Azure Interview Questions and Answers

Q1. What is scale in a cloud service?
Ans: Scaling in a cloud service refers to the ability to adjust the resources allocated to an application based on demand. It can be achieved through two main types:

• Vertical Scaling (Scale Up):
  • Increases the capacity of existing resources (e.g., adding more CPU, RAM) within a single machine.
  • Limited by the maximum capacity of a single machine.
• Horizontal Scaling (Scale Out):
  • Increases the number of instances or machines in the application’s architecture.
  • Offers better scalability as it can handle a higher volume of traffic.

Q2. What is Azure Cloud Service?
Ans: Azure Cloud Service is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering from Microsoft Azure that enables the deployment, scaling, and management of web applications. It provides a runtime environment for applications, abstracting the underlying infrastructure. It supports both web roles and worker roles for hosting different components of an application.

Q3. What is a web role?
Ans: A web role in Azure is a role designed to host and run web applications. It is responsible for handling HTTP or HTTPS traffic and is suitable for front-end components of an application, such as user interfaces and web services. Web roles automatically load-balance incoming web requests.

Q4. What is a worker role?
Ans: A worker role in Azure is a role that processes background tasks or performs computation-intensive operations. It is suitable for tasks that can run independently of user interactions, such as data processing, background jobs, or long-running tasks.

Q5. What is a guest operating system?
Ans: A guest operating system in the context of Azure refers to the operating system running within a virtual machine (VM) or a role instance. It is distinct from the host operating system, providing an isolated environment for applications and services.

Q6. What is a cloud service role?
Ans: A cloud service role in Azure refers to either a web role or a worker role. These roles define the type of processing and functionality a role instance will have within the Azure Cloud Service. Web roles handle web traffic, while worker roles perform background processing.

Q7. What is a cloud service component?
Ans: A cloud service component in Azure refers to the individual parts or modules of an application hosted within a cloud service. Components can include web roles, worker roles, and other resources such as databases or storage accounts, collectively forming a distributed application.

Q8. What is a service package?
Ans: A service package in Azure is a packaged deployment unit containing the application code, configuration settings, and other metadata needed for deploying and running a cloud service. It includes the roles, components, and their configurations.

Q9. What are the roles available in Windows Azure?
Ans: In Windows Azure, there are two main roles:

• Web Role:
  • Hosts and runs web applications, handling HTTP/HTTPS traffic.
  • Suitable for user interfaces and web services.
• Worker Role:
  • Processes background tasks or computation-intensive operations.
  • Suitable for tasks independent of user interactions.

Q10. What is the difference between the Windows Azure Platform and Windows Azure?
Let’s compare the Windows Azure Platform and Microsoft Azure (formerly known as Windows Azure) in detail:

Aspect	Windows Azure Platform	Microsoft Azure
Name	Initially launched as Windows Azure, later officially renamed to Microsoft Azure.	Officially known as Microsoft Azure since March 2014.
Introduction	Launched in 2010 as Windows Azure, later officially renamed to Microsoft Azure.	A comprehensive cloud computing service that allows users to create, modify, test, deploy, and maintain applications. It also provides free access for the first 12 months1.
Scope	Initially focused on cloud services and PaaS offerings.	Expanded to a comprehensive cloud computing platform with IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS components.
Services	Primarily offered cloud services, including web roles, worker roles, and storage.	Offers a wide range of services, including virtual machines, databases, AI, analytics, and more.
Infrastructure	Emphasized PaaS (Platform as a Service) components.	Provides both IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) and PaaS components.
Components	Core components: Compute, Storage, and Fabric Controller.	Extensive set of services, including Azure App Service, Azure Functions, Azure Logic Apps, and more.
Evolution	Fundamentally remains the same since its inception.	Continuously evolving with new features, services, and integrations.
Use Cases	Suited for web applications, background processing, and cloud services.	Widely used for building scalable applications, data analytics, machine learning, and IoT solutions.
Scalability	Scalable, but primarily within the PaaS context.	Highly scalable across various services, including VMs, databases, and storage.
Deployment Models	Limited to public cloud deployment.	Supports public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud, and community cloud deployment models.
Integration	Integration with other Microsoft technologies.	Integration with third-party tools, open-source technologies, and cross-platform solutions.
Global Reach	Initially focused on specific regions.	Available globally with data centers across multiple regions.
Free Tier	Offered free access for the first 12 months.	Provides free tiers for various services, allowing developers to explore and experiment.
Current State	No longer actively developed or expanded.	Continuously updated, with new services and features added regularly.

