Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Interview Questions and Answers for 2 years experience

1. What are the core services offered by Google Cloud Platform (GCP)?

   • Answer: GCP offers a wide range of services, including Compute Engine (virtual machines), App Engine (platform as a service), Kubernetes Engine (container orchestration), Cloud Storage (object storage), Cloud SQL (managed databases), Cloud Spanner (globally-distributed database), BigQuery (data warehousing), Cloud Dataflow (data processing), Cloud Functions (serverless computing), and many more. These services cater to various needs, from infrastructure and application deployment to data analytics and machine learning.

2. Explain the difference between Compute Engine and App Engine.

   • Answer: Compute Engine provides Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), offering you complete control over virtual machines. You manage the operating system, software, and all aspects of the infrastructure. App Engine provides Platform as a Service (PaaS), abstracting away much of the infrastructure management. You focus on your application code, and App Engine handles scaling, deployment, and much of the underlying infrastructure.

3. What is Kubernetes and how does Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) simplify its management?

   • Answer: Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. GKE simplifies Kubernetes management by providing a managed service. Google handles the underlying infrastructure, upgrades, and maintenance, allowing you to focus on your applications.

4. Describe different types of Google Cloud Storage classes and their use cases.

   • Answer: Google Cloud Storage offers various storage classes like Standard, Nearline, Coldline, and Archive. Standard is for frequently accessed data, Nearline for data accessed less frequently but needing faster retrieval than Coldline, Coldline for infrequently accessed data with longer retrieval times, and Archive for data rarely accessed and with the longest retrieval times. The choice depends on access frequency and cost considerations.

5. How do you manage IAM roles and permissions in GCP?

   • Answer: IAM (Identity and Access Management) in GCP allows granular control over access to resources. You create roles (predefined or custom) that define permissions and assign those roles to users, service accounts, or groups. This ensures only authorized entities can access specific resources and prevents unauthorized access.

6. Explain the concept of regions and zones in GCP.

   • Answer: Regions are geographical locations where GCP data centers are located, while zones are independent data centers within a region. Distributing resources across multiple zones within a region provides high availability and fault tolerance. Choosing the right region and zone impacts latency and cost.

7. What are Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) in GCP and why are they important?

   • Answer: VPCs in GCP are isolated sections of the Google Cloud network. They provide a logical isolation for your resources, enhancing security and allowing you to define your own internal network structure, including subnets, IP address ranges, and firewalls.

8. How do you achieve high availability and disaster recovery in GCP?

   • Answer: High availability and disaster recovery in GCP can be achieved through various strategies, including using multiple zones within a region, regional resources, load balancing, and geographically dispersed backups. Utilizing managed services like GKE with auto-scaling and regional deployments is crucial for ensuring resilience.

9. Describe your experience with Cloud SQL. What database types have you worked with?

   • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I have extensive experience with Cloud SQL, primarily using MySQL and PostgreSQL instances. I've worked with setting up high availability configurations, managing backups, and optimizing performance through query tuning and instance sizing."]

10. Explain your experience with BigQuery. What types of queries have you written?

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I've used BigQuery extensively for large-scale data analysis. I've written complex SQL queries involving joins, aggregations, window functions, and user-defined functions (UDFs) to analyze terabytes of data, optimizing queries for performance using techniques like partitioning and clustering."]

11. How have you used Cloud Logging and Cloud Monitoring?

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I've used Cloud Logging to monitor application logs and identify errors or performance bottlenecks. I've created dashboards in Cloud Monitoring to track key metrics, set up alerts for critical issues, and proactively manage the health of my applications."]

12. What is Cloud Functions and when would you use it?

    • Answer: Cloud Functions is a serverless compute platform that lets you execute code in response to events without managing servers. It's ideal for event-driven architectures, microservices, and tasks that don't require constant uptime.

