DevOps Interview Questions and Answers

Last Updated : 16 Jun, 2024

DevOps is a set of practices, principles, and tools that combines software
development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops). Its primary goal is to shorten the
software development lifecycle and deliver high-quality software continuously.
DevOps includes collaboration, communication, automation, continuous delivery,
and integration between software developers and IT operations professionals to
improve the speed, efficiency, and reliability of software delivery.

Here, we provide 50+ DevOps Interview Questions and Answers tailored for both
freshers and experienced professionals with 3, 5, and 8 years of experience. Here,
we cover everything, including Core DevOps concepts, Continuous Integration,
containerization, orchestration, configuration management, monitoring, and more,
that will surely help you to crack DevOps Interviews.

DevOps Interview Questions

Table of Content
Basic DevOps Interview Questions For Freshers
Intermediate DevOps Interview Questions and Answer
Advanced DevOps Interview Questions and Answer

What is DevOps?

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
DevOps is a transformative culture and practice that unites software development
(Dev) and IT operations (Ops) teams. By fostering collaboration and leveraging
automation technologies, DevOps enables faster, more reliable code deployment
to production in an efficient and repeatable manner.

What is a DevOps Engineer?

A DevOps Engineer is a professional who combines software development (Dev)
and IT operations (Ops) skills to improve and streamline the process of developing,
testing, and releasing software.

Their goal is to ensure that software is delivered quickly, efficiently, and reliably.
They work to automate and integrate the processes between software
development and IT teams, allowing for continuous delivery and continuous
integration of software.

Basic DevOps Interview Questions For Freshers

1. What is the use of SSH?

SSH(Secure Shell) is an access credential used in the SSH Protocol. In other

words, it is a cryptographic network protocol that transfers encrypted data over
the network. It allows you to connect to a server, or multiple servers, without
having to remember or enter your password for each system that is to log in
remotely from one system to another.

2. What is CI/CD?

CI And CD is the practice of automating the integration of code changes from

multiple developers into a single codebase. It is a software development practice
where the developers commit their work frequently to the central code repository
(Github or Stash).

Continuous Integration: With Continuous Integration, developers frequently

commit to a shared common repository using a version control system such as
Git. A continuous integration pipeline can automatically run builds, store the
artifacts, run unit tests, and even conduct code reviews using tools like Sonar.

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
 Continuous Delivery: Continuous delivery helps developers test their code in a
production-similar environment, hence preventing any last-moment or post-
production surprises. These tests may include UI testing, load testing,
integration testing, etc. It helps developers discover and resolve bugs
preemptively.

3. What is Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure(HTTPS)?

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure is a protocol that is used to communicate

between the user browser and the website. It also helps in the transfer of data. It
is the secure variant of HTTP. To make the data transfer more secure, it is
encrypted. Encryption is required to ensure security while transmitting sensitive
information like passwords, contact information, etc.

4. What is the Blue/Green Deployment Pattern?

Blue Green Deployment is just like we deploy two versions of our application, one
is the stable version, and another is a new feature or bug fix let’s say, forwarding a
certain percentage of traffic to the second version as well in production to ensure
that everything is working fine.

Blue Deployment: It’s the primary Deployment that is stable, and being used as
production.
Green Deployment: It’s a kind of clone version, but it has additional changes in
it, we can route the traffic to the Green deployment so that if any issues are
there in the Deployment we can fix them and then promote it to Blue, so that
reducing the chances of failures in production environment.

5. What’s the difference between DevOps & Agile?

Agile DevOps

Agile is a method for creating software. It is not related to software development.

Instead, the software that is used by

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
 Agile DevOps

DevOps is pre-built, dependable, and

simple to deploy.

An advancement and administration Typically a conclusion of administration

approach. related to designing.

The agile handle centers on consistent DevOps centers on steady testing and
changes. conveyance.

