Cloud DevOps Q&A : Page 1

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 What is the difference between "scaling up" and "scaling out" in cloud infrastructure? 

Scaling up refers to increasing the capacity of a single resource by adding more CPU, memory, or storage (vertical scaling). Scaling out means adding more instances or nodes of a resource (horizontal scaling) to distribute workload across multiple machines. 

 

What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and why is it important in DevOps and cloud environments? 

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the practice of managing and provisioning cloud infrastructure using machine-readable configuration files, instead of manual setup. Tools like Terraform allow you to define infrastructure declaratively, automate deployments, and reuse configurations. IaC provides benefits such as consistent environments, version control, faster provisioning, and reduces human error. Features like state locking in Terraform help prevent concurrent changes that could corrupt the infrastructure state. 

 

What is the difference between a load balancer and an API gateway in cloud architecture? 

A load balancer is used to distribute incoming network or application traffic across multiple backend servers to ensure reliability and performance. An API Gateway, on the other hand, is a layer between clients and backend services that manages API requests. It handles routing, authentication, rate limiting, request transformation, and monitoring, making it ideal for microservices-based architectures. 

 

What is the purpose of a VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) in cloud platforms like AWS or Azure? How does it help in cloud networking? 

A Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is a logically isolated section of the cloud where you can define and control a virtual network environment. It allows you to launch cloud resources like VMs (EC2 in AWS, VMs in Azure) in a secure and customizable network. You can configure IP address ranges, create subnets, set up route tables, internet gateways, NAT, and control access using security groups and network ACLs. VPCs are essential for managing traffic flow and ensuring secure, private networking within the cloud. 

 

What is CI/CD in DevOps, and how does it improve the software delivery process? 

CI/CD stands for Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery/Deployment. CI is the practice of automatically integrating and testing code changes in a shared repository. CD automates the process of delivering the built and tested application to different environments such as development, staging, or production. CI/CD helps speed up software delivery, reduces human error, supports rollback strategies, and enables faster, more reliable releases with minimal manual effort. 

What is the difference between Terraform and Ansible? In what scenarios would you use one over the other? 

Terraform is a declarative Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool used to provision and manage cloud infrastructure like VMs, networks, and databases. Ansible, on the other hand, is a configuration management tool used to install software, configure systems, and manage application deployments. For example, you can use Terraform to create a virtual machine on AWS or Azure, and then use Ansible to install and configure a .NET application and its dependencies on that VM. While both support automation, Terraform focuses on provisioning infrastructure, and Ansible focuses on configuration and software deployment. 

 

What is a container in DevOps, and how is it different from a virtual machine (VM)? 

A container is a lightweight, standalone, executable package that includes everything needed to run an application — code, dependencies, and configurations. Containers use a shared OS kernel, making them much faster to start and more efficient than virtual machines. Tools like Docker are used to build containers, and orchestration platforms like Kubernetes help manage them at scale. In contrast, a virtual machine includes a full OS and virtualized hardware, which makes it more resource-intensive and slower to provision. Both provide isolation, but containers offer it at the process level, while VMs offer it at the system level. 

 

What is a Blue-Green Deployment strategy, and why is it used in DevOps? 

Blue-Green Deployment is a release strategy where two identical environments, called Blue and Green, are maintained. The current live environment (Blue) serves all traffic, while the new version is deployed to the idle environment (Green). Once the Green environment is fully tested, traffic is switched from Blue to Green, enabling zero downtime and quick rollback if needed by switching back to Blue. 

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