Interview Questions – AWS Compute Services – Detailed Explanation

Table of Contents

🔧 1. Design a Highly Available and Scalable Web Application with Auto Scaling and Load Balancing

Implementation Steps:

  • Use EC2 Auto Scaling Groups (ASG) :
    • Create an ASG that spans multiple Availability Zones (AZs).
    • Configure minimum, maximum, and desired capacity.
    • Use launch templates or launch configurations with appropriate AMI and instance types.
  • Load Balancer :
    • Use Application Load Balancer (ALB) for HTTP/HTTPS traffic.
    • Configure health checks on the ALB to ensure only healthy instances receive traffic.
  • Auto Scaling Policies :
    • Use dynamic scaling based on CPU utilization or custom metrics.
    • Optionally, use predictive scaling for predictable traffic patterns.
  • Security Considerations :
    • Use security groups to restrict access to the web servers.
    • Enable CloudTrail and CloudWatch Logs for auditing and monitoring.

🔧 2. Implementing a Serverless Architecture with AWS Lambda

Implementation Steps:

  • Lambda Functions :
    • Write functions in Python, Node.js, or Java.
    • Use AWS SAM or Serverless Framework for deployment.
  • Trigger Sources :
    • Connect Lambda to API Gateway , S3 , DynamoDB Streams , or EventBridge .
  • Optimization :
    • Set memory allocation and timeout values based on function needs.
    • Use provisioned concurrency to reduce cold starts.
  • Monitoring :
    • Use CloudWatch Metrics and X-Ray for tracing and debugging.
    • Enable logging via console.log() or CloudWatch Logs.

🔧 3. Containerized Applications with ECS and EKS

Implementation Steps:

  • ECS (Elastic Container Service) :
    • Use Fargate for serverless container orchestration.
    • Define tasks and services in the ECS console or with CloudFormation.
    • Use ECR (Elastic Container Registry) to store Docker images.
  • EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service) :
    • Create a managed Kubernetes cluster.
    • Deploy workloads using Kubernetes manifests or Helm charts.
    • Use Amazon VPC CNI for networking.
  • Hybrid Setup :
    • Use ECS on EC2 for stateful workloads and EKS for stateless microservices.
    • Ensure consistent logging and monitoring across both environments.

🔧 4. Cost Optimization of EC2 Instances

Implementation Steps:

  • Instance Types :
    • Choose right-sized instances based on workload (e.g., t3.medium for small apps, c5.large for compute-heavy).
  • Reserved Instances (RI) :
    • Purchase RIs for long-term, predictable workloads.
  • Spot Instances :
    • Use for batch jobs or non-critical workloads.
    • Implement fallback mechanisms (e.g., on-demand instances) for reliability.
  • Savings Plans :
    • Use for consistent usage over time (e.g., 1-year commitment).
  • Tools :
    • Use Cost Explorer , AWS Trusted Advisor , and AWS Budgets for cost analysis.

🔧 5. Secure and Isolated Environments with VPC and Security Groups

Implementation Steps:

  • VPC Design :
    • Create a private subnet for DBs, public subnets for load balancers, and isolated subnets for sensitive data.
    • Use NAT Gateway for internet access from private subnets.
  • Security Groups :
    • Allow only necessary ports (e.g., 80/443 for web, 3306 for MySQL).
    • Restrict traffic between tiers (e.g., allow web to app, but not directly to DB).
  • Network ACLs :
    • Add an extra layer of security by controlling inbound/outbound traffic at the subnet level.

🔧 6. Disaster Recovery and Backup Strategy

Implementation Steps:

  • AMIs and Snapshots :
    • Regularly create AMI backups of critical instances.
    • Use EBS snapshots for persistent storage.
  • CloudFormation :
    • Store infrastructure as code for quick recovery.
  • Backups :
    • Use AWS Backup for automated backup of EC2, RDS, and other resources.
  • DR Plan :
    • Replicate data to another region.
    • Test failover procedures periodically.