Agile relates generally to the way

advancement is carried out, any division DevOps centers more on program
of the company can be spry on its hones. arrangement choosing the foremost
This may be accomplished through dependable and most secure course.
preparation.

6. What is the continuous testing process?

Continuous testing is a process of automated testing done on software

continuously as soon as a piece of code is delivered by the developers. This testing
is done at every stage starting from the initial stages of development until the
deployment of software.

7. What is ‘Pair Programming’?

Pair programming is a development technique in which two programmers work

together at a single workstation. A person who writes code is called a driver and a
person who observes and navigates each line of the code is called a
navigator. They may switch their role frequently.

8. What do you mean by Configuration Management?

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
The process of controlling and documenting change for the development system is
called Configuration Management. Configuration Management is part of the
overall change management approach. It allows large teams to work together in s
stable environment while still providing the flexibility required for creative work.

9. What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC)?

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a method of managing and provisioning IT

infrastructure using code, rather than manual configuration. It allows teams to
automate the setup and management of their infrastructure, making it more
efficient and consistent. This is particularly useful in the DevOps environment,
where teams are constantly updating and deploying software.

10. Explain the concept of branching in Git.

Branching means diverging from the mainline and continuing to work separately
without messing with the mainline. Nearly every VCS has some form of branch
support. In Git, a branch is simply a reference to the commit, where the following
commits will be attached.

11. What is Git stash?

The Git stash command can be used to accomplish this if a developer is working on
a project and wants to preserve the changes without committing them. This will
allow him to switch branches and work on other projects without affecting the
existing modifications. You can roll back modifications whenever necessary, and it
stores the current state and rolls back developers to a prior state.

12. What is a GIT Repository?

Repositories in GIT contain a collection of files of various versions of a Project.

These files are imported from the repository into the local server of the user for
further updations and modifications in the content of the file. A VCS or the Version
Control System is used to create these versions and store them in a specific place
termed a repository.

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
13. What is Dogpile effect?

Cache Stampede or Dogpile Problem in System Design is a phenomenon that can

occur in systems that rely on caching to improve performance. As a result, the
system experiences a sudden surge in demand, often overwhelming the backend
resources and causing a performance degradation.

14. What Is Jenkins?

Jenkins is a tool that is used for automation, and it is an open-source server that
allows all the developers to build, test and deploy software. It works or runs on
java as it is written in java. By using Jenkins we can make a continuous integration
of projects(jobs) or end-to-endpoint automation.

15. What is the use of the cherry-pick command in git?

Git cherry-pick in git means choosing a commit from one branch and applying it to
another branch. This is in contrast with other ways such as merge and rebases
which normally apply many commits into another branch.

The command for Cherry-pick is as follows:

git cherry-pick<commit-hash>

16. What is sudo command in Linux?

Sudo (Super User DO) command in Linux is generally used as a prefix for some
commands that only superusers are allowed to run. If you prefix any command
with “sudo”, it will run that command with elevated privileges or in other words
allow a user with proper permissions to execute a command as another user, such
as the superuser. This is the equivalent of the “run as administrator” option in
Windows.

17. What’s the Difference Between Git Fetch and Git Pull ?

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
 Git Fetch Git Pull

Used to fetch all changes from the

Brings the copy of all the changes from a
remote repository to the local repository
remote repository and merges them into
without merging into the current working
the current working directory
directory

Repository data is updated in the .git

The working directory is updated directly
directory

Review of commits and changes can be Updates the changes to the local
done repository immediately.

Command for Git fetch is git Command for Git Pull is git pull<remote>
fetch<remote> <branch>

18. What are the components of Selenium?

Selenium is a powerful tool for controlling web browser through program. It is

functional for all browsers, works on all major OS and its scripts are written in
various languages i.e Python, Java, C#, etc, we will be working with Python.
Selenium has four major components :-

Selenium IDE
Selenium RC
Selenium Web driver
Selenium GRID

19. What is a Puppet in DevOps?

Puppet is an open-source configuration management automation tool. Puppet

permits system administrators to type in infrastructure as code, using the Puppet
Descriptive Language rather than utilizing any customized and individual scripts to
do so. This means in case the system administrator erroneously alters the state of

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
the machine, at that point puppet can uphold the change and guarantee that the
framework returns to the required state.

