General DevOps Questions

1. What is DevOps?

• DevOps is a set of practices that combines development (Dev) and operations (Ops)
to enable faster and more reliable software delivery through automation,
collaboration, and integration.

2. What are the key benefits of DevOps?

• Faster time-to-market, improved collaboration, reduced failure rates, quicker

recovery times, and enhanced software quality.

3. What are the phases of the DevOps lifecycle?

• Plan, Develop, Build, Test, Release, Deploy, Operate, Monitor.

4. What is Continuous Integration (CI)?

• CI is the practice of merging code changes frequently into a shared repository to

detect issues early through automated builds and tests.

5. What is Continuous Delivery (CD)?

• CD ensures that code changes are automatically built, tested, and prepared for
deployment to production environments.

6. What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC)?

• IaC involves managing infrastructure through code instead of manual processes

using tools like Terraform or AWS CloudFormation.

7. How does DevOps differ from Agile?

• Agile focuses on iterative development, while DevOps emphasizes continuous

delivery and collaboration between development and operations teams.

8. What tools have you used for CI/CD pipelines?

• Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, Azure DevOps Pipelines.

9. What is the difference between Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment?

• Continuous Delivery requires manual approval for production releases; Continuous

Deployment automates the entire process.

10. What KPIs do you use to measure DevOps success?

• Deployment frequency, Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR), Change failure rate, Lead
time for changes.

Cloud Computing Questions

11. What are the main cloud service models?

• IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), SaaS (Software as a

Service).
 12. Explain cloud deployment models.

• Public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud.

13. What is AWS IAM?

• AWS Identity Access Management controls access to AWS resources securely by

defining permissions for users and roles.

14. Explain Auto Scaling in AWS.

• Auto Scaling dynamically adjusts compute resources based on demand to optimize

performance and cost.

15. What are S3 buckets in AWS used for?

• S3 buckets store objects (files) with high durability and scalability for use cases like
backups or hosting static websites.

16. What is a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)?

• A VPC allows you to launch AWS resources in an isolated network environment with
customizable configurations.

17. How do you ensure security in cloud environments?

• By implementing IAM policies, encryption at rest/in transit, firewalls, multi-factor

authentication (MFA), and compliance monitoring tools.

18. What is serverless computing?

• Serverless computing allows developers to build applications without managing

servers using services like AWS Lambda or Azure Functions.

19. How do you handle disaster recovery in cloud environments?

• By implementing cross-region replication, regular backups, failover mechanisms

using Route 53 (DNS), and testing recovery plans regularly.

20. Explain the concept of scalability in cloud computing.

• Scalability refers to the ability of a system to handle increased or decreased

workloads by dynamically adding or removing resources.

DevOps Tools & Techniques

21. What is Docker? Why is it used in DevOps?

• Docker is a containerization platform that packages applications with their

dependencies for consistent deployment across environments.

22. Explain Kubernetes architecture briefly.

• Kubernetes uses nodes (worker machines), pods (smallest deployable units),

controllers, and an API server to manage containerized workloads.

23. What are Helm charts in Kubernetes?

 • Helm charts are templates that define Kubernetes applications for easier
deployment and management.

24. How do you monitor applications in production?

• Using tools like Prometheus for metrics collection, Grafana for visualization, or ELK
Stack for log analysis.

25. How do you manage secrets in DevOps pipelines?

• Using tools like HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager to securely store sensitive
information like API keys or passwords.

26. Have you worked with Terraform? What is its purpose?

• Terraform is an IaC tool used to provision infrastructure across multiple providers

like AWS or Azure using declarative configuration files.

27. What is Jenkins used for in DevOps workflows?

• Jenkins automates CI/CD pipelines by building and testing code changes

continuously.

28. Explain Blue/Green Deployment in DevOps.

• Blue/Green Deployment involves maintaining two environments: one active (blue)

and one idle (green). Traffic switches to green after testing updates there.

29. What is Git Flow branching strategy? How have you implemented it?

• Git Flow uses feature branches for development and integrates them into
develop/main branches after testing via pull requests.

30. How do you ensure compliance adherence in a CI/CD pipeline?

• By integrating automated security scans (e.g., SAST/DAST tools), setting up role-

based access controls (RBAC), and maintaining audit logs of pipeline activities.

Scenario-Based Questions

31. Describe how you handled scaling issues during high traffic periods.

• During a high-traffic event, I implemented Kubernetes Horizontal Pod Autoscaler to

dynamically scale pods based on CPU and memory usage. I also used a CDN (e.g.,
CloudFront) to cache static content and reduce backend load. Auto Scaling was configured
on cloud resources like EC2 instances to handle increased demand.

32. Explain how you implemented monitoring for microservices-based applications.

• I used Prometheus for metrics collection and Grafana for visualization. Each microservice
was instrumented with custom metrics to monitor latency, error rates, and request
throughput. For distributed tracing, I used Jaeger or AWS X-Ray to track requests across
services.