🔧 7. High Availability with EC2 Auto Scaling Groups

Implementation Steps:

  • Multi-AZ ASG :
    • Configure ASG to span multiple AZs.
    • Use health check grace period to avoid premature termination.
  • Health Checks :
    • Use ELB health checks or EC2 health checks .
  • Scaling Policies :
    • Set up target tracking or step scaling policies.
    • Monitor CPU, memory, and custom metrics .

🔧 8. Performance Optimization for EC2 Instances

Implementation Steps:

  • Instance Type Selection :
    • Choose c5, m5, r5 for compute/memory-intensive apps.
    • Use GPU instances (g4dn, p3) for ML or rendering.
  • Disk I/O :
    • Use SSD-backed EBS volumes (gp3 or io1) for high I/O.
  • Networking :
    • Use enhanced networking (ENA) and placement groups for low-latency communication.
  • Tuning :
    • Optimize OS and application-level settings (e.g., kernel parameters, TCP tuning).

🔧 9. Multi-Tier Application Architecture on AWS

Implementation Steps:

  • Web Tier :
    • Use EC2 instances behind an ALB .
  • App Tier :
    • Use ECS Fargate or EKS for microservices.
  • Database Tier :
    • Use RDS or Aurora for relational databases.
  • Communication :
    • Use VPC peering or PrivateLink for secure inter-tier communication.
    • Use security groups to limit access between tiers.

🔧 10. CI/CD Pipeline for EC2-Based Applications

Implementation Steps:

  • Tools :
    • Use AWS CodePipeline , CodeBuild , and CodeDeploy .
  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC) :
    • Use CloudFormation or Terraform to provision EC2 instances.
  • Deployment Strategy :
    • Use blue/green deployments to minimize downtime.
    • Automate testing and rollback using CodePipeline stages.

🔧 11. Hybrid Cloud Compute Architecture

Implementation Steps:

  • Connectivity :
    • Use AWS Direct Connect or VPN for secure connectivity.
    • Use AWS Outposts for on-premises AWS-like infrastructure.
  • Compute Services :
    • Run EC2 and ECS in AWS for scalable workloads.
    • Use on-premises VMs for legacy applications.
  • Data Sync :
    • Use S3 Transfer Acceleration or Snowball for large data transfers.

🔧 12. Managing Stateful Workloads on AWS

Implementation Steps:

  • Persistent Storage :
    • Use EBS volumes for EC2 instances.
    • Use EFS for shared file systems.
    • Use RDS or Aurora for relational databases.
  • State Management :
    • Avoid storing state on EC2 instances; use external storage.
    • Use DynamoDB or Redis for session storage.

🔧 13. Custom Compute Solutions with AWS Batch

Implementation Steps:

  • Batch Job Submission :
    • Submit jobs via AWS Batch API or CLI .
  • Job Definitions :
    • Define job definitions with container images and resource requirements.
  • Queue Configuration :
    • Set up job queues and compute environments (EC2 or Fargate).
  • Use Cases :
    • Use for batch processing , HPC , or data transformation .

🔧 14. Real-Time Data Processing with AWS Fargate

Implementation Steps:

  • Fargate Tasks :
    • Use Fargate for running containers without managing EC2 instances.
  • Real-Time Workloads :
    • Use Kafka , Kinesis , or Lambda as input sources.
  • Orchestration :
    • Use ECS or EKS to manage Fargate tasks.
  • Benefits :
    • No need to manage underlying infrastructure.

🔧 15. Microservices Architecture with AWS

Implementation Steps:

  • Service Selection :
    • Use ECS Fargate for stateless services.
    • Use EKS for complex microservices.
    • Use Lambda for event-driven components.
  • Communication :
    • Use API Gateway or Service Mesh (App Mesh) .
  • CI/CD :
    • Use CodePipeline for deploying microservices independently.