20. What is Ansible?

Ansible is an open-source IT engine that automates application deployment, cloud

provisioning, intra-service orchestration, and other IT tools. Ansible can be used to
deploy the software on different servers at a time without human interaction.
Ansible can also be used to configure the servers and create user accounts.

Ansible is an agent-less software which means there is no need to install the

software in the nodes which means you need to do the SSH to connect the nodes
to perform the required operations on the servers.

21. What is Automation Testing?

Automated Testing is a technique where the Tester writes scripts on their own and
uses suitable Software or Automation Tool to test the software. It is an Automation
Process of a Manual Process. It allows for executing repetitive tasks without the
intervention of a Manual Tester.

22. What is the importance of continuous feedback in DevOps?

Continuous Feedback in software testing is trying out an iterative process that

involves presenting everyday comments, reviews, and critiques during the
software program improvement lifecycle. It ensures that builders get an equal
message approximately the quality and functionality of their code. Let’s delve
deeper into this concept little by little and discover the variations associated with
it.

23. What is Git Bash?

Git Bash is a command-line interface (CLI) application for Windows that lets you
communicate with Git, the version control system. Clone the repositories, commit
changes, push and pull changes, and more are all possible using Git Bash. Git

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
Bash can automate manual tasks with the scripts written by you. Git Bash helps
you in a greater way to learn about Git and version control.

24. What is Git Squashing?

Squashing combines multiple commits into a single commit based on your commit
history. With the help of squashing you can clean your branch history and can
maintain an organized commit timeline. It is used before pulling requests or
merging feature branches.

25. What is a merge conflict in Git?

Merge Conflicts are the conflicts that occur when a developer is editing a file in a
particular branch and the other developer is also editing that same file or when
developer A edits some line of code and that same line of code is being edited by
another developer B that leads to conflicts while merging.

26. What is Git prune?

Git prune is a command that deletes all the files that are not reachable from the
current branch. The prune command is useful when you have a lot of files in your
working directory that you don’t want to keep. The primary use of git prune is to
clean up your working directory after you have finished working on a project. What
actually git prune does is, suppose you have an object or commit that is no longer
reachable from the current branch.

Command:

git fetch –prune <remote>

27. What’s the difference between HTTP and HTTPS ?

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
 HTTP HTTPS

While HTTPS will have the data before

HTTP does not use data hashtags to
sending it and return it to its original state
secure data.
on the receiver side.

In HTTP Data is transfer in plaintext. In HTTPS Data transfer in ciphertext.

HTTP does not require any certificates. HTTPS needs SSL Certificates.

HTTP does not improve search ranking HTTPS helps to improve search ranking

28. Explain the “Shift left to reduce failure” concept in DevOps?

In DevOps, “shift left” means bringing testing and security audits earlier in the
development cycle. Problems are recognized and resolved early, which reduces the
likelihood of errors and failures in subsequent phases, boosting the efficiency and
dependability of the development pipeline.

29. What are Virtual machines (VMs) ?

Virtual Machine abstracts the hardware of our personal computer such as CPU,
disk drives, memory, NIC (Network Interface Card) etc, into many different
execution environments as per our requirements, hence giving us a feel that each
execution environment is a single computer. For example, VirtualBox.

30. What is a bare repository?

A bare repository is the same as default, but no commits can be made in a bare
repository. The changes made in projects cannot be tracked by a bare repository as
it doesn’t have a working tree. A working tree is a directory in which all the project
files/sub-directories reside. Bare repository is essentially a .git folder with a
specific folder where all the project files reside.

Intermediate DevOps Interview Questions and Answer

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
31. What is Component-Based Model (CBM) in DevOps?

