does not require any headroom for software and setups to get started with.
• Be it one instance or scaling up to hundreds at a time, with AWS, the provision of computational resources is endless.
• The pay-as-you-go policy with AWS will keep your pricing and budgets in check to ensure that you can mobilize enough and get an equal return on investment.
• AWS brings DevOps practices closer to automation to help you build faster and achieve effective results in terms of development, deployment, and testing processes.
• AWS services can easily be used via the command-line interface or by using SDKs and APIs, which make it highly programmable and effective.

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4. What does a DevOps Engineer do?

A DevOps Engineer is responsible for managing the IT infrastructure of an organization based on the direct requirement of the software code in an environment that is both hybrid and multi-faceted.

Provisioning and designing appropriate deployment models, alongside validation and performance monitoring, are the key responsibilities of a DevOps Engineer.

5. What is CodePipeline in AWS DevOps?

CodePipeline is a service offered by AWS to provide continuous integration and continuous delivery services. Alongside this, it has provisions of infrastructure updates as well.
Operations such as building, testing, and deploying after every single build become very easy with the set release model protocols that are defined by a user. CodePipeline ensures that you can reliably deliver new software updates and features rapidly.

Want to learn about DevOps! Check out our DevOps Tutorial for beginners.

6. What is CodeBuild in AWS DevOps?

AWS provides CodeBuild, which is a fully managed in-house build service, thereby helping in the compilation of source code, testing, and the production of software packages that are ready to deploy. There is no need for management, allocation, or provision to scale the build servers as this is automatically scaled.

Build operations occur concurrently in servers, thereby providing the biggest advantage of not having to leave any builds waiting in a queue.

7. What is CodeDeploy in AWS DevOps?

CodeDeploy is the service that automates the process of deploying code to any instances, be it local servers or Amazon’s EC2 instances. It helps mainly in handling all of the complexity that is involved in updating the applications for release.

The direct advantage of CodeDeploy is its functionality that helps users rapidly release new builds and model features and avoid any sort of downtime during this process of deployment.

8. What is CodeStar in AWS DevOps?

CodeStar is one package that does a lot of things ranging from development to build operations to provisioning deploy methodologies for users on AWS. One single easy-to-use interface helps the users easily manage all of the activities involved in software development.

One of the noteworthy highlights is that it helps immensely in setting up a continuous delivery pipeline, thereby allowing developers to release code into production rapidly.

9. How can you handle continuous integration and deployment in AWS DevOps?

One must use AWS Developer tools to help get started with storing and versioning an application’s source code. This is followed by using the services to automatically build, test, and deploy the application to a local environment or to AWS instances.

It is advantageous, to start with the CodePipeline to build the continuous integration and deployment services and later on use CodeBuild and CodeDeploy as per need.

10. How can a company like Amazon.com make use of AWS DevOps?

Be it Amazon or any eCommerce site, they are mostly concerned with automating all of the frontend and backend activities in a seamless manner. When paired with CodeDeploy, this can be achieved easily, thereby helping developers focus on building the product and not on deployment methodologies.

Next up on this AWS interview questions and answers for DevOps, we check out a common question that is frequently asked.

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11. Name one example instance of making use of AWS DevOps effectively.

With AWS, users are provided with a plethora of services. Based on the requirement, these services can be put to use effectively. For example, one can use a variety of services to build an environment that automatically builds and delivers AWS artifacts. These artifacts can later be pushed to Amazon S3 using CodePipeline. At this point, options add up and give the users lots of opportunities to deploy their artifacts. These artifacts can either be deployed by using Elastic Beanstalk or to a local environment as per the requirement.

12. What is the use of Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) in AWS DevOps?

Amazon ECS is a high-performance container management service that is highly scalable and easy to use. It provides easy integration to Docker containers, thereby allowing users to run applications easily on the EC2 instances using a managed cluster.

13. What is AWS Lambda in AWS DevOps?

AWS Lambda is a computation service that lets users run their code without having to provision or manage servers explicitly. Using AWS Lambda, the users can run any piece of code for their applications or services without prior integration. It is as simple as uploading a piece of code and letting Lambda take care of everything else required to run and scale the code.

