Azure Interview Questions & Answers

Azure Basics:

1. What is Azure?

   • Answer: Azure is a cloud computing platform provided by Microsoft that offers a variety of services, including computing power, storage, and networking.

2. Explain the key components of Azure.

   • Answer: Key components include Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Blob Storage, Azure Virtual Network, Azure App Service, and Azure SQL Database.

3. What is the Azure Resource Manager (ARM)?

   • Answer: ARM is a management framework for deploying, managing, and organizing Azure resources.

4. Differentiate between Azure Service Fabric and Azure App Service.

   • Answer: Azure Service Fabric is a microservices platform, while Azure App Service is a platform for building, deploying, and scaling web apps.

Azure Virtual Machines:

5. What is an Azure Virtual Machine (VM)?

   • Answer: Azure VM is an on-demand, scalable computing resource that runs an operating system and applications.

6. Explain the difference between Azure Reserved Instances and Azure Spot Instances.

   • Answer: Reserved Instances provide cost savings for a fixed-term commitment, while Spot Instances offer unused Azure capacity at a lower price but can be interrupted.

7. How can you secure an Azure Virtual Machine?

   • Answer: Use Network Security Groups (NSG), implement Azure Disk Encryption, and keep the operating system and software updated.

Azure Networking:

8. What is Azure Virtual Network?

   • Answer: Azure Virtual Network enables private communication between Azure resources.

9. Explain Azure Load Balancer.

   • Answer: Azure Load Balancer distributes incoming network traffic across multiple servers to ensure no single server becomes overwhelmed.

10. What is Azure VPN Gateway?

• Answer: Azure VPN Gateway allows you to create a secure connection between your on-premises network and your Azure Virtual Network.

Azure Storage:

11. What are the types of Azure Storage?

    • Answer: Azure Blob Storage, Azure Table Storage, Azure Queue Storage, and Azure File Storage.

12. Differentiate between Azure Blob Storage and Azure File Storage.

    • Answer: Blob Storage is for unstructured data, while File Storage is for SMB-based file sharing.

Azure Identity and Access Management (IAM):

13. What is Azure Active Directory (AAD)?

    • Answer: AAD is Microsoft's cloud-based identity and access management service.

14. Explain Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) in Azure.

    • Answer: RBAC is used to control access to Azure resources by assigning roles to users, groups, or applications.

Azure DevOps:

15. What is Azure DevOps?

    • Answer: Azure DevOps is a set of development tools for planning, developing, testing, and delivering software.

16. Describe Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD).

    • Answer: CI/CD is a set of best practices and automated processes for quickly and reliably delivering software changes.

Azure Services:

17. What is Azure App Service?

    • Answer: Azure App Service is a fully managed platform for building, deploying, and scaling web apps.

18. Explain Azure Functions.

    • Answer: Azure Functions is a serverless compute service that allows you to run event-triggered functions without provisioning or managing servers.

19. What is Azure SQL Database?

    • Answer: Azure SQL Database is a fully managed relational database service.

Monitoring and Logging:

20. How can you monitor Azure resources?

    • Answer: Azure Monitor provides a comprehensive solution for collecting, analyzing, and acting on telemetry from Azure resources.

21. What is Azure Application Insights?

    • Answer: Application Insights is an application performance management service for web applications.

Security and Compliance:

22. Explain Azure Key Vault.

    • Answer: Azure Key Vault is a cloud service for securely storing and managing sensitive information such as secrets, encryption keys, and certificates.

23. What is Azure Security Center?

    • Answer: Azure Security Center helps prevent, detect, and respond to security threats.

Azure Governance:

24. What is Azure Policy?

    • Answer: Azure Policy is a service that allows you to create, assign, and manage policies to enforce rules for resources.

25. Explain Azure Blueprints.

    • Answer: Azure Blueprints is a service that helps automate the process of deploying and maintaining cloud environments in a repeatable manner.

Azure Containers and Kubernetes:

26. What is Azure Container Instances (ACI)?

    • Answer: ACI allows you to run containers without managing the underlying infrastructure.

27. Explain Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).

    • Answer: AKS simplifies the deployment, management, and operations of Kubernetes clusters.

Azure Integration:

28. What is Azure Logic Apps?

    • Answer: Azure Logic Apps is a cloud service for automating workflows and integrating services, apps, and data.

29. Explain Azure Service Bus.

    • Answer: Azure Service Bus is a fully managed enterprise message broker service that enables communication between applications.

Azure AI and Machine Learning:

30. What is Azure Machine Learning?
    • Answer: Azure Machine Learning is a cloud-based service for building, training, and deploying machine learning models.

Troubleshooting and Debugging:

31. How can you troubleshoot Azure VM performance issues?

    • Answer: Use Azure Monitor, analyze performance metrics, and review logs.

32. Explain Azure Resource Explorer.

    • Answer: Azure Resource Explorer is a tool for exploring Azure resources and their properties.

Azure Cost Management:

33. How can you optimize costs in Azure?

    • Answer: Rightsize virtual machines, use Azure Reserved Instances, and regularly review and optimize resource usage.

34. Explain Azure Cost Management + Billing.

    • Answer: Azure Cost Management + Billing provides tools to manage and optimize costs in Azure.

Scenario-based Questions:

35. How would you design a highly available architecture in Azure?

    • Answer: Use multiple availability zones, load balancing, and redundant components.

36. Describe the steps to deploy a web application in Azure.

    • Answer: Create an Azure App Service, deploy code, configure settings, and scale as needed.

General Questions:

37. What is the Azure Marketplace?

    • Answer: The Azure Marketplace is an online store for buying and selling finished software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications and premium datasets.

38. Explain the difference between Azure and AWS.

    • Answer: Azure and AWS are both cloud platforms, but they have different service offerings and pricing models.

39. How does Azure support disaster recovery?

    • Answer: Azure Site Recovery provides disaster recovery capabilities for on-premises and Azure virtual machines.

Certification-related Questions:

40. What certifications are available for Azure?

    • Answer: Certifications include Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate, and Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert.

41. Why is certification important for Azure professionals?

Answer:* Certification validates expertise and can enhance career opportunities.

Future Trends:

42. What are the emerging trends in Azure and cloud computing?
    • Answer: Trends include serverless computing, AI and machine learning integration, and increased focus on security.

Personal Development:

43. How do you stay updated on Azure-related developments?

    • Answer: Regularly read Azure documentation, blogs, attend webinars, and participate in online forums.

44. Can you share a challenging Azure project you worked on and how you overcame obstacles?

    • Answer: Discuss a specific project, challenges faced, and how you resolved them.

Behavioral Questions:

45. Describe a situation where you had to troubleshoot a critical issue in Azure.

    • Answer: Provide a specific example, detailing the problem, steps taken to diagnose, and the resolution.

46. How do you handle security best practices in Azure?

    • Answer: Discuss your approach to implementing security measures, such as encryption, identity management, and compliance.

Industry-specific Questions:

47. How can Azure be utilized in the healthcare industry?

    • Answer: Discuss solutions like Azure API for FHIR, healthcare analytics, and secure data storage.

48. Explain how Azure can benefit the financial services sector.

    • Answer: Discuss compliance features, security measures, and scalability for financial applications.

Collaboration and Communication:

49. How do you collaborate with other team members in a distributed Azure environment?

    • Answer: Discuss tools like Azure DevOps, version control systems, and regular communication channels.

50. Can you explain the process of migrating an on-premises application to Azure?

    • Answer: Discuss assessment, planning, migration, and post-migration steps, emphasizing best practices and potential challenges.