Q11. What is Windows Azure compute emulator?
Ans: The Windows Azure compute emulator is a local development tool that simulates the Azure environment on a developer’s machine. It allows testing and debugging of cloud service applications locally before deployment to the Azure cloud.

Q12. What is fabric?
Ans: In the context of Azure, the fabric refers to the underlying infrastructure and runtime environment that abstracts and manages the hardware resources, networking, and other components required for running applications in the Azure cloud.

Q13. What are the different types of services offered in the cloud?
Ans: Cloud services can be categorized into three main types:

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS):
  • Provides virtualized computing resources (e.g., VMs, storage).
• Platform as a Service (PaaS):
  • Offers a platform for building, deploying, and managing applications.
• Software as a Service (SaaS):
  • Delivers software applications over the internet on a subscription basis.

Q14. What are the different cloud deployment models?
Ans: There are three main cloud deployment models:

• Public Cloud:
  • Resources are owned and operated by a third-party provider (e.g., Azure).
• Private Cloud:
  • Resources are used exclusively by a single organization.
• Hybrid Cloud:
  • Combination of public and private clouds, allowing data and applications to be shared between them.

Q15. I have some private servers on my premises, also I have distributed some of my workloads on the public cloud, what is this architecture called?
Ans: This architecture is called a Hybrid Cloud architecture, where a combination of on-premises private servers and public cloud resources is utilized.

Q16. What are the three main components of the Windows Azure platform?
Ans: The three main components of the Windows Azure platform are:

1. Compute:
   • Involves processing resources such as web roles, worker roles, and VMs.
2. Storage:
   • Provides scalable and durable storage options for data and applications.
3. AppFabric:
   • Includes services for connecting and coordinating distributed applications.
     

Q17. Explain the advantage of Azure CDN?
Ans: Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN) offers the following advantages:

• Improved Performance: Reduces latency by caching content closer to end-users.
• Scalability: Scales to handle increased demand and traffic efficiently.
• Cost Savings: Optimizes bandwidth usage, resulting in potential cost savings.
  

Q18. Explain the importance of Azure HDInsight?

Ans: Azure HDInsight is essential for big data analytics as it provides:

• Managed Hadoop and Spark Clusters: Simplifies deployment and management of Hadoop and Spark clusters.
• Scalability: Scales clusters based on processing requirements.
• Integration with Azure Services: Integrates with Azure services for comprehensive analytics and data processing.

Q19. Define the Role in Azure?
Ans: In Azure, a Role represents a type of virtual machine (VM) with a specific functionality, such as web roles or worker roles, within a cloud service. It defines the purpose and behavior of the instances it encompasses.

Q20. Define Azure Storage key?
Ans: An Azure Storage key is a primary or secondary access key associated with an Azure Storage account. It is used for authentication and authorization when accessing and managing data stored in Azure Storage services such as blobs, tables, and queues.

Q21. Explain the deployments slot in Azure.
Ans: Azure deployment slots allow hosting multiple versions of an application in the same Azure App Service. The different deployment slots (e.g., production, staging) enable testing and validation before swapping to the production slot.

Q22. How two Virtual Networks can communicate with each other?
Ans: In Azure, there are several methods for enabling communication between two Virtual Networks (VNets). Here are a few common approaches:

1. VNet Peering: Azure VNet peering allows connecting VNets within the same Azure region. Peering creates a direct connection between VNets, enabling them to communicate securely. Once peered, resources in one VNet can communicate with resources in the other VNet using private IP addresses, as if they were in the same network. This method doesn’t require any public IP addresses, gateways, or additional configurations.
2. VNet-to-VNet VPN Gateway: When VNets are in different regions or require secure communication over the internet, VNet-to-VNet VPN Gateway connections can be established. This method involves creating VPN gateways in both VNets and configuring a site-to-site VPN connection between them. This encrypted connection allows communication between VNets while maintaining data confidentiality.
3. ExpressRoute: For more dedicated and higher-bandwidth connectivity between VNets or on-premises networks and Azure VNets, Azure ExpressRoute provides a private, high-throughput connection. ExpressRoute establishes a direct connection using a dedicated private connection facilitated by a connectivity provider, bypassing the public internet. This option is ideal for scenarios requiring predictable performance, lower latency, and higher security.