13. Explain your experience with deploying applications to GCP. What tools and methods have you used?

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I have experience deploying applications using various methods, including using the gcloud command-line tool, deploying from source code repositories like GitHub, using deployment managers like Deployment Manager, and utilizing CI/CD pipelines with tools like Jenkins or Cloud Build."]

14. How do you manage and control costs in GCP?

    • Answer: Cost management in GCP involves using the Cloud Billing console to monitor spending, setting budgets and alerts, utilizing committed use discounts, right-sizing instances, and leveraging free tier services where appropriate. Understanding pricing models and resource utilization is key.

15. What security best practices do you follow when working with GCP?

    • Answer: Security best practices include utilizing IAM for fine-grained access control, enabling VPCs for network isolation, implementing strong passwords and MFA, regularly patching systems, using encryption for data at rest and in transit, and following the principle of least privilege.

16. Describe your experience with Google Cloud networking concepts like subnets, firewalls, and load balancing.

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I've worked extensively with VPC networks, creating custom subnets, configuring firewalls using firewall rules to control network traffic, and implementing load balancing solutions using Cloud Load Balancing to distribute traffic across multiple instances for high availability and scalability."]

17. What are some common GCP troubleshooting techniques you use?

    • Answer: Common troubleshooting techniques include checking logs in Cloud Logging, monitoring metrics in Cloud Monitoring, examining network connectivity using tools like `traceroute`, analyzing application logs for errors, and utilizing GCP's debugging tools. Understanding the GCP console and its diagnostic features is crucial.

18. How familiar are you with serverless technologies on GCP?

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I'm very familiar with Cloud Functions and have used them for various tasks. I also have some experience with Cloud Run, which provides a more flexible serverless container environment."]

19. Explain your experience with Cloud Dataflow or other data processing services.

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I have experience using Cloud Dataflow to build and run batch and streaming data pipelines. I've used Apache Beam to write data processing jobs, leveraging its features for parallel processing and fault tolerance. I'm familiar with different runners and data sources."]

20. What is the difference between a region and a zone in GCP?

    • Answer: A region is a geographical location with multiple zones. A zone is a specific data center within a region. Distributing your resources across zones within a region enhances high availability.

21. Describe your experience with deploying and managing databases on Cloud SQL.

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I have experience deploying and managing MySQL and PostgreSQL instances on Cloud SQL. I've configured high availability settings, managed backups, performed database maintenance tasks, and optimized database performance."]

22. How do you handle authentication and authorization in GCP?

    • Answer: Primarily through Identity and Access Management (IAM). IAM allows you to grant specific permissions to users, service accounts, and groups, ensuring only authorized entities can access resources.

23. What are some best practices for optimizing the performance of Compute Engine instances?

    • Answer: Right-sizing instances based on workload, using persistent disks for storage, optimizing network configuration, using caching mechanisms, and employing load balancing are crucial for performance.

24. Explain your experience with Cloud Build and its integration with CI/CD pipelines.

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I have experience using Cloud Build to automate the build and deployment process for my applications. I've integrated Cloud Build with Git repositories to trigger builds on code pushes, and used it to create and deploy container images to Container Registry."]

25. How do you monitor the performance of your applications deployed on GCP?

    • Answer: Using Cloud Monitoring to track key metrics, setting up alerts for anomalies, analyzing logs in Cloud Logging, and utilizing application performance monitoring (APM) tools.

26. What are some common security vulnerabilities in GCP and how do you mitigate them?

    • Answer: Common vulnerabilities include misconfigured IAM roles, unsecured network settings, outdated software, and lack of encryption. Mitigation strategies involve proper IAM configuration, using VPCs and firewalls, regular patching, and utilizing encryption services.

27. Describe your experience with deploying and managing Kubernetes clusters on GKE.

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I have experience creating, configuring, and managing Kubernetes clusters on GKE. I've deployed applications to GKE using kubectl, configured deployments, services, and ingress controllers, and utilized various GKE features like autoscaling and node pools."]