14. What is AWS CodeCommit in AWS DevOps?

CodeCommit is a source control service provided in AWS that helps in hosting Git repositories safely and in a highly scalable manner. Using CodeCommit, one can eliminate the requirement of setting up and maintaining a source control system and scaling its infrastructure as per need.

Look into this GIT Cheat Sheet and keep it handy.

Next up on this AWS interview questions for DevOps, you need to take a quick look at Amazon EC2.

15. Explain Amazon EC2 in brief.

Amazon EC2, or Elastic Compute Cloud as it is called, is a secure web service that strives to provide scalable computation power in the cloud. It is an integral part of AWS and is one of the most used cloud computation services out there, helping developers by making the process of Cloud Computing straightforward and easy.

16. What is Amazon S3 in AWS DevOps?

Amazon S3 or Simple Storage Service is an object storage service that provides users with a simple and easy-to-use interface to store data and effectively retrieve it whenever and wherever needed.

Preparing for job interviews? Have a look at our blog on AWS Interview Questions to excel in your career!

17. What is the function of Amazon RDS in AWS DevOps?

Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) is a service that helps users in setting up a relational database in the AWS cloud architecture. RDS makes it easy to set up, maintain, and use the database online.

18. How is CodeBuild used to automate the release process?

The release process can easily be set up and configured by first setting up CodeBuild and integrating it directly with the AWS CodePipeline. This ensures that build actions can be added continuously, and thus, AWS takes care of continuous integration and continuous deployment processes.

19. Can you explain a build project in brief?

A build project is an entity with the primary function to integrate with CodeBuild to help provide it the definition needed. This can include a variety of information such as:

• The location of source code
• The appropriate build environment
• Which build commands to run
• The location to store the output

20. How is a build project configured in AWS DevOps?

A building project is configured easily using Amazon CLI (Command-line Interface). Here, users can specify the above-mentioned information, along with the computation class that is required to run the build, and more. The process is made straightforward and simple in AWS.

21. Which source repositories can be used with CodeBuild in AWS DevOps?

AWS CodeBuild can easily connect with AWS CodeCommit, GitHub, and AWS S3 to pull the source code that is required for the build operation.

22. Which programming frameworks can be used with AWS CodeBuild?

AWS CodeBuild provides ready-made environments for Python, Ruby, Java, Android, Docker, Node.js, and Go. A custom environment can also be set up by initializing and creating a Docker image. This is then pushed to the EC2 registry or the DockerHub registry. Later, this is used to reference the image in the users’ build project.

23. Explain the build process using CodeBuild in AWS DevOps.

• First, CodeBuild will establish a temporary container used for computing. This is done based on the defined class for the building project.
• Second, it will load the required runtime and pull the source code to the same.
• After this, the commands are executed and the project is configured.
• Next, the project is uploaded, along with the generated artifacts, and put into an S3 bucket.
• At this point, the compute container is no longer needed, so users can get rid of it.
• In the build stage, CodeBuild will publish the logs and outputs to Amazon CloudWatch Logs for the users to monitor.

Next up on this AWS interview questions and answers for DevOps, take a look at another frequently asked question.

24. Can AWS CodeBuild be used with Jenkins in AWS DevOps?

Yes, AWS CodeBuild can integrate with Jenkins easily to perform and run jobs in Jenkins. Build jobs are pushed to CodeBuild and executed, thereby eliminating the entire procedure involved in creating and individually controlling the worker nodes in Jenkins.

25. How can one view the previous build results in AWS CodeBuild?

It is easy to view the previous build results in CodeBuild. It can be done either via the console or by making use of the API. The results include the following:

• Outcome (success/failure)
• Build duration
• Output artifact location
• Output log (and the corresponding location)

26. Are there any third-party integrations that can be used with AWS CodeStar?

Yes, AWS CodeStar works well with Atlassian JIRA, which is a very good software development tool used by Agile teams. It can be integrated with projects seamlessly and can be managed from there.

27. Can AWS CodeStar be used to manage an existing AWS application?

No, AWS CodeStar can only help users in setting up new software projects on AWS. Each CodeStart project will include all of the development tools such as CodePipeline, CodeCommit, CodeBuild, and CodeDeploy.