The component-based assembly model uses object-oriented technologies. In

object-oriented technologies, the emphasis is on the creation of classes. Classes
are the entities that encapsulate data and algorithms. In component-based
architecture, classes (i.e., components required to build application) can be uses as
reusable components.

32. How to Make a CI-CD Pipeline in Jenkins?

DevOps professionals mostly work with pipelines because pipelines can automate
processes like building, testing, and deploying the application. With the help of
Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) Pipeline scripts we can
automate the whole process which will increase productivity save lots of time for
the organization and deliver quality applications to the end users.

33. What’s the difference between Chef and Puppet?

Chef Puppet

Ruby programming knowledge is needed DSL programming knowledge is needed

to handle the management of Chef. to handle the management of Puppet.

Chef is mostly used by small and

Large corporations and enterprises use
medium-sized companies for
Puppet for management.
management.

There is no error visibility at installation Error visibility at installation time is

time which results in difficulty. provided to ease the installation process.

The transmission process to establish The transmission process to establish

communication in this software is slower communication in this software is faster
as compared to Puppet. as compared to Chef.

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
34. What is Git Rebase?

Rebasing in Git is a process of integrating a series of commits on top of another

base tip. It takes all the commits of a branch and appends them to the commits of a
new branch.The main aim of rebasing is to maintain a progressively straight and
cleaner project history. Rebasing gives rise to a perfectly linear project history that
can follow the end commit of the feature all the way to the beginning of the
project without even forking. This makes it easier to navigate your project.

The technical syntax of rebase command is:

git rebase [-i | --interactive] [ options ] [--exec cmd] [--onto

newbase | --keep-base] [upstream [branch]]

35. What is Selenium Tool Suite?

Selenium is a very well-known open-source software suite, mainly used for testing
web browsers and web applications by automating some processes. It comes with
a set of tools and libraries that allow developers or testers to automate some
functions related to web browsers and web applications. Selenium Tool suite
consists of 4 major components:

Selenium IDE (Integrated Development Environment)

Selenium WebDriver
Selenium Grid
Selenium Remote Control (Deprecated)

36. What is Selenium IDE?

Selenium IDE (Integrated Development Environment) is an open-source web

testing solution. Selenium IDE is like a tool that records what you do on a website.
Subsequently, these recorded interactions can be replayed as automated tests. You
don’t need much programming skills to use it. Even if you’re not great at
programming, you can still make simple automated tests with it.

37. What is Banker’s Algorithm in OS?

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
The banker’s algorithm is a resource allocation and deadlock avoidance algorithm
that tests for safety by simulating the allocation for the predetermined maximum
possible amounts of all resources, then makes an “s-state” check to test for
possible activities, before deciding whether allocation should be allowed to
continue.

38. How do you create a backup and copy files in Jenkins?

In Jenkins, create a backup by copying the JENKINS_HOME directory, which contains

all configurations and job data. To copy files, use the sh or bat command in a
pipeline script, such as sh 'cp source_file destination' for Unix or bat 'copy

source_file destination' for Windows. Use plugins like “ThinBackup” for

scheduled backups

39. Explain how you can set up a Jenkins job?

To set up a Jenkins job:

1. Open Jenkins and log in with your credentials.

2. Click “New Item” from the dashboard.
3. Enter a name for your job and select the job type (e.g., Freestyle project).
4. Click “OK” to create the job.
5. Configure your job by adding a description, source code management details
(e.g., Git repository), and build triggers.
6. Add build steps, such as shell commands or invoking scripts.
7. Save the job and click “Build Now” to run it.

40. Explain the architecture of Docker.

Docker architecture consists of several key components:

1. Docker Client: Issues commands to the Docker daemon via a command-line

interface (CLI).
2. Docker Daemon (dockerd): Runs on the host machine, managing Docker
objects like images, containers, networks, and volumes.
3. Docker Images: Read-only templates used to create Docker containers.