These methods offer flexibility in establishing connectivity between Azure VNets based on specific requirements such as geographic distance, security, and performance needs. The choice of method depends on factors like VNet locations, data sensitivity, performance requirements, and available resources.

Q23. What are the different types of Storage areas in Azure?
Ans: Azure offers several storage types:

• Blob Storage: For unstructured data like documents, images, and videos.
• Table Storage: NoSQL data storage for semi-structured data.
• Queue Storage: Message queuing service for communication between components.
• File Storage: Managed file shares for cloud or on-premises deployments.

Q24. What is an Availability Set?
Ans: An Availability Set in Azure is a logical grouping of VMs that helps ensure high availability by distributing VM instances across multiple physical hardware nodes, reducing the risk of a single point of failure.

Q25. What are Fault Domains and Update Domains?
Ans:

• Fault Domains: Groups VMs to minimize the impact of hardware failures. VMs in different fault domains run on different physical hardware.
• Update Domains: Ensures application availability during planned maintenance by updating VMs in different update domains separately.

Q26. What is autoscaling in Azure?
Ans: Autoscaling in Azure is the ability of a system or application to automatically adjust the number of resources allocated based on demand. It ensures optimal performance and cost efficiency by scaling resources up or down dynamically.

Q27. How is Windows Active Directory and Azure Active Directory different?
Ans: detailed comparison of Windows Active Directory (AD) and Azure Active Directory (AAD) in a tabular format:

Feature	Windows Active Directory (AD)	Azure Active Directory (AAD)
Purpose	Manages on-premises network resources and users.	Manages cloud-based resources and identities.
Scope	Primarily on-premises networks.	Primarily cloud-based, but can integrate with on-premises setups.
Authentication	Kerberos and NTLM authentication methods.	Supports various authentication methods, including OAuth 2.0.
Use Cases	Ideal for traditional on-premises environments.	Suited for cloud-centric, hybrid, and modern applications.
Deployment	Installed on servers within an organization’s network.	Cloud-based service provided by Microsoft.
Management	Typically managed via Group Policy Objects (GPOs).	Managed through Azure Portal, PowerShell, or Microsoft Graph API.
Replication	Uses domain controllers for replication across sites.	Replication handled within the Azure infrastructure.
Supported Objects	Manages users, computers, groups, and other network devices.	Focuses on user and group management for cloud applications.
Access Control	Provides access control to resources within the network.	Manages access to Microsoft 365, Azure, and other SaaS apps.
Integration	Can integrate with Azure AD for hybrid setups.	Integrates with other Microsoft and third-party services.
Device Management	Limited device management capabilities.	Offers robust device management for cloud-based devices.
Licensing	Part of Windows Server licenses (no additional cost).	Separate licensing may be required based on the subscription.
Single Sign-On (SSO)	SSO within the on-premises environment.	Provides SSO for cloud-based services and applications.
Identity Protection	Basic identity security features.	Advanced identity protection capabilities and threat detection.

These directories serve different purposes based on the infrastructure needs of an organization. Windows Active Directory is well-suited for on-premises environments, while Azure Active Directory is tailored for cloud-based setups, although it can also integrate with on-premises infrastructure to create hybrid environments. The choice between the two often depends on an organization’s existing setup, future plans, and the nature of the applications and resources they use or plan to use.

Q28. What happens when you exhaust the maximum failed attempts for authenticating yourself via Azure AD?
Ans: When the maximum failed authentication attempts are exceeded in Azure AD, the account may be locked out temporarily to prevent unauthorized access. The duration of the lockout is determined by the organization’s security policies.