Next up on this AWS interview questions for DevOps, it is vital that you understand the importance of AWS DevOps completely.

28. Why is AWS DevOps so important today?

With businesses coming into existence every day and the expansion of the world of the Internet, everything from entertainment to banking has been scaled to the clouds.

Most of the companies are using systems completely hosted on clouds, which can be used via a variety of devices. All of the processes involved in this such as logistics, communication, operations, and even automation have been scaled online. AWS DevOps is integral in helping developers transform the way they can build and deliver new software in the fastest and most effective way possible.

29. What are Microservices in AWS DevOps?

Microservice architectures are the design approaches taken when building a single application as a set of services. Each of these services runs using its own process structure and can communicate with every other service using a structured interface, which is both lightweight and easy to use. This communication is mostly based on HTTP and API requests.

Next up on this AWS interview questions for DevOps, you need to understand a bit about CoudFormation, check it out.

Check out this video on the AWS Course to enhance your knowledge:

30. What is CloudFormation in AWS DevOps?

AWS CloudFormation is one of the important services that give developers and businesses a simple way to create a collection of AWS resources required and then pass it on to the required teams in a structured manner.

31. What is VPC in AWS DevOps?

A VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) is a cloud network that is mapped to an AWS account. It forms one among the first points in the AWS infrastructure that helps users create regions, subjects, routing tables, and even Internet gateways in the AWS accounts. Doing this will provide the users with the ability to use EC2 or RDS as per requirements.

32. What is AWS IoT in AWS DevOps?

AWS IoT refers to a managed cloud platform that will add provisions for connected devices to interact securely and smoothly with all of the cloud applications.

33. What is EBS in AWS DevOps?

EBS or Elastic Block Storage is a virtual storage area network in AWS. EBS names the block-level volumes of storage, which are used in the EC2 instances. AWS EBS is highly compatible with other instances and is a reliable way of storing data.

34. What does AMI stand for?

AMI, also known as Amazon Machine Image, is a snapshot of the root file system. It contains all of the information needed to launch a server in the cloud. It consists of all of the templates and permissions needed to control the cloud accounts.

35. Why is a buffer used in AWS DevOps?

A buffer is used in AWS to sync different components that are used to handle incoming traffic. With a buffer, it becomes easier to balance between the incoming traffic rate and the usage of the pipeline, thereby ensuring unbroken packet delivery in all conditions across the cloud platform.

36. What is the biggest advantage of adopting an AWS DevOps model?

The one main advantage that every business can leverage is maintaining high process efficiency and ensuring to keep the costs as low as possible. With AWS DevOps, this can be achieved easily. Everything from having a quick overall of how the work culture functions to helping teams work well together, it can only be as advantageous. Bringing development and operations together, setting up a structured pipeline for them to work, and providing them with a variety of tools and services will reflect in the quality of the product created and help in serving customers better.

37. What is meant by Infrastructure as Code (IaC)?

This is one of the most asked questions in an AWS DevOps interview. IaC is a common DevOps practice in which the code and the software development techniques help in managing the overall infrastructure, everything from continuous integration to the version control system. The API model in the cloud further helps developers work with the entirety of the infrastructure programmatically.

38. What are some of the challenges that arise when creating a DevOps pipeline?

There are a number of challenges that occur with DevOps in this era of technological outburst. Most commonly, it has to do with data migration techniques and implementing new features easily. If data migration does not work, then the system can be in an unstable state, and this can lead to issues down the pipeline.

However, this is solved within the CI environment only by making use of a feature flag, which helps in incremental product releases. This, alongside the rollback functionality, can help in mitigating some of the challenges.

Also, look into these DevOps Interview Questions and Answers by Intellipaat.

39. What is a hybrid cloud in AWS DevOps?

A hybrid cloud refers to a computation setting that involves the usage of a combination of private and public clouds. Hybrid clouds can be created using a VPN tunnel that is inserted between the cloud VPN and the on-premises network. Also, AWS Direct Connect has the ability to bypass the Internet and connect securely between the VPN and a data center easily.