33. How would you secure an exposed API endpoint?

 • I would secure it by implementing API Gateway with authentication mechanisms like OAuth
2.0 or JWT tokens, enabling HTTPS for encrypted communication, and applying rate limiting
to prevent abuse.

34. Describe how you implemented disaster recovery strategies in your cloud environment.

• I set up cross-region replication for S3 buckets and RDS databases, created AMIs of EC2
instances for quick recovery, and configured Route 53 health checks with failover routing
policies to redirect traffic during outages.

35. How do you ensure zero-downtime deployments in production environments?

• By using Blue/Green Deployment or Canary Releases. For example, in Blue/Green

Deployment, I deployed updates to a green environment while the blue environment
remained live. After testing, traffic was switched to the green environment.

36. Have you ever migrated an application from on-premises to the cloud? How did you
handle it?

• Yes, I migrated a monolithic application to AWS by containerizing it using Docker and

deploying it on ECS. Data migration was handled using AWS Database Migration Service
(DMS), and I ensured minimal downtime by performing incremental data syncs.

37. What steps would you take to debug a failed deployment in production?

• First, I would analyze logs from CI/CD pipelines using tools like CloudWatch or ELK Stack to
identify errors. Then, I would verify configurations (e.g., IaC scripts) and roll back changes if
necessary while investigating further in staging environments.

38. Can you share an example where automation improved efficiency in your project?

• Automating infrastructure provisioning with Terraform reduced setup time from days to
hours in one project. Additionally, integrating automated testing into Jenkins pipelines
reduced manual testing efforts by 70%.

39. How do you handle secrets management in your DevOps workflows?

• By using tools like HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager to securely store sensitive
information like API keys or credentials. These tools also rotate secrets automatically for
enhanced security.

40. Describe a challenging CI/CD pipeline issue you faced and how you resolved it.

• A pipeline was failing due to dependency conflicts between microservices during builds. I
resolved it by containerizing each service with Docker, ensuring isolated environments for
dependencies, and adding automated integration tests.

Behavioral/HR Questions

41. Why do you want to work at IBM as a DevOps/Cloud Engineer?

• IBM’s focus on innovation in cloud computing and its leadership in hybrid cloud solutions
align with my career goals of working on impactful projects that leverage cutting-edge
DevOps practices.
42. Tell me about a time when your automation efforts saved significant time or reduced
errors for your team/project.

• Automating regression testing with Selenium integrated into Jenkins pipelines reduced
manual testing time by 60%, allowing the team to focus on feature development while
maintaining software quality.

43. How do you stay updated with new tools and technologies in DevOps/cloud engineering?

• By following industry blogs (e.g., IBM Cloud Blog), attending webinars/conferences (e.g.,
KubeCon), completing certifications (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect), and experimenting with
new tools in personal projects.

44. Describe a situation where you had to collaborate with cross-functional teams under
pressure to resolve an issue quickly.

• During a production outage caused by database misconfiguration, I collaborated with

developers to identify the issue and worked with DBAs to restore backups within hours while
keeping stakeholders informed about progress.

45. Have you mentored junior team members before? How did you approach it?

• Yes, I mentored juniors by conducting weekly knowledge-sharing sessions on CI/CD best

practices and reviewing their code/configurations while providing constructive feedback
tailored to their learning pace.

46. How do you prioritize tasks when working on multiple projects simultaneously with tight
deadlines?

• By categorizing tasks based on urgency and impact using tools like Jira or Trello while
maintaining clear communication with stakeholders about timelines and dependencies.

47. Tell me about a time when something went wrong during deployment—how did you
handle it?

• During one deployment, a database migration script caused downtime due to missing
indexes. I immediately rolled back changes using backups, fixed the script in staging, tested
thoroughly, and redeployed successfully after stakeholder approval.

48. Why did you choose DevOps/cloud engineering as your career path over other IT roles like
software development or testing?

• DevOps combines my interest in automation, problem-solving, and collaboration across

teams while offering opportunities to work on cutting-edge cloud technologies—making it
dynamic and rewarding.

49. Where do you see yourself professionally five years from now within IBM or beyond?

• In five years, I aim to grow into a leadership role where I can architect scalable cloud-native
solutions while mentoring teams on adopting DevOps best practices effectively.

50. Do you have any questions for us regarding this role or IBM’s culture/processes?

• What are some of the key challenges IBM’s DevOps teams are currently addressing? How
does IBM support its engineers’ professional growth through training or certifications?
These additional questions provide practical insights into technical expertise as well as behavioral
skills relevant for an IBM DevOps/Cloud Engineer role!

Citations:

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7qOUCGK-5A

[2] https://www.simplilearn.com/tutorials/devops-tutorial/devops-interview-questions

[3] https://intellipaat.com/blog/interview-question/devops-interview-questions/

[4] https://nodeflair.com/companies/ibm/interviews/devops-engineer

[5] https://www.turing.com/interview-questions/cloud

[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XftV_SbQoEc

[7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oer3zM7t_oo

[8] https://www.credosystemz.com/ibm-devops-interview-questions/