🔧 16. Handling Sudden Traffic Spikes with Auto Scaling

Implementation Steps:

  • Auto Scaling Policies :
    • Use target tracking for consistent performance.
    • Use step scaling for more granular control.
  • Pre-Warming :
    • Pre-warm instances before expected traffic spikes.
  • Load Balancer :
    • Use ALB with sticky sessions if needed.

🔧 17. Monitoring and Observability for Compute Resources

Implementation Steps:

  • CloudWatch :
    • Monitor CPU, memory, disk, and network metrics.
  • X-Ray :
    • Trace requests across microservices.
  • CloudTrail :
    • Audit API calls and user actions.
  • Logs :
    • Use CloudWatch Logs for centralized log management.

🔧 18. Serverless vs. Traditional Compute Services

Implementation Steps:

  • When to Use Serverless :
    • For event-driven or short-lived tasks (e.g., image processing, data ingestion).
  • When to Use Traditional :
    • For long-running processes (e.g., web servers, background workers).
  • Limitations :
    • Lambda has execution time limits and cold start issues .
    • EC2 provides full control over the environment.

🔧 19. Secure Access to EC2 Instances

Implementation Steps:

  • SSH Access :
    • Use IAM roles for EC2 instances instead of hardcoded credentials.
    • Use bastion hosts or SSH tunnels for secure access.
  • Security Groups :
    • Restrict SSH access to specific IP ranges.
  • Key Pairs :
    • Use key pairs for authentication and rotate them regularly.

🔧 20. Migration of On-Premises Workloads to AWS

Implementation Steps:

  • Assessment :
    • Use AWS Migration Hub to track migration progress.
  • Replication :
    • Use VM Import/Export or AWS Snowball for large data.
  • Refactoring :
    • Migrate monolithic apps to microservices if needed.
  • Testing :
    • Perform disaster recovery drills and load testing .

🔧 21. Global Application Deployment with AWS Regions and Edge Locations

Implementation Steps:

  • Global Infrastructure :
    • Deploy applications in multiple AWS regions .
  • Global Load Balancing :
    • Use Route 53 with latency-based routing .
  • Edge Locations :
    • Use CloudFront for content delivery.
    • Cache static assets at edge locations.

🔧 22. Efficient Use of Spot Instances for Cost Savings

Implementation Steps:

  • Workloads :
    • Use for batch processing , data analytics , or rendering .
  • Fallback :
    • Use On-Demand or Reserved instances as fallback.
  • Tools :
    • Use Spot Instance Scheduler or Auto Scaling to manage spot instances.

🔧 23. Kubernetes Cluster Management with EKS

Implementation Steps:

  • Cluster Setup :
    • Use eksctl or CloudFormation to create an EKS cluster.
  • Node Groups :
    • Create managed node groups or self-managed node groups.
  • Networking :
    • Use Amazon VPC CNI for pod-to-pod communication.
  • Monitoring :
    • Use CloudWatch and Prometheus for monitoring.

🔧 24. Designing a Compute Infrastructure for Machine Learning

Implementation Steps:

  • Training :
    • Use GPU-enabled EC2 instances (g4dn, p3) or SageMaker .
  • Inference :
    • Use SageMaker endpoints or Lambda with SageMaker .
  • Storage :
    • Use S3 for data and EFS for shared models.
  • CI/CD :
    • Use SageMaker Pipelines for model training and deployment.

🔧 25. Compliance and Governance for Compute Resources

Implementation Steps:

  • Policies :
    • Use AWS Organizations and Service Control Policies (SCPs) .
  • Compliance Tools :
    • Use AWS Config to enforce compliance rules.
    • Use GuardDuty for threat detection.
  • Auditing :
    • Use CloudTrail and CloudWatch Events for audit trails.

✅ Summary

  • High availability & scalability
  • Serverless architecture
  • Container orchestration
  • Cost optimization
  • Disaster recovery
  • Security and compliance
  • Global deployment
  • Microservices and hybrid cloud

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