40. How is AWS Elastic Beanstalk different from CloudFormation?

EBS and CloudFormation are among the important services in AWS. They are designed in a way that they can collaborate with each other easily. EBS provides an environment where applications can be deployed in the cloud.

This is integrated with tools from CloudFormation to help manage the lifecycle of the applications. It becomes very convenient to make use of a variety of AWS resources with this. This ensures high scalability in terms of using it for a variety of applications from legacy applications to container-based solutions.

41. What is the use of Amazon QuickSight in AWS DevOps?

Amazon QuickSight is a Business Analytics service in AWS that provides an easy way to build visualizations, perform analysis, and drive business insights from the results. It is a service that is fast-paced and completely cloud-powered, giving users immense opportunities to explore and use it.

42. How do Kubernetes containers communicate in AWS DevOps?

An entity called a pod is used to map between containers in Kubernetes. One pod can contain more than one container at a time. Due to the flat network hierarchy of the pod, communication between each of these pods in the overlay network becomes straightforward.

43. Have you earned any sort of certification to boost your opportunities as an AWS DevOps Engineer?

Interviewers look for candidates who are serious about advancing their career options by making use of additional tools like certifications. Certificates are strong proof that you have put in all efforts to learn new skills, master them, and put them into use at the best of your capacity. List the certifications, if you have any, and do talk about them in brief, explaining what all you learned from the program and how they’ve been helpful to you so far.

Look into this blog and know about the DevOps Engineer Skillsets.

44. Do you have any experience working in the same industry as ours before?

This is a very straightforward question. It aims to assess if you have the industry-specific skills that are needed for the current role. Even if you do not possess all of the skills, make sure to thoroughly explain how you can still make use of the skills you’ve obtained in the past to benefit the company.

45. Why are you applying for the AWS DevOps role in our company?

Here, the interviewer is trying to see how well you can convince them regarding your proficiency in the subject, handling all the cloud services, alongside the need for using structured DevOps methodologies and scaling to the clouds. It is always an added advantage to know the job description in detail, along with the compensation and the details of the company, thereby obtaining a complete understanding of what services, tools, and DevOps methodologies are required to work in the role successfully.

46. What is your plan after joining for this AWS DevOps role?

While answering this question, make sure to keep your explanation concise on how you would bring about a plan that works with the company set up and how you would implement the plan, ensuring that it works by first understanding the cloud infrastructure setup of the company, and you would also talk about how it can be made better or further improvised in the coming days with further iterations.

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47. How is it beneficial to make use of version control?

There are numerous benefits of using version control as shown below:

• Version control establishes an easy way to compare files, identify differences, and merge if any changes are done.
• It creates an easy way to track the life cycle of an application build, including every stage in it such as development, production, testing, etc.
• It brings about a good way to establish a collaborative work culture.
• Version control ensures that every version and variant of the code is kept safe and secure.

48. What are the future trends in AWS DevOps?

With this question, the interviewer is trying to assess your grip on the subject and your research in the field. Make sure to state valid facts and provide respective sources to add positivity to your candidature. Also, try to explain how Cloud Computing and novel software methodologies are making a huge impact on businesses across the globe and their potential for rapid growth in the upcoming days.

49. Has your college degree helped you with Data Analysis in any way?

This is a question that relates to the latest program you completed in college. Do talk about the degree you have obtained, how it was useful, and how you plan on putting it into full use in the coming days, after being recruited by the company. It is advantageous if you have dealt with Cloud Computing or Software Engineering methodologies in this degree.

50. What skills should a successful AWS DevOps specialist possess?

This is a descriptive question that is highly dependent on how analytical your thinking skills are. There are a variety of prerequisites that one must-have, and the following are some of the important skills:

• Working of SDLC
• AWS Architecture
• Database Services
• Virtual Private Cloud
• AWS IAM and Monitoring
• Configuration Management
• Application Services, AWS Lambda, and CLI
• CodeBuild, CodeCommit, CodePipeline, and CodeDeploy

We hope these DevOps course interview questions will help you prepare for your upcoming interviews. If you are looking to learn DevOps course online in a systematic manner with expert guidance and support then you can check our DevOps Training.