Amazon Web Services, a cloud computing service from Amazon.com, offers scalable, inexpensive and reliable cloud services to enterprises and individuals. As per reports, AWS holds a market share of 41.43% and offers a lot of career opportunities for aspirants having a flair for AWS development.
AWS stands for Amazon Web Services and is a cloud computing service by eCommerce giant Amazon. The platform provides secure database storage, compute hiring
1. What do you understand by AWS?
Answer: This is one of the commonly asked AWS developer interview questions. This question checks your basic AWS knowledge so the answer should be straightforward. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud service platform which offers computing power, analytics, content delivery, database storage, deployment and some other services to help you in your business growth. These services are highly scalable, reliable, secure, and inexpensive cloud computing services that are outlined to work together and, applications thus created are more advanced and escalade.
2. Explain the main elements of AWS?
Answer: The main elements of AWS are:
Route 53: Route53 is a highly scalable DNS web service.
Simple Storage Service (S3): S3 is the most widely used AWS storage web service.
Simple E-mail Service (SES): SES is a hosted transactional email service and allows one to fluently send deliverable emails using a RESTFUL API call or through a regular SMTP.
Identity and Access Management (IAM): IAM provides improved identity and security management for AWS account.
Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2): EC2 is an AWS ecosystem central piece. It is responsible for providing on-demand and flexible computing resources with a “pay as you go” pricing model.
Elastic Block Store (EBS): EBS offers a continuous storage solutions that can be seen in instances as a regular hard drive.
CloudWatch: CloudWatch allows the controller to outlook and gather key metrics and also set a series of alarms to be notified if there is any trouble.
This is among frequently asked AWS developer interview questions. Just get the interviewer’s mind and answer accordingly either with the components name or with the description along with.
3. What do you mean by AMI? What does it include?
Answer: You may come across one or more AMI related AWS developer interview questions during your AWS developer interview. So, prepare yourself with a good knowledge of AMI.
AMI stands for the term Amazon Machine Image. It’s an AWS template that provides the information (an application server, and operating system, and applications) required to perform the launch of an instance. This AMI is a copy of the AMI that is running in the cloud as a virtual server. You can launch instances from as many different AMIs as you need. AMI consists of the followings:
- A root volume template for an existing instance
- Launch permissions to determine which AWS accounts will get the AMI in order to launch the instances
- Mapping for block device to calculate the total volume that will be attached to the instance at the time of launch
4. Is vertically scale is possible on Amazon instance?
Answer: Yes, vertically scale is possible on the Amazon instance.
This is one of the common AWS developer interview questions. If the interviewer is expecting to get a detailed answer from you then explain the procedure for vertical scaling.
5. What is the connection between AMI and Instance?
Answer: Many different types of instances can be launched from one AMI. The type of instance generally regulates the hardware components of the host computer that is used for the instance. Each type of instance has distinct computing and memory efficacy.
Once an instance is launched, it casts as host and the user interaction with it is the same as with any other computer but we have completely controlled access to our instances. AWS developer interview questions may contain one or more AMI based questions, so prepare yourself for the AMI topic very well.
6. What is the difference between Amazon S3 and EC2?
Answer: The difference between Amazon S3 and EC2 is given below:
| Amazon S3 | Amazon EC2 |
| The meaning of S3 is Simple Storage Service. | The meaning of EC2 is Elastic Compute Cloud. |
| It is just a data storage service which is used to store large binary files. | It is a cloud web service which is used to host the application created. |
| It is not required to run a server. | It is enough to run a server. |
| It has a REST interface and uses secure HMAC-SHA1 authentication keys. | It is just like a huge computer machine which can handle application like Python, PHP, Apache and any other database. |
When you are going for an AWS developer interview, prepare yourself with the concepts of Amazon S3 and EC2, and the difference between them.
7. How many storage options are there for EC2 Instance?
Answer: There are four storage options for Amazon EC2 Instance:
- Amazon EBS
- Amazon EC2 Instance Store
- Amazon S3
- Adding Storage
Amazon EC2 is the common topic you may come across while going through AWS developer interview questions. Get a thorough knowledge of the EC2 instance and all the storage options for the EC2 instance.
