Top Cloud Computing Interview Questions for 2024: Prepare for Your FAANG+ Cloud Engineer Interview

Cloud computing interview questions are essential for anyone preparing for a cloud engineering role, especially with the increasing demand for cloud expertise. Cloud computing allows for the delivery of shared resources like applications, storage, networking, and business management, making it easier to navigate and utilize through standardization and automation.

As cloud technology has become integral to the digital world, cloud engineers are more sought after than ever. To help you prepare, we’ve updated our list of cloud computing interview questions to guide you through the basic, intermediate, and expert-level questions commonly asked in FAANG+ cloud engineer interviews.

Basic Cloud Engineer Interview Questions

To help you warm up and brush up on your foundational knowledge, here are some basic cloud engineer interview questions and answers:

1. What is a cloud? List some different versions of the cloud.

A collaboration among networks, hardware, services, storage, and interfaces that are used in provident commuting as a service is known as a cloud. It has three users — end users, cloud service providers, and business management users.

The different versions of cloud are:

• Public Cloud
• Private Cloud
• Hybrid Cloud
• Multi-Cloud

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2. What are the primary constituents of the cloud ecosystem?

The primary constituents of the cloud ecosystem that let you know how you see cloud architecture are:

• Cloud consumers
• Direct customers
• Cloud service providers

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Read AWS Cloud solutions architect roles and responsibilities to learn more about the role.

3. What are the main benefits of cloud computing?

Here are some main advantages of cloud computing:

• Data backup and storage
• Robust server capabilities
• Improved productivity
• Cost-effective

4. What is meant by Function as a Service?

Function as a Service (FaaS) offers users a platform where they can develop, manage, and run their applications without worrying about the infrastructure’s maintenance.

5. Define the various cloud storage levels.

The most common levels of data storage that cloud storage device mechanisms offer are:

• Files
• Blocks
• Datasets
• Objects

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• Files: Batches of data grouped into files located in folders.
• Blocks: The smallest unit of data that can be accessed individually is known as a block. The lowest level of storage and closest to the hardware.
• Datasets: These are data sets that have been divided and organized into a tabular, delimited, or record format.
• Objects: Refers to the data and the related metadata organized as web-based resources.

Sample Cloud Engineer Interview Questions for Freshers

1. Elaborate on the cloud computing architecture.
2. Define the direct customers in a cloud ecosystem.
3. What are the cloud delivery models?
4. What do you mean by cloud technology?
5. Mention the layers of PaaS architecture.
6. List the primary features of cloud computing.
7. Who are the cloud consumers in a cloud ecosystem?
8. What are the component layers found in Cloud architecture?
9. Define on-demand functionality.
10. Differentiate between scalability and elasticity.

For more examples of the kinds of interview questions you can expect, read Top AWS Cloud Support Engineer Database Interview Questions.

Intermediate Cloud Engineer Interview Questions

After getting a good grasp of the basics, you can practice these intermediate-level cloud engineer interview questions and answers to keep the momentum going:

1. What do you mean by AMI, and how is it implemented?

Amazon Machine Image or AMI is a copy of your root file system. It provides the information required when launching an instance. AMI is implemented by specifying when you want to launch an instance. From a single AMI, several instances can be in the same configuration.

When it comes to launching instances with different configurations, different AMIs must be launched. In the case of instance-store-backed AMIs, AMI consists of one or more snapshots of EBS volumes, accompanied by a template for the root volume of your instance.

The permissions it launches are the ones that decide which one of the AWS accounts can use the AMI when launching instances. Further, it requires a block device mapping for determining the volumes in the correct order to connect them to the instances when they’re launched.

2. Explain security management in terms of cloud computing.

• Identity management access gives the required authorization of application services.
• Access control permission is provided to users to have complete controlling access to another user entering the cloud environment.
• Authentication and authorization permit access to the data and applications only to the users who are authorized and authenticated.

3.  What are serverless components in cloud computing?

The components that enable the development of applications to happen without the complications of managing the infrastructure are known as serverless components. This means that the user can write the code without accessing the server.

Serverless machines are responsible for virtual machines and container management. These components also manage other aspects, such as multithreading and hardware allocating.

Sample Cloud Engineer Interview Questions

1. What is the full form and the use of ‘Eucalyptus’ in cloud computing?
2. Differentiate between traditional data centers and the cloud.
3. Define edge computing.
4. Mention the different kinds of data center deployments of cloud computing.
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of serverless computing?
6. List some cloud-enabling technologies.
7. Explain the importance of microservices for a true cloud environment.
8. Elaborate on the cloud usage monitor.
9. What are the uses of APIs in cloud services?
10. List the most important metrics in cloud computing.

