Today’s cloud computing job market is quite competitive and getting a job is not a piece of cake. Microsoft Azure is one of the raging cloud service providers today and you must be thoroughly prepared for the interview process.
Are you preparing for Azure interview questions as you get ready to make your next cloud computing move? If so, read on for practice Azure interview questions and answers. We can’t promise you that you’ll be asked all these questions, nor can we tell you exactly what you’ll be asked, but preparing ahead of time with these will help you get mentally ready for the experience. And remember: although the cloud computing job market is booming and plenty of businesses are hiring Azure cloud architects, you will still have competition for that job. Be ready to make your best first impression by preparing for that interview.
And to help you ace your interview in one go here's a collection of 40+ Azure interview questions. To help you gear up, the Azure interview questions have been divided into the following:
These types of Azure interview questions require a thoughtful, honest response. By thinking through your answer ahead of time, you’ll be ready to say something your interviewer will approve of. Show that you care about the field and that you have a passion for cloud computing and the problems it can solve.
Your response to this question is based on your own background and experience. Maybe you come from a developer background, so Azure appealed to you. Maybe your first cloud computing role just happened to be with Azure. As with the question above, the key here is to be ready to give an intelligent answer to the question.
This might be a matter of opinion for you, so answer as you see fit. In general, people say Azure is a better choice because it’s a Microsoft product, making it easier for organizations already using Windows Server, SQL Server, and Exchange to move to the cloud. In addition, because of Microsoft’s deep knowledge of developer tools, Azure offers multiple app deployment options for developers, which makes it stand out against AWS.
Did you learn Azure through a certification? Through on-the-job experience? A little of each? However you learned it, make sure to demonstrate to the interviewer that you have practical experience (if you’re new to the field) and that you are continuing to learn.
This is something to spend some time on when you’re preparing responses to possible Azure interview questions. As a cloud architect, you need to show that you are a good listener and problem solver, as well as a good communicator. Yes, you need to know the technology, but cloud computing does not usually involve sitting isolated in a cubicle. You’ll have stakeholders to listen to, problems to solve, and options to present. When you answer questions like these, try to convey that you are a team player and a good communicator, in addition to being a really good Azure architect.
This is one of the most common Azure interview questions. Cloud Computing has three types of service models, that are IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
Infrastructure as a Service(IaaS) | Platform as a Service(PaaS) | Software as a Service(SaaS) |
It provides users with components such as OS, networking capabilities, etc. This is a paid service, based on usage and can be used to host applications. | It enables developers to build and work with applications without having to worry about the infrastructure or management of the hosting environment. | It involves applications being consumed and used by organizations. Usually, organizations pay for their use of the application |
Example - Azure Virtual Machine, Azure VNET | Example - Azure SQL, Azure Storage | Example - Office 365, Salesforce |
Azure offers a number of different instance types based on what needs they fulfill.
Largest instance size: Standard_D64_v3
256 GB Memory and 1600 GB SSD Temp Storage
Largest instance size: Standard_F72s_V2
144 GB Memory and 576 GB SSD Temp Storage
Largest instance size: Standard_M128m
3892 GB Memory and 14,336 GB SSD Temp Storage
Largest instance size: Standard_L32s
256 GB Memory and 5630 GB SSD Temp Storage
Largest instance size: Standard_ND24rs
448 GB Memory and 2948 GB SSD Temp Storage
4 GPUs and 96 GB Memory
Largest instance size: Standard_L32s
224 GB Memory and 2000 GB SSD Temp Storage
This is one of the most frequently asked Azure interview questions, and you must know the answer. Azure offers two deployment environments:
Repetitive / Verbose Monitoring | Minimal Monitoring |
It collects metrics based on performance | It is a default configuration method |
It allows a close analysis of data fed during the process of application | It allows a close analysis of data fed during the process of application |
When we compare both in terms of services, Azure ML Studio wins the verdict since it has Classification, Regression, Anomaly Detection, Clustering, Recommendation, and Ranking features.
On the other hand, GCP Cloud AutoML has Clustering, Regression, and Recommendation features. Moreover, Azure has a drag and drop options that make the process easier to carry out.
Azure performs scaling with the help of a feature known as Autoscaling. Autoscaling helps to deal with changing demands in Cloud Services, Mobile Services, Virtual Machines, and Websites. Below are a few of its advantages:
This one’s another regular question from the list of Azure interview questions.
Windows Active Directory | Azure Active Directory |
It is a directory service that facilitates working with interconnected, complex and different network resources in a unified manner | Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is Microsoft’s multi-tenant, cloud-based directory and identity management service |
Uses 5 layers to store data, store user details, issue and manage certifications, etc. | Uses 5 layers to store data, store user details, issue and manage certifications, etc. |
Works with an emphasis on on-premises units like applications, file services, printers, etc. | Emphasizes on web-based services that use RESTful interfaces |
Azure offers two types of queues:
Azure Resource Manager enables users to manage their usage of application resources. Few of the advantages of Azure Resource Manager are:
a. ASP.NET
b. PHP
c. WCF
d. All of the mentioned
Answer: a) ASP.NET
The Hybrid Cloud boosts productivity by using Azure and the Azure stack for building and deploying applications for the cloud and on-premises applications. Integrating hybrid cloud been useful for Azure in the following ways:
SQL Azure Federation provides tools that can enable developers to access or share databases among themselves in SQL Azure.