Q29. What is the difference between Service Bus Queues and Storage Queues?
Ans: Service Bus Queues and Storage Queues are both messaging solutions provided by Microsoft Azure, but they differ in several aspects, including features, use cases, and functionalities. Here’s a detailed comparison between the two in tabular format:

Aspect	Service Bus Queues	Storage Queues
Purpose	Messaging system for decoupling applications	Simple message queuing for asynchronous communication
Supported Protocols	Supports AMQP, MQTT, and REST	REST and can be accessed via the Azure Storage SDKs
Ordering of Messages	Supports both FIFO (First-In-First-Out) and scheduled messages	FIFO (First-In-First-Out)
Maximum Message Size	256 KB (standard tier), 1 MB (premium tier)	64 KB (Standard), 200 KB (Premium)
Message Time To Live (TTL)	Configurable TTL for messages	Configurable TTL for messages
Transactions	Supports transactions	No support for transactions
Dead-Lettering	Supports dead-letter queues for handling undelivered messages	Supports dead-letter queues for handling failed messages
Message Sessions	Supports sessions for grouping related messages	Does not support message sessions
Scaling and Throughput	Offers higher throughput and more scaling capabilities	Limited scaling capabilities and throughput compared to Service Bus
Advanced Features	Offers advanced features like duplicate detection, message deferral, and session state management	Basic queuing functionality without additional features
Pricing	Generally higher cost compared to Storage Queues	Generally lower cost compared to Service Bus Queues

Service Bus Queues are designed for more complex messaging scenarios that require advanced features such as transaction support, message sessions, and protocol support beyond REST. They are suitable for scenarios where messaging involves different protocols and where high throughput and scaling are essential.

On the other hand, Storage Queues are simpler and more cost-effective, suitable for basic asynchronous communication between components or services within an application. They provide a straightforward queuing mechanism without the advanced features offered by Service Bus Queues.

Choosing between Service Bus Queues and Storage Queues depends on the specific requirements of your application, considering factors like messaging complexity, scalability needs, protocol support, and budget constraints.

Q30. Differentiation between Azure Traffic Manager and Azure Load Balancers.
Ans: Azure Load Balancers in Detail:

Criteria	Azure Traffic Manager	Azure Load Balancer
Purpose	DNS-based traffic management system	Distributes incoming network traffic across multiple servers or VMs within a single region
Load Balancing Type	DNS-based	Layer 4 (TCP/UDP) or Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS)
Routing Methods	– Priority<br>- Weighted<br>- Performance<br>- Geographic<br>- Subnet	– Round Robin<br>- Least Connections<br>- Source IP Affinity
Geographic Distribution	Routes traffic to the nearest endpoint based on client location	Distributes traffic within a single region
Failover	Supports failover scenarios by directing traffic to healthy endpoints	Supports high availability by distributing traffic among healthy instances
Health Monitoring	Regularly checks the health of endpoints using configured probes	Monitors the health of backend instances using health probes
Scaling	Can route traffic across Azure regions and global networks	Scales within a region or availability zone
Service Types Supported	Works with various Azure services and external endpoints	Works with VMs, virtual machine scale sets, and Azure services
Configuration Flexibility	Provides DNS-level control for traffic routing	Offers more granular control over traffic distribution and health checks
Use Cases	– Global load balancing<br>- Disaster recovery scenarios<br>- Multi-region deployments	– Internal and external load balancing<br>- Horizontal scaling of applications

In summary, Azure Traffic Manager focuses on global traffic distribution using DNS-based routing methods, allowing users to manage traffic across regions and direct clients to the nearest healthy endpoint. On the other hand, Azure Load Balancer operates within a single region and handles the distribution of traffic among backend resources to ensure high availability and scalability within that region. The choice between the two services depends on the specific requirements of the application or infrastructure architecture.

Q31. What are the various power states of a VM?
Ans: The various power states of a VM in Azure include:

• Running: The VM is actively running.
• Stopped: The VM is turned off, and resources are deallocated.
• Deallocated: Resources are released, and the VM is in a powered-off state.
  

Q32. What is Azure App Service?
Ans: Azure App Service is a fully managed platform for building, deploying, and scaling web apps. It supports multiple programming languages and frameworks, allowing developers to focus on building applications without managing infrastructure.

