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14 DevOps Engineer Interview Questions (With Example Answers)

It's important to prepare for an interview in order to improve your chances of getting the job. Researching questions beforehand can help you give better answers during the interview. Most interviews will include questions about your personality, qualifications, experience and how well you would fit the job. In this article, we review examples of various devops engineer interview questions and sample answers to some of the most common questions.

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Common DevOps Engineer Interview Questions

What is your experience with DevOps?

There are a few reasons why an interviewer might ask about a DevOps Engineer's experience with DevOps. Firstly, it allows the interviewer to gauge the DevOps Engineer's level of experience and expertise. Secondly, it allows the interviewer to understand the DevOps Engineer's motivations for wanting to work in the DevOps field. Finally, it gives the interviewer an opportunity to assess the DevOps Engineer's ability to articulate their thoughts and ideas clearly.

Example: “I have been working in the DevOps field for the past 5 years. I have experience with a variety of DevOps tools and practices, including Puppet, Chef, Ansible, Jenkins, and more. I am also familiar with the principles of continuous delivery and Infrastructure as Code. In addition, I have experience working in a variety of environments, from small startups to large enterprises.”

What is your experience with automation?

One of the key responsibilities of a DevOps Engineer is to automate tasks wherever possible in order to improve the efficiency of the software development process. Automation can help to speed up the process of code development and testing, as well as the deployment of new code into production environments.

Asking about a DevOps Engineer's experience with automation helps to gauge their level of expertise in this area, and whether they would be able to effectively implement automation solutions within a company. It also allows the interviewer to understand how the DevOps Engineer approaches problem-solving, and whether they are able to think creatively to find new ways of improving the software development process.

Example: “I have experience with automating various tasks using different tools and programming languages. I have used automation to help speed up processes such as testing, deployments, and infrastructure provisioning. I am also familiar with popular automation frameworks such as Ansible, Puppet, and Chef.”

What is your experience with code management?

The interviewer is asking about the DevOps Engineer's experience with code management because it is an important part of the DevOps process. Code management is responsible for tracking changes to code, keeping track of different versions of code, and managing deployments. It is important for the DevOps Engineer to have experience with code management so that they can properly manage the codebase and deployments.

Example: “I have experience with a few different code management tools, including Git, Bitbucket, and SVN. I am familiar with the basic concepts of code management, such as versioning, branching, and merging. I am also familiar with more advanced concepts such as rebasing and cherry-picking. I have experience with both the command line and graphical user interfaces for these tools.”

What is your experience with monitoring and logging?

Monitoring and logging are important tools for DevOps engineers because they allow them to track the performance of their systems and identify potential issues. By understanding how their systems are performing, DevOps engineers can make changes to improve performance and prevent problems.

Example: “I have experience with a variety of monitoring and logging tools, including Nagios, Splunk, and ELK Stack. I am familiar with setting up monitoring systems to track system performance and resource utilization, as well as configuring log management solutions to collect and centralize application and system logs. In addition, I have experience troubleshooting issues using data from both monitoring and logging systems.”

What is your experience with containerization?

Containerization is a method of packaging software so that it can run isolated from other software on the same host. This is important for DevOps engineers because it allows them to package and deploy software quickly and easily.

Example: “I have experience with containerization using both Docker and Kubernetes. I have used Docker for developing and deploying applications in a variety of environments, including on-premises and in the cloud. I have also used Kubernetes for managing containerized applications at scale in a production environment.”

What is your experience with orchestration?

An interviewer would ask "What is your experience with orchestration?" to a DevOps Engineer to gauge their experience with automating the deployment of software applications. This is important because it allows the interviewer to get a sense of how the DevOps Engineer would be able to automate the release process and manage dependencies between different software components.

Example: “I have experience with orchestration tools like Puppet, Chef, and Ansible. I have also worked with container orchestration tools like Kubernetes and Docker Swarm. I am familiar with the concepts of microservices and service-oriented architecture. I have experience in setting up and configuring continuous integration and continuous delivery pipelines using Jenkins, Bamboo, and TeamCity. I am also familiar with the principles of DevOps and have experience working in a DevOps environment.”

What is your experience with networking?