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
4. Docker Containers: Lightweight, portable, and executable instances created
from Docker images.
5. Docker Registry: Stores and distributes Docker images; Docker Hub is a popular
public registry.
6. Docker Compose: A tool for defining and running multi-container Docker
applications using a YAML file.
7. Docker Networking: Allows containers to communicate with each other and
with non-Docker environments.

Advanced DevOps Interview Questions and Answer

41. What is the DevOps life cycle?

DevOps Lifecycle is the set of phases that includes DevOps for taking part in
Development and Operation group duties for quicker software program delivery.
DevOps follows positive techniques that consist of code, building, testing,
releasing, deploying, operating, displaying, and planning. DevOps lifecycle follows
a range of phases such as non-stop development, non-stop integration, non-stop
testing, non-stop monitoring, and non-stop feedback. 7 Cs of DevOps are:

Continuous Development
Continuous Integration
Continuous Testing
Continuous Deployment/Continuous Delivery
Continuous Monitoring
Continuous Feedback
Continuous Operations

42. What is the difference between Git Merge and Git Rebase?

Git Merge Git Rebase

Git Merge merges two branches to create Git Rebase rebases the feature branch to
a “feature” branch. add the feature branch to the main

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
 Git Merge Git Rebase

branch.

Git Merge is comparatively easy. Git Rebase is comparatively harder.

Git Merge safeguards history. Git Rabse doesn’t safeguard history.

Git Merge is more suitable for projects Git Rebase is suitable for projects with
with the less active main branch. frequently active main branches.

43. What’s the difference between DataOps and DevOps?

DataOps DevOps

The DataOps ecosystem is made up of This is where CI/CD pipelines are built,
databases, data warehouses, schemas, where code automation is discussed, and
tables, views, and integration logs from where continual uptime and availability
other significant systems. improvements happen.

Dataops focuses on lowering barriers Using the DevOps methodology,

between data producers and users to development and operations teams
boost the dependability and utility of collaborate to create and deliver software
data. more quickly.

Platforms are not a factor in DataOps. It DevOps is platform-independent, but

is a collection of ideas that you can use in cloud providers have simplified the
situations when data is present. playbook.

Continuous data delivery through Server and version configurations are

automated modeling, integration, continuously automated as the product is
curation, and integration. Processes like being delivered. Automation
data governance and curation are entirely encompasses all aspects of testing,
automated. network configuration, release

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
 DataOps DevOps

management, version control, machine

and server configuration, and more.

44. What are the 7 Cs of DevOps?

The 7 Cs of DevOps are:

1. Continuous Integration: Regularly merging code changes into a shared

repository.
2. Continuous Testing: Automatically running tests to ensure code quality.
3. Continuous Delivery: Ensuring code is always in a deployable state.
4. Continuous Deployment: Automatically deploying code to production.
5. Continuous Monitoring: Tracking system performance and issues in real-time.
6. Continuous Feedback: Gathering and responding to user and system feedback.
7. Continuous Operations: Maintaining system stability and uptime through
automated processes.

45. Explain the concept of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and discuss the benefits
and challenges of implementing IaC in a large-scale production environment.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the practice of managing and provisioning

computing infrastructure through machine-readable definition files, rather than
physical hardware configuration. Its benefits include faster deployment,
consistency, scalability, and easier management. Challenges may include initial
learning curve, complexity in maintaining code, and ensuring security and
compliance across diverse environments.

46. What strategies can be employed to achieve zero-downtime deployments,

and how does the Blue/Green Deployment pattern fit into these strategies?

To achieve zero-downtime deployments, strategies like canary releases and rolling

updates are used. Blue/Green Deployment is a method where you maintain two
identical production environments, with only one active at a time. Updates are

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
deployed to the inactive “blue” environment, then traffic is switched to it, ensuring
seamless transitions and mitigating downtime.

47. How do you ensure security and compliance in a CI/CD pipeline, particularly
when integrating with multiple cloud providers and third-party services?

