application infrastructure engineer Interview Questions and Answers
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What is the difference between a load balancer and a reverse proxy?
- Answer: A load balancer distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers to prevent overload. A reverse proxy sits in front of one or more servers, acting as an intermediary to handle requests and responses, improving security and performance (e.g., caching). While they can overlap in functionality, a load balancer's primary focus is distribution, while a reverse proxy's is mediation and optimization.
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Explain the concept of a CDN (Content Delivery Network).
- Answer: A CDN is a geographically distributed network of servers that cache static content (images, videos, etc.) closer to users. This reduces latency and improves website performance by serving content from a server geographically closer to the user than the origin server.
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Describe your experience with containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.
- Answer: [This answer should be tailored to the candidate's experience. It should describe their hands-on experience with Docker (image creation, management, etc.) and Kubernetes (deployment, scaling, orchestration, etc.), including specific tools and technologies used.] Example: "I have extensive experience with Docker, creating and managing images, and using Docker Compose for multi-container applications. With Kubernetes, I've deployed and managed applications using deployments, services, and ingress controllers, leveraging features like autoscaling and rolling updates. I'm familiar with Helm for managing Kubernetes applications."
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What are some common monitoring tools you've used?
- Answer: [This answer should list specific tools and their use cases. Examples include Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog, Nagios, Zabbix, CloudWatch, etc.] Example: "I've worked with Prometheus and Grafana for metric-based monitoring, visualizing application performance and system metrics. I've also used Datadog for comprehensive monitoring and alerting across various infrastructure components."
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Explain the difference between IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.
- Answer: IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) provides virtualized computing resources like servers, storage, and networking. PaaS (Platform as a Service) offers a platform for developing, running, and managing applications without managing the underlying infrastructure. SaaS (Software as a Service) provides ready-to-use software applications over the internet.
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How do you ensure the security of your applications and infrastructure?
- Answer: [This answer should detail security best practices followed. Examples include implementing firewalls, intrusion detection systems, regular security audits, vulnerability scanning, using strong passwords and MFA, adhering to security policies, and keeping software updated.] Example: "Security is paramount. I employ a layered security approach, including firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and regular security audits. We use vulnerability scanners to identify and address weaknesses promptly. Strong password policies and multi-factor authentication are mandatory. We follow industry best practices and keep all software updated to patch known vulnerabilities."
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Describe your experience with CI/CD pipelines.
- Answer: [This answer should detail the candidate's experience with CI/CD tools and processes, including specific tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, CircleCI, etc. It should cover aspects like code integration, testing, deployment, and automation.] Example: "I have extensive experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins. I've automated the build, testing, and deployment processes, integrating with various tools like Git for version control and SonarQube for code quality analysis. We employ automated testing to catch errors early in the development cycle."
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What are some common networking protocols and their uses?
- Answer: TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) provides reliable, ordered data transmission; UDP (User Datagram Protocol) offers faster but less reliable communication; HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is used for web communication; HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is the secure version of HTTP; FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used for file transfers.
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