This question is important because networking is a critical component of DevOps. DevOps engineers need to be able to troubleshoot networking issues and have a deep understanding of how networking works in order to effectively manage and deploy code.

Example: “I have experience working with networking technologies and protocols such as TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP, and HTTPS. I have also worked with load balancers, firewalls, and routers. I am familiar with the OSI model and have experience troubleshooting networking issues.”

What is your experience with security?

The interviewer is likely asking about the DevOps Engineer's experience with security in order to gauge their ability to work with and manage security protocols and tools. This is important because DevOps Engineers are responsible for ensuring the smooth and secure operation of software development and delivery processes.

Example: “I have experience working with security in a number of different environments. I have worked with securing network infrastructure, as well as application and database security. I have also implemented security controls and procedures in both on-premise and cloud environments. In addition, I have experience conducting security audits and vulnerability assessments.”

What is your experience with performance tuning?

There are a few reasons why an interviewer might ask a DevOps Engineer about their experience with performance tuning. Firstly, it is important to ensure that the systems they will be working on are able to perform at optimal levels. Secondly, performance tuning is a key part of DevOps and so the interviewer wants to gauge the Engineer's understanding of the process. Finally, it could be that the interviewer is looking for someone who has experience in improving the performance of systems, which is a valuable skill.

Example: “I have experience with performance tuning of web applications. I have used various tools to identify and resolve performance bottlenecks. I have also implemented caching mechanisms to improve the performance of web applications.”

What is your experience with scaling?

Scaling is important for DevOps Engineers because it allows them to manage large-scale deployments and ensure that systems are able to handle increased traffic. Additionally, scaling helps to improve system performance and reduce downtime.

Example: “I have experience with scaling both horizontally and vertically. Horizontal scaling is adding more servers to handle increased traffic, while vertical scaling is upgrading the existing server to a more powerful one. I have used both methods to scale applications in the past, and have found that horizontal scaling is usually more effective for web applications.”

What is your experience with troubleshooting?

There are many potential reasons why an interviewer would ask a DevOps Engineer about their experience with troubleshooting. Some potential reasons include:

-To gauge the DevOps Engineer's ability to identify and solve problems

-To assess the DevOps Engineer's experience with common tools and techniques used for troubleshooting

-To determine the DevOps Engineer's comfort level with dealing with unexpected issues

-To get a sense of the DevOps Engineer's problem-solving skills and approach

Example: “I have experience troubleshooting various issues related to software development, operations, and infrastructure. I have also developed various tools and scripts to automate the process of troubleshooting.”

What is your experience with documentation?

Documentation is important for DevOps Engineers because it helps them to understand the system and how it works. It also helps to identify problems and potential improvements.

Example: “I have experience with documentation from my previous job as a software engineer. I was responsible for creating and maintaining technical documentation for the software development team. This included documenting requirements, design, testing, and deployment procedures. I also created user manuals and training materials. I am familiar with various documentation tools and methodologies, and I am able to adapt to new tools and processes as needed.”

What is your experience with customer support?

In many DevOps Engineer roles, customer support is an important part of the job. The interviewer is trying to gauge your experience with customer support and whether or not you would be a good fit for the role.

Customer support is important in DevOps Engineer roles because it allows the engineer to interact directly with customers and understand their needs. This information is then used to improve the products and services that the company provides.

Customer support is also important because it can help to identify potential problems with products or services before they become widespread. By addressing these problems early, DevOps Engineers can help to prevent them from becoming bigger issues.

Example: “I have been working in customer support for the past 5 years. I have experience dealing with different types of customers, including those who are difficult to deal with. I know how to handle customer complaints and how to resolve them. I am also familiar with different types of customer support software and tools.”

What is your experience with training?

One of the key responsibilities of a DevOps Engineer is to create and maintain training materials for other members of the team. This includes creating documentation, conducting training sessions, and providing feedback to improve the quality of the training materials. This experience is important to the interviewer because it shows that the candidate has the necessary skills to perform this key job responsibility.

Example: “I have experience with both online and in-person training. I am comfortable with delivering presentations and providing hands-on instruction. I have also created training materials, such as instructional videos and written guides. In addition, I have experience with conducting trainings for both small and large groups.”

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