Storage questions are very commonly asked during an Azure Interview. Azure has four different types of storage. They are:
Blob Storage enables users to store unstructured data that can include pictures, music, video files, etc. along with their metadata.
Table Storage enables users to perform deployment with semi-structured datasets and a NoSQL key-value store.
File Storage provides file-sharing capabilities accessible by the SMB (Server Message Block) protocol
Queue Storage provides message queueing for large workloads
Text Analysis API is a set of web services that can be used for text analysis. It is used to analyze unstructured text for sentiment analysis and keyphrase extraction. It provides results that range between 0 and 1, to elicit a positive or negative sentiment.
When a new model is created, it doesn’t need to be designed and trained, users need to add the data and call the service to obtain the sentiment analysis.
Queue storage enables message queueing for large workloads in a simple, cost-effective, and durable manner. Few of its advantages are:
A cloud service role is a set of managed and load-balanced virtual machines that work together to perform tasks. The two kinds of Azure Web Service roles are:
Service Fabric provides a platform that makes the process of developing microservices and managing the application lifecycle easier.
A client wants the front end of his/ her application to be hosted on Azure, but wants the database to be hosted on-premises.
Solution - The ideal solution in this scenario is to use Azure VNET based “Point to Site”. It’s best suited for scenarios where there are only a limited number of resources that need to be connected
Azure Traffic Manager is a traffic load balancer that enables users to provide high availability and responsiveness by distributing traffic in an optimal manner across global Azure regions.
You need to isolate network traffic among VMs in a subnet, which is part of a Virtual Network with little downtime and impact on users?
Solution - This would ensure that the virtual machines are kept isolated without the need for additional security, like a Network Security Group.
Public Cloud - Every component that the user is using in his/ her application are running only on Azure
Private Cloud - Azure services are being run within an on-premises data center or on-premises data centers are used by the user to host systems or applications
Hybrid Cloud - Combines features of both Public and Private cloud. Some of the user’s components are being run on Azure and others within an on-premises datacenter
Questions on Blob Storage can be seen in the list of Azure Interview Questions.
Blob Storage provides storage capacity for data. It places data into different tiers based on how often they’re accessed.
Setting up a VM is one of the most important Azure Interview Questions.
The below image would explain clearly how to set up an Azure Virtual Machine:
You need to make sure your Virtual Machines are able to communicate securely with each other to ensure security.
Solution - Azure Virtual Network enables Azure resources to communicate with each other, the internet, or on-premises networks securely.
You need to ensure that every time a user logs in, they are not asked to re-enter their passwords as part of the authentication.
a. To enable Microsoft Account authentication
b. Deploy ExpressRoute
c. Set up a VPN between premises and datacenter. Set up an AD domain controller in VM and implement integrated Windows Authentication
d. Configure Azure AD Sync to use single sign-on
Solution - d) Configure Azure AD Sync to use single sign-on
a. S3.
b. EC2
c. EC3
d. All of the mentioned
Answer: a) S3
a. Azure Resource Manager
b. Application Insights
c. Log Analytics
d. Azure Portal
Answer: a) Azure Resource Manager
You need to ensure that virtual machines remain available while migrating to Azure. What would be the appropriate service to use?
a. Traffic Manager
b. Update Domains
c. Express Route
d. Cloud Services
Solution - c) Express Route
a. You administer a website called web game. You’re required to validate and deploy changes made to your website by your development team with minimum downtime
b. Create a new linked resource
c. Create a staging environment for the site
d. Enable remote debugging on the website
Solution - b) Create a staging environment for the site
These scenarios are important on the list of Azure Interview Questions
Your standard tier application is used across the world and uses the Azure website standard tier. It uses a large number of image files. However, this causes the application to load slowly
a. Configure Azure blob storage with a custom domain
b. Configure Azure website Autoscaling to increase instances at high loads
c. Configure Azure CDN to cache all responses from the application’s web endpoint
d. Configure Azure CDN to cache site images and content stored in Azure blob storage
Solution - d)Configure Azure CDN to cache site images and content stored in Azure blob storage
Blobs that benefit the most from Azure CDN caching are those that are accessed frequently during their time-to-live (TTL) period. A blob stays in the cache for the TTL period and then is refreshed by the blob service after that time is elapsed. Then the process repeats.
These were some of the most frequently asked Azure interview questions and knowing them beforehand will definitely give you an edge over others.
We have put together a set of AWS interview Questions and Answers, in case you would like to read up.
When it comes to cloud computing, the sky’s the limit and when it comes to your cloud computing career, your only limitations are your knowledge, experience, and interview skills. Enroll in our Post Graduate Program in Cloud Computing to boost your knowledge and experience, then practice for your critical Azure interview. What then? Then you’ll say of your own career: the sky’s the limit!
If reading through these Azure interview questions and answers has you a little unsure about how well you’ll do in an interview, here’s a solution: earn a certification first. With an Azure certification, you’ll know more about the platform, and you’ll be able to answer even very technical questions. More importantly, you’ll add credibility to your résumé as well as give your confidence a boost.