Q33. What is Azure Service Level Agreement (SLA)?
Ans: Azure Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a commitment by Microsoft Azure regarding the uptime and availability of its services. It defines the guaranteed level of service performance, and Microsoft provides compensation if the SLA is not met.

Q34. Give the various advantages of using Azure ML Studio.
Ans: Advantages of using Azure ML Studio include:

• Drag-and-Drop Interface: Easy model creation with a visual interface.
• Scalability: Scales for handling large datasets and complex models.
• Integration: Integrates with other Azure services for end-to-end solutions.
  

Q35. Brief about the Azure Notification Hub.
Ans: Azure Notification Hub is a scalable, cross-platform push notification service. It allows sending personalized push notifications to mobile devices, enabling real-time communication with users.

Q36. Explain the Azure Service Bus and what are its two entities?
Ans: Azure Service Bus is a messaging service that provides reliable and scalable messaging between applications. Its two main entities are:

• Queues: Supports point-to-point communication.
• Topics: Enables publish-subscribe messaging.
  

Q37. How has hybrid cloud aided in boosting Azure?
Ans: Hybrid cloud integration has boosted Azure by allowing seamless integration between on-premises and cloud environments. Organizations can extend their existing infrastructure to the cloud, providing flexibility, scalability, and a gradual transition to the cloud.

Q38. Describe the use of Text Analysis API.
Ans: The Text Analysis API in Azure is used for extracting insights from text data. It performs sentiment analysis, key phrase extraction, language detection, and more, enabling applications to understand and process textual content.

Q39. Explain about the Azure Web App.
Ans: Azure Web App is a fully managed platform for building, deploying, and scaling web applications. It supports multiple languages, frameworks, and continuous integration, allowing developers to focus on building and delivering applications.

Q40. Explain the concept of the dead letter Queue.
Ans: A dead letter queue (DLQ) in Azure is a storage queue used to store messages that cannot be successfully processed by a regular queue. It helps in analyzing and troubleshooting failed messages without affecting the normal operation of the application.

Q41. Introduce the term Azure Monitoring.
Ans: Azure Monitoring is a set of tools and services for tracking, analyzing, and responding to the performance and health of applications and resources in Azure. It includes services like Azure Monitor and Azure Application Insights.

Q42. Explain Verbose Monitoring in Azure.
Ans: Verbose Monitoring in Azure refers to a detailed level of monitoring that provides extensive information and logs. It includes detailed diagnostic data, allowing administrators to gain deep insights into the performance and behavior of Azure resources.

Q43. When do Break-fix issues arise in Azure?
Ans: Break-fix issues in Azure arise when there’s a need for reactive support to resolve problems that occur within Azure services or infrastructure. These issues arise due to unexpected service interruptions, bugs, errors, or failures impacting the functionality of resources deployed within Azure.

Q44. List the three ways in which one can manage the session state in Azure?
Ans: The three ways to manage session state in Azure are:

1. Azure Cache for Redis: Using Redis Cache to store and manage session state data for applications.
2. Azure SQL Database: Storing session state data in an Azure SQL Database.
3. Azure Table Storage: Using Azure Table Storage to manage and store session state information.

Q45. Describe the role of Azure Functions?
Ans: Azure Functions is a serverless computing service that allows developers to build and deploy event-driven, scalable functionalities without managing the infrastructure. It enables the execution of code in response to various triggers like HTTP requests, timers, queues, and more, facilitating the creation of microservices and serverless architectures.

Q46. Explain the tasks performed by the Application Gateway?
Ans: Azure Application Gateway performs the following tasks:

• Acts as a web traffic load balancer, distributing traffic across multiple servers to improve performance and reliability.
• Provides SSL termination, enabling secure connections and offloading SSL processing from backend servers.
• Offers URL-based routing, allowing traffic to be directed to different backend pools based on URL paths.
• Provides Web Application Firewall (WAF) capabilities for enhanced security against common web vulnerabilities.
  

Q47. My web app still uses an old Docker container image after I’ve updated the image on Docker Hub. Does Azure support continuous integration/deployment of custom containers?
Ans: Yes, Azure supports continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD) of custom containers. To ensure the updated container image is used in your web app, you need to trigger a new deployment or update the container reference in your Azure service (e.g., Azure App Service or Azure Kubernetes Service).

