Cloud Engineer Interview Questions: A Comprehensive Guide for 2024

About a decade ago, the demand for a cloud engineer had just begun to increase and now in the last few years, it has skyrocketed with cloud computing becoming an integral part of the digital world. Organizations are now ever more dependent on cloud engineers to create, maintain, and scale cloud-based infrastructure.

If you are preparing for a cloud engineer interview, then you must refresh your knowledge on some of the questions that you might be asked in the interview for a cloud engineer. There is a need to categorize these questions into three categories: basic, intermediate, and advanced.

Basic Cloud Engineer Interview Questions

Preparing for a cloud engineer interview begins with understanding and learning the basic questions. This will create great knowledge about fundamentals which are on topics like cloud computing models, architectures, etc., making you better prepared for the interview and increasing your confidence in what you can do.

Some of the most frequent basic cloud engineer interview questions are as follows:

What is a cloud, and what are its different versions?

Cloud is typically defined as cooperation among a set of networks, hardware, services, storage, and interfaces that enable computing as a service. Its variations are as follows:

Public cloud: Here the resources are accessible to all and is shared publicly

Private cloud: These services are accessible only within a particular organization

Hybrid cloud: It is a combination of both public and private cloud

Multi-cloud: The type of cloud uses services from different cloud providers

What are the main advantages of cloud computing?

Cloud computing is the new 'big thing' in the tech domain nowadays. There are a number of significant advantages of cloud computing. Some of them are as follows:

Data backup and storage: Cloud computing provides secured and scalable storage solutions

Robust server capabilities: Through cloud computing, you can avail high performing virtual servers

Higher productivity: Different teams can collaborate with each other with much ease even though they are sitting in different corners of the world

Cost-effective: Cloud computing helps reduce costs as it is a pay-as-you-go model, thus offering greater flexibility to customers

What is Function as a Service (FaaS)?

Function as a Service provides consumers with an environment where one can compose, execute, and monitor application functionality without concerning oneself with the intricacies of server management. FaaS allows developers to focus purely on writing good quality code.

What are cloud storage levels?

You can save all your data on the cloud and continue accessing it from anywhere in the world. There are different levels of cloud storage; they include;

Files: Structured data that is kept in various folders

Blocks: The smallest unit of data that can be accessed individually

Datasets: Data sets that are organized and stored in a tabular or record format

Objects: These are the data with relevant metadata that is organized as a web-based resource

These are the basic questions asked in the cloud engineer interview. They help build up a good base and prepare one for tough interview questions.

Intermediate Cloud Engineer Interview Questions

Now, after the basic questions, it's time to take a look at some mid-level intermediate cloud engineer interview questions. Read preparation for these will help you die deeper into cloud-specific technologies and concepts.

Now, take a look at some of the most commonly asked cloud engineering interview questions for mid-level positions.

What is AMI and how is it Implemented?

An Amazon Machine Image (AMI) is a copy of the root file system. It provides the data necessary to launch an instance. You can launch several instances from one as long as AMI since you would use the same configuration. To enable the AMI, you are required to give its details while launching an instance.

What is serverless computing?

Serverless computing is actually the means by which developers can create and run applications without having to face the complications of server management, etc. The actual control of the infrastructure lies with the cloud provider. This frees up the developer and enables him to concentrate more on writing robust code and building effective application logic.

What is edge computing, and how does it differ from cloud computing?

Edge computing processes the data that it is nearer to the source than relying only on a centralized cloud. It helps reduce latency and improves overall performance for applications that are time-sensitive in nature.

Define microservice and its role in cloud computing

Microservices can be characterized as an architectural style, which essentially refers to the manner in which an application could be structured as a collection of loosely coupled services. Since each service focuses on a special business capability, it can be independently deployed. Hence, it is seen as a critical part of cloud-native applications.

These were some of the most frequently asked intermediate cloud computing interview questions. These test your understanding of more advanced cloud concepts as well as your ability to apply them in real-world situations.

Advanced Cloud Engineer Interview Questions

Here are some expert-level questions for cloud engineers. If you have been working in this domain for a few years, then you will be well aware of the answers to these expert-level questions.

What are the essential features of AWS and how do they help the cloud engineers?

Offering several features like Route 53 for DNS services, S3 for storage, and EC2 for scalable computing, making the AWS system one of the most sought after cloud service platforms, capable of developing and scaling applications well without any hassle of integration.

How does resource replication in cloud computing work differently

Resource replication translates to duplicating cloud resources. As a result, the applications can handle a larger load and can also fulfill the needs of users. Generally, cloud engineers virtualize resources to enhance their availability as well as redundancy.

Define Containers as a Service (CaaS)

CaaS allows developers to manage and deploy containerized application without requiring infrastructure, while containers have proven to offer consistent environments that would be used in application development, testing, and deployment.

How would you scale up and down vertically an Amazon EC2 instance?

Vertical scaling is a term used to denote an increase in the specifications of an already existing server. This may mean adding more ram and CPU resources, for example. The instance type remains unchanged

Final Words

One of the best ways to prepare for your cloud interview is by signing up for a comprehensive Cloud Engineering Interview Course. This course covers a range of topics, in addition to providing case studies that will help learn real-world concepts, and mock interviews to give you the confidence you'll need.

Interview Kickstart is a reliable platform that has helped thousands of software engineers get positions in leading tech companies. We also make sure that you get the most relevant and updated content because our curriculum is written by industry experts.

So, whether you are a fresher or an experienced candidate, mastering these cloud engineer interview questions will certainly get you hired in one of the best tech companies. All the very best.