Interview #2 Flashcards
Hiring Manager - Technical Screen (Simple)
What are the basics of Linux?
Linux is an open-source operating system used to manage servers and applications. Key concepts include file systems, permissions, processes, and commands like ls, cd, and ps.
How do you handle a frustrated or irate customer?
Stay calm and empathetic, listen actively, clarify the issue, provide a solution or timeline, and follow up to ensure satisfaction.
How would you handle an upset customer about deleted data?
Acknowledge their frustration, explain backup policies calmly, offer guidance on prevention, and explore goodwill gestures like helping rebuild their environment.
How can we reduce the load time of a website hosted on the cloud?
Compress images, enable caching, use a CDN, optimize database queries, and ensure adequate server resources (CPU, RAM).
Can you describe a TCP handshake?
- Client sends SYN. 2. Server responds with SYN-ACK. 3. Client replies with ACK, completing the connection.
What is the difference between an A record and a CNAME?
A Record maps a domain to an IP address, while CNAME maps a domain to another domain, serving as an alias.
What’s the difference between object and block storage?
Object storage (e.g., DO Spaces): Unstructured data stored with metadata. Block storage: Fixed-size blocks for structured data, ideal for databases.
What is CI/CD?
Continuous Integration automates integrating code changes, and Continuous Deployment ensures automated delivery after testing.
What are the stages of a CI/CD pipeline?
- Source: Detect code changes. 2. Build: Compile code and check for errors. 3. Test: Run automated tests. 4. Deploy: Release code to production or staging.
What is the boot process?
BIOS/UEFI initializes hardware, bootloader loads the kernel, and the kernel starts the init system, launching processes and services.
How will you move a local project to the cloud?
- Audit data and dependencies. 2. Prepare a cloud environment (e.g., Droplet). 3. Transfer files using rsync or SCP. 4. Migrate databases with tools like mysqldump. 5. Configure DNS, SSL, and test the application. 6. Secure and optimize the environment.
What is Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS)?
A cloud-based managed database system that reduces management overhead and increases scalability and accessibility.
How does DBaaS differ from traditional database systems?
Abstracts infrastructure management, allowing users to focus on application development.
What is MySQL replication?
Copies data from a master server to one or more slave servers for redundancy and scaling.
How do you handle backups and disaster recovery?
Use automated backups and geographically redundant storage. Implement failover mechanisms for minimal downtime.
How would you troubleshoot a performance issue?
Check performance metrics (CPU, memory, etc.), analyze logs for errors or slow queries, and identify affected software.
How would you scale a database?
Vertical scaling adds resources to the server. Horizontal scaling adds replicas for read traffic and uses sharding to partition data.
What is a container?
An isolated application environment that shares the host OS kernel and resources.
What is a pod?
A group of containers sharing the same network and storage namespace.
What is a ReplicaSet?
Ensures a desired number of pods are always running by replacing failed pods.
What is a service?
An internal load balancer forwarding traffic to pods based on selectors and labels.
Describe traffic flow with an NGINX ingress controller.
Traffic reaches the external LB via DNS A record, then to the ingress controller, which routes it to services based on ingress rules, forwarding requests to pods.
What’s the difference between Kubernetes and Docker/Containerd?
Docker/Containerd runs images (container runtime). Kubernetes orchestrates containers for scaling, networking, and deployment.
What tools can be used to identify latency issues?
Ping, Traceroute, MTR, iperf, netstat.