To prepare better for your upcoming Cloud engineer interview, you can check our post on Google Cloud Interview Questions.

Advanced Cloud Engineer Interview Questions

As you move up the ladder and appear for interviews for higher positions, you’ll need to be prepared for an advanced level of questions. Here are some cloud engineer interview questions and answers to help you get started:

1. What are the key features of AWS?

The primary features of AWS are:

• AWS Route 53: It’s a DNS (Domain Name Server) web-based service platform.
• Simple E-mail service: An email is sent with the help of the RESTFUL API call or through a regular SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).
• Identity and Access Management: The AWS account users are provided with improvised security and identity management.
• Simple Storage Device (S3): Popularly used for AWS services, it’s a massive storage medium.
• Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2): It enables on-demand computing resources to host applications and is even essential for unforeseen workloads.
• Elastic Block Stores (EBS): These are storage volumes connected to EC2 and let the data lifespan of each EC2.
• CloudWatch: Used for keeping track of AWS resources and letting administrators view and gather the keys needed. Access is given so the user can get a notification alarm in case of any trouble.

2. How does resource replication happen in cloud computing?

Resource replication is the process in which duplicates of the same resource are created. Replication is done when the requirement of a particular resource is constantly increasing. The resource is then virtualized to duplicate cloud-based resources.

3. How does the monitoring agent go about monitoring the cloud usage?

A monitoring agent is an intermediary and event-driven program created as a service agent and placed along the existing communication paths. Used for transparently monitoring and amazing dataflows, the monitoring agent keeps track of the network traffic along with the message metrics.

Do you want to know how much a cloud engineer makes? You can check our article on AWS cloud support engineer salary in the US and see the compensation details.

Sample Cloud Engineer Interview Questions for Experienced Developers

1. How does the resource agent monitor cloud usage?
2. Define the cloud usage monitor.
3. Give some reasons why Amazon is so big.
4. How can you vertically scale an Amazon instance?
5. Explain the security usage in the Amazon Web Services model.
6. What is meant by Containers as a Service (CaaS)?
7. Define cloud-native applications.
8. How does the polling agent monitor cloud usage?
9. How would the Cloud Native Computing Foundation explain cloud-native applications?
10. What is meant by rate limiting?

As you gear up for your cloud engineer interview, remember that companies nowadays look for engineers with experience in Linux, OpenStack, Amazon Web Services, Google Compute Engine, and Microsoft Azure.

Further, having good knowledge of DevOps, APIs, and NoSQL will only improve your chances of getting hired. So prepare a strategy that includes cloud engineer interview questions based on all these topics.

You must also check out these Must-Know DevOps Principles to Answer Interview Questions.

Ace Your Next Cloud Computing Interview with Interview Kickstart!

Now that you have had a sneak peek into how cloud computing MCQs for IT professionals are asked with different complexity levels, you must have evaluated your preparedness. With the right approach and guidance, you can excel in interviews with high-tech companies, whether it’s AWS MCQs, Azure fundamentals, or others.

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FAQs on Cloud Engineer Interview Questions

Q1. What skills do cloud engineers need?

Some of the most important cloud engineering skills are Linux, database skills, programming, networking, DevOps, virtualization, and so on.

Q2. What does a cloud engineer do?

An IT professional who helps create and maintain the cloud infrastructure is known as a cloud engineer. Under the cloud engineering umbrella, there are more specific roles, such as cloud architecting, development, and administration.

Q3. What are the interview questions for cloud architects?

Some sample cloud architect interview questions are — Define Amazon EC2. What are some of the security best practices for Amazon EC2? What is meant by Identity and Access Management (IAM)? Can you list some of its uses?

Q4. What topics should I focus on during cloud engineering course interview preparation?

When focusing on cloud engineering course interview preparation, prioritize core cloud concepts such as virtualization, storage, and networking. Additionally, dive into security practices, monitoring, and platform-specific knowledge like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. Real-world applications of these concepts can help you tackle scenario-based questions effectively.

Q5. How can a cloud engineering course help in interview preparation?

A cloud engineering course provides structured guidance and hands-on projects, which are invaluable for interview preparation. Through a well-rounded curriculum, you gain expertise in cloud platforms, learn best practices for troubleshooting, and get comfortable with tools like Kubernetes and Docker. This experience is critical for succeeding in technical interviews and on-the-job challenges.

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