8. What are the security best practices for Amazon Ec2 instances?
Answer: There are a number of best practices for securing Amazon EC2 instances that are applicable whether instances are running on on-premise data centers or on virtual machines. Let’s have a look at some general best practices:
Least Access: Make sure that your EC2 instance has controlled access to the instance as well as to the network. Offer access authorities only to the trusted entities.
Least Privilege: Follow the necessary principle of least privilege for instances and users to perform the functions. Generate roles with restricted access for the instances.
Configuration Management: Consider every EC2 instance a configuration item and use AWS configuration management services to have a baseline for the configuration of the instances as these services include updated anti-virus software, security features etc.
Whatever be the job role, you may come across security-based AWS interview questions. So, get prepared with this question to crack the AWS developer interview.
9. Explain the features of Amazon EC2 services.
Answer: Amazon EC2 services have the following features:
- Virtual Computing Environments
- Proffers Persistent storage volumes
- Firewall validating you to specify the protocol
- Pre-configured templates
- The static IP address for dynamic Cloud Computing
10. What is the procedure to send a request to Amazon S3?
Answer: There are 2 ways to send a request to Amazon S3 –
- Using REST API
- Using AWS SDK Wrapper Libraries, these wrapper libraries wrap the REST APIs for Amazon S3
11. What is the default number of buckets created in AWS?
Answer: This is a very simple question but ranks high among AWS developer interview questions. Answer this question directly as the default number of buckets created in each AWS account is 100.
12. What is the purpose of T2 instances?
Answer: T2 instances are designed for
- Providing moderate baseline performance
- Higher performance as required by workload
13. What is the use of the buffer in AWS?
Answer: This is among frequently asked AWS developer interview questions. Give the answer in simple terms, the buffer is mainly used to manage load with the synchronization of various components i.e. to make system fault tolerant. In the absence of buffer, components do not use any balanced method to receive and process requests. But the buffer makes components to work in a balanced manner and at the same speed, thus results in faster services.
14. What happens when an Amazon EC2 instance is stopped or terminated?
Answer: At the time of stopping an Amazon EC2 instance, a shutdown is performed in a normal manner. After that, the transitions to the stopped state occur. During this, all of the Amazon EBS volumes are remained attached to the instance and the instance can be started anytime. The instance hours are not counted when the instance is in the stopped state.
At the time of terminating an Amazon EC2 instance, a shutdown is performed in a normal manner. During this, the deletion of all of the Amazon EBS volumes is performed. To avoid this, the value of attribute deleteOnTermination is set to false. On termination, the instance also undergoes deletion, so the instance can’t be started again.
15. What are the popular DevOps tools?
Answer: In an AWS DevOps Engineer interview, this is the most common AWS interview questions for DevOps. To answer this question, mention the popular DevOps tools with the type of tool –
- Jenkins – Continuous Integration Tool
- Git – Version Control System Tool
- Nagios – Continuous Monitoring Tool
- Selenium – Continuous Testing Tool
- Docker – Containerization Tool
- Puppet, Chef, Ansible – Deployment and Configuration Management Tools
According to the Zip Recruiter’s 2018 Salary Survey, an AWS Developer may earn an average salary is $122,500 per annum.
Bottom Line
There are a number of job openings for the certified AWS Developers. But remember that more opportunities, more candidates, and more be the competition. So, it becomes important to have a good knowledge of the exam objectives covered in the AWS certification exam. The interviewers may also put many questions related to your previous experience, so clear and revise all the concepts.
This comprehensive list of AWS developer interview questions and answers will surely help you crack the interview. If you haven’t taken AWS Certified Developer exam yet, go for it first. Prepare for the certification exam with Whizlabs AWS Developer Training Courses and Practice Material to pass the certification on the first attempt.
Wish you the luck with your AWS Development Career!