Q48. What are the three types of RBAC controls in Microsoft Azure?
Ans: The three types of Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) in Azure are:

1. Built-in Roles: Pre-defined roles with specific permissions (e.g., Owner, Contributor, Reader).
2. Custom Roles: Roles created by users with specific sets of permissions tailored to their needs.
3. Azure AD Roles: Roles assigned through Azure Active Directory, enabling granular access control to Azure resources.
   

Q49. What should you do if your Azure Virtual Machine encounters issues caused by user configurations or host infrastructure?
Ans: If an Azure Virtual Machine encounters issues caused by user configurations or host infrastructure, you can take the following steps:

• Review and troubleshoot the user configurations to identify and rectify misconfigurations or errors.
• If the issue is related to host infrastructure, contact Azure Support for assistance or check the Azure Service Health Dashboard for any ongoing service incidents.
  

Q50. What are the steps to move an Azure Virtual Machine from one virtual network to another virtual network?
Ans: Steps to move an Azure Virtual Machine between virtual networks:

1. Stop the VM.
2. Disassociate the VM’s network interface from the current virtual network.
3. Associate the network interface with the new virtual network.
4. Restart the VM.

Q51. How do you resize a virtual machine in Azure Availability Set?
Ans: To resize a virtual machine in an Azure Availability Set:

1. Stop the VM.
2. Resize the VM by changing its size configuration in the Azure portal or using Azure CLI/PowerShell.
3. Start the VM.

Q52. Your company has manufacturing facilities worldwide… What Azure service should you include in the design?
Ans: For receiving and processing millions of messages daily from machines worldwide, Azure IoT Hub would be a suitable service. It allows for ingestion, processing, and management of IoT device messages at scale.

Q53. What do you need to do to monitor the metrics and the logs of a Linux Azure Virtual Machine?
Ans: To monitor metrics and logs of a Linux Azure Virtual Machine:

• Use Azure Monitor, Azure Log Analytics, or third-party monitoring tools compatible with Linux to gather metrics, logs, and performance data.
• Install monitoring agents on the VM to collect data for monitoring purposes.
  

Q54. What is Windows Azure Diagnostics?
Ans: Windows Azure Diagnostics is a feature allowing collection and aggregation of diagnostic data from Azure applications and services. It gathers logs, performance counters, event logs, and custom application logs, providing insights into application health and performance.

Q55. What is the difference between Block Blob vs Page Blob?
Ans:

Block Blob	Page Blob
Suitable for storing text and binary data like documents or media files.	Primarily used for virtual hard disk (VHD) storage in Azure, providing random read/write access for frequent disk I/O operations.
Supports upload and download operations in blocks.	Supports read/write operations in pages (512 bytes to 4 MB in size).
Used for streaming data and uploading large files efficiently.	Preferred for scenarios requiring frequent read/write operations, such as VHDs for Azure Virtual Machines.

Q56. What is swap deployments?
Ans: Swap deployments in Azure enable seamless deployment of applications by swapping deployment slots. It allows staging environments to swap places with production, facilitating zero-downtime deployments where the new version becomes instantly live.

Q57. What are ARM templates?
Ans: Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates are JSON files defining the infrastructure and configuration of Azure resources. They enable the automated deployment and management of resources within Azure, providing a declarative way to describe the desired state of the resources.

Q58. Explain about the Microservices?
Ans: Microservices is an architectural approach where an application is composed of loosely coupled, independently deployable services. Each service, or microservice, focuses on specific business capabilities, enabling agility, scalability, and ease of maintenance in complex applications.

Q59. Brief about the AKS?
Ans: Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a managed Kubernetes service offered by Azure. It simplifies the deployment, management, and scaling of containerized applications using Kubernetes orchestration. AKS provides features like automatic updates, scaling, and monitoring for Kubernetes-based containerized workloads.

Q60. Explain about Azure Cosmos DB?
Ans: Azure Cosmos DB is a globally distributed, multi-model database service provided by Azure. It supports multiple data models such as document, key-value, graph, and column-family within a single database. It offers high availability, scalability, and low-latency access globally.

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