To ensure security and compliance in a CI/CD pipeline with multiple cloud

providers and third-party services, implement robust authentication and
authorization mechanisms. Utilize encryption for data in transit and at rest, and
regularly audit access controls. Employ automated security scanning and testing
throughout the pipeline to catch vulnerabilities early. Lastly, maintain clear
documentation and communication channels to stay abreast of evolving
compliance requirements.

48. Discuss the importance of monitoring and logging in a DevOps

environment. What tools and practices do you recommend for effective
observability and incident management?

Monitoring and logging in DevOps ensure system health and performance. Tools
like Prometheus and Grafana offer real-time insights, while ELK stack provides
robust logging. Adopting practices like centralized logging and automated alerting
enhances observability and incident response efficiency.

49. Explain the concept of immutable infrastructure and how it contrasts with
traditional infrastructure management. What are the benefits and potential
drawbacks of adopting immutable infrastructure in a DevOps workflow?

Immutable infrastructure is a paradigm where servers and components are never

modified after deployment, but instead replaced with updated versions. Unlike
traditional methods, where systems are continually altered, immutable
infrastructure ensures consistency and reliability.

Benefits include easier deployment, improved scalability, and better fault

tolerance. Drawbacks may include initial setup complexity and challenges in
managing stateful applications.

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
50. Explain the concept of serverless computing and its implications for
DevOps practices.

Serverless computing is a cloud computing model where the cloud provider

dynamically manages the allocation and provisioning of servers. Users only pay for
the actual resources consumed by their applications, without worrying about
server management.

This model simplifies infrastructure management, allowing developers to focus

solely on writing code. For DevOps, serverless reduces the overhead of managing
servers, enabling faster development cycles and easier deployment, while
emphasizing automation and monitoring for efficient resource utilization.

Conclusion
In conclusion, preparing for a DevOps interview requires a comprehensive
understanding of both technical and collaborative aspects of the field. Mastery
over core DevOps principles, proficiency with essential tools and technologies, and
practical experience in implementing CI/CD pipelines, containerization, and
infrastructure as code are crucial.

Moreover, soft skills such as effective communication, teamwork, and problem-

solving play a significant role in showcasing your ability to thrive in a DevOps
environment.

Unlock the Power of Placement Preparation!

Feeling lost in OS, DBMS, CN, SQL, and DSA chaos? Our Complete Interview
Preparation Course is the ultimate guide to conquer placements. Trusted by over
100,000+ geeks, this course is your roadmap to interview triumph.
Ready to dive in? Explore our Free Demo Content and join our Complete Interview
Preparation course.

GeeksforGeeks

Next Article
Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
 Kubernetes Interview Questions and
Answers

Similar Reads
Data Engineer Interview Questions: Top 60 Plus Questions and Answers…
Data engineering is a rapidly growing field that plays a crucial role in
managing and processing large volumes of data for organizations. As…
15+ min read

Kafka Interview Questions - Top 70+ Questions and Answers for 2024
Apache Kafka has become a cornerstone in modern distributed systems and
data-driven architectures. As organizations increasingly adopt real-time data…
15+ min read

Teacher Interview Questions - Top 70 Questions and Answers for 2024

Teaching is a noble profession that requires a unique blend of knowledge,
skills, and passion. As educators, teachers play a crucial role in shaping the…
15+ min read

Deloitte Interview Questions and Answers for Technical Profiles

Deloitte is a leading global professional services firm with over 345,000
employees in more than 150 countries. The company offers a variety of…
13 min read

ION Group Interview Questions and Answers for Technical Profiles

ION Group is a global technology leader, providing innovative solutions for
digital transformation and delivering cutting-edge services for businesses…
12 min read

View More Articles

Article Tags :

DevOps Interview Questions interview-preparation Technical Interview Questions

Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF
Explore our developer-friendly HTML to PDF API Printed using PDFCrowd HTML to PDF