28. How familiar are you with Cloud Composer and Apache Airflow?

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I have experience using Cloud Composer to manage and orchestrate complex workflows using Apache Airflow. I've created DAGs to schedule and monitor tasks, and integrated Cloud Composer with other GCP services."]

29. What is your experience with Cloud Datastore?

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I have experience using Cloud Datastore as a NoSQL database for my applications. I've designed data models, performed queries, and managed data consistency."]

30. How have you used Cloud Storage for different use cases?

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I've used Cloud Storage for various purposes, including storing application assets, backing up databases, and storing large datasets for analysis. I've leveraged different storage classes based on access frequency and cost considerations."]

31. Explain your understanding of networking concepts within GCP, such as VPNs and Cloud Interconnect.

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I understand how to establish secure connections between on-premises networks and GCP using VPNs and Cloud Interconnect. I'm familiar with configuring and managing these connections for secure data transfer."]

32. How have you used Cloud Pub/Sub for message queuing?

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I've used Cloud Pub/Sub to build asynchronous communication between different parts of my applications. I've published messages to topics and subscribed to them using various protocols."]

33. Describe your experience with deploying and managing applications on App Engine.

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I have experience deploying and managing applications on App Engine using different runtime environments. I've configured scaling settings, managed deployment versions, and utilized App Engine's built-in features for managing application infrastructure."]

34. How familiar are you with Cloud Functions triggers and event-driven architectures?

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I'm familiar with different Cloud Functions triggers, such as HTTP requests, Pub/Sub messages, and Firebase events. I've built event-driven architectures using Cloud Functions to process events asynchronously."]

35. What is your experience with migrating applications to GCP?

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I've participated in migrating applications to GCP, assessing application architecture, choosing appropriate GCP services, and executing the migration process. I understand the importance of planning and testing during migration."]

36. How do you ensure the scalability and reliability of your applications on GCP?

    • Answer: Through proper design and utilization of GCP services, including load balancing, autoscaling, and redundancy across zones and regions. Understanding and planning for peak loads is essential.

37. Explain your experience with using Cloud SDK and the gcloud command-line tool.

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I use the gcloud command-line tool extensively to manage my GCP resources. I'm proficient in using it for creating and managing virtual machines, deploying applications, and managing other GCP services."]

38. What is your experience with Cloud Armor?

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I have experience using Cloud Armor to protect my applications from DDoS attacks and other web-based threats. I've configured web application firewall (WAF) rules to mitigate specific vulnerabilities."]

39. How do you manage and monitor the cost of your GCP projects?

    • Answer: By using the Cloud Billing console to track expenses, setting budgets and alerts, and leveraging cost optimization tools and techniques such as right-sizing instances and using sustained use discounts.

40. Describe your experience working with Cloud DNS.

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I have experience managing DNS records using Cloud DNS. I understand how to configure DNS zones, create records for different domains, and configure DNS propagation."]

41. What is your experience with Cloud Key Management Service (KMS)?

    • Answer: [This answer should be tailored to your experience. For example: "I have experience using Cloud KMS to manage encryption keys for securing sensitive data. I understand how to create and manage different types of keys and how to integrate KMS with other GCP services."]

42. How do you approach troubleshooting network connectivity issues in GCP?

    • Answer: A systematic approach involving checking firewall rules, examining network configurations, using tools like `traceroute` and `ping`, and consulting GCP documentation and support resources.

43. What are some of the key differences between GCP and other cloud providers like AWS and Azure?

    • Answer: [This answer requires a comparison of GCP's strengths and weaknesses against AWS and Azure across various aspects like pricing models, specific services, and overall ecosystem. Focus on specific features and areas where you have experience to demonstrate knowledge.]

44. Describe a challenging GCP project you worked on and how you overcame the challenges.

    • Answer: [This is a crucial question requiring a detailed and specific example from your experience, highlighting your problem-solving skills and technical abilities.]

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