Azure Interview Questions and Answers

Are you preparing for a Microsoft Azure interview? Well, you are not alone! Microsoft Azure has become one of the top cloud computing platforms and as a result many individuals are planning to go build a career in this platform. To shine in this competition, all you need to do is prepare with the best Microft Azure interview questions and answers.

This article here is designed to provide all you need. It includes the best interview questions curated by top experienced profestinals, covering different services, security, networking, DevOps, and best practices. These will help you sharpen the required skills needed to crack the interview. Let’s begin with the basic ones!

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Azure Basic Interview Questions

Irrespective of the experience level, there are certain Azure basic interview questions that can be asked during an interview. These basic ones are among those.

1. Explain Azure Cloud Service in brief.

Azure Cloud Service was crafted to provide support to applications that require high reliability, availability and scalability. This platform as a service (PaaS) makes all this feasible within minimal operation costs. They are employed to deploy multi-tier, web-oriented apps.

2. For Azure, what does a role instance mean?

A role instance in Azure refers to a virtual machine (VM). This is where the app code runs with the aid of running role configurations. Depending upon the definition available in the cloud service config. Files and multiple instances can also be there.

3. How does Azure Diagnostics API help organizations?

There are many ways in which the Azure Diagnostics API helps organizations. These include -

• Collecting diagnostic data from apps running on Azure. Data here includes system event logs, performance monitoring, etc.

• Building visual chart representations to enhance monitoring.

• Verbose monitoring of the data collected.

4. Explain different cloud deployment models.

There are three primary cloud deployment models.

• Private Cloud - This cloud infrastructure is either exclusively owned by the organization or offered to only them by the cloud provider.

• Public Cloud - This cloud infrastructure is owned by the cloud provider and is lent out to many enterprises. The space is shared, but there's still security.

• Hybrid Cloud - Its features lie somewhere in between. Organizations can use aspects of both the above-mentioned clouds and get the best combination that suits them.

5. What is the Azure Service Level Agreement (SLA)?

It is basically an agreement between Microsoft and its customers, which includes all the Azure services they use. Think of it like a warranty card. In case Microsoft fails to deliver the services or any problem occurs from their side, the user can demand a refund or credits with this agreement.

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Intermediate Azure Interview Questions

When someone gains a few years of experience and wishes to step into a better job, they'll notice that the nature of questions has changed. The category they should look for is intermediate Azure interview questions to help them ace their interview.

6. What is meant by Azure VM Scale Sets?

Virtual Machine Scale Sets or VMSS by Azure, is a Microsoft service that aids in creating and managing sets of identical, auto-scaling VMs. The quantity of these VMs moves up or down automatically as per the demand or the scheduled conditions.

VMSS proves highly beneficial for apps that have unpredictable or variable workloads. A group of VMs having identical configurations can be deployed using this service.

7. What should be done in case a drive failure occurs?

If a drive failure occurs, these steps should be taken -

• The Azure Storage should keep functioning without fail. The drive should not be mounted.

• The drive must be replaced to get it remounted and formatted.

8. Explain CSPack in Azure.

This command-line tool produces the service package file, along with preparing for an app to be deployed in Compute Emulator or Azure. The CSPack in Azure utilized the contents found in the service configuration file & service definition file to further define the package contents. It generates an app package file called .cspkg. It can be uploaded to Azure with the use of the Azure portal.

9. Can someone log in to a Linux VM without a password?

Yes, it's possible to log in to a Linux VM without a password. For this, the Key Vault mapping should be used on any Admin VM.

10. How are Azure Scale Sets and Availability Sets different?

Related Article - Microsoft Azure Tutorial

Advanced Azure Interview Questions

These advanced Azure interview questions and answers for experienced professionals are imperative to crack any interview.

11. What is Azure Scheduler?

With Azure Scheduler, it becomes easy to invoke some specific background trigger activities or events. These include presenting a message on a queue or calling HTTP/S endpoints. It's a cloud-based service that is usable in various scenarios.

Some of Azure Scheduler's best use cases are-

• Automating maintenance tasks

• Sensing recurring notifications/ emails

• Stress or load testing

• Regular data collection & analysis

• Invoking logic apps/ Azure functions

• Job chaining

• Microservices coordination

12. How many types of storage services are offered by Azure?

Azure offers 4 types of storage services.

• Azure Blob Storage - It's the most common storage type in Azure and is apt for workloads requiring high-capacity storage. It is durable, and scalable and also handles smaller workloads well.

• Azure Files - It's a managed file storage service by Microsoft in the cloud. This cloud-based file server is managed by Microsoft for the customers and offers support to both NFS (Linux) and SMB (Windows) file shares.

• Azure Queue Storage - It's a lesser-known storage type in Azure, but one that is useful. It was specially crafted by Microsoft to store queue messages, which are instructions associated with a web app.

• Azure Table - This storage type stores humongous quantities of structured data. It's akin to a NoSQL offering, which is a non-relational DB that works as an attribute store. This managed product enables admins to concentrate on their data without worrying about maintaining or managing the server infrastructure.

13. Explain profiling in reference to Azure.

Profiling in Azure refers to a procedure that measures an application's performance. This process is carried out to ensure that the app is steady and sufficient to maintain overwhelming traffic. Visual Studio provides various tools to gather information on performance that further aids in troubleshooting issues.

14. How is a resource group created in Azure?

To create a resource group, follow these steps -

• Login at the Azure portal.

• Select 'Resource groups' in the menu.

• Click on 'Add'.

• Fill in the necessary details.

• Click on 'Review + Create'.

• Click on 'Create' after validation.

15. What are the differences between Azure Table Storage Service and SQL Table?

The following are the main differences between Table Storage Service and SQL Table -

Related Article- Top 10 Azure Developer Skills Need To Consider

Azure Developer Interview Questions

Become an Azure developer by studying these key Azure interview questions related to this profile.

16. Define IaaS, SaaS and PaaS.

• IaaS - Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offers a suite of capabilities, including network connectivity, OS, etc, present at the infrastructural level. These are provided on a pay-as-you-go scheme.

• SaaS - Software as a Service (SaaS) is an app delivered via the service delivery model wherein apps are consumed and utilized by an enterprise.

• PaaS - Platform as a Service (PaaS) is primarily about the underlying infrastructure abstraction. It facilitates developers in carrying out the development of apps quickly and without fretting about hosting management.

17. How can a code be executed with Azure if the server is not there?

Even if there is no server, code can be executed with the help of Azure functions. These functions break down the complexity level of the orchestration. They also enable connection with other services without any integration coding, speeding up the development process.

A lot of developers' efforts and time is saved as they can divert their focus towards business logic code.

18. Explain the different types of backups in Azure.

The three types of backup options in Azure are -

• Locally Redundant Storage (LRS) - Here, the data is replicated thrice in a storage scale unit inside a data center. Every copy is present in the same region. It's a good low-cost option that offers protection from local hardware failures.

• Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS) - It's the recommended replication option that's selected by default. With this, the data is replicated in another region. While it's a bit more expensive than LRS, it offers better durability.

• Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS) - It copies the data in availability zones, leading to guaranteed data resilience and residence in the same region. It is mostly used for critical workloads that need data residency, as it has zero downtime.

19. What elements can be backed up in Azure?

These are the elements that can be backed up in Azure -

• Azure VMs

• Azure files shares

• On-premises

• Azure blobs

• SAP HANA DBs in Azure VMs

• Azure Kubernetes service

• Azure managed disks

• Azure DB for PostgreSQL (Flexible) server

• SQL server in Azure VMs

20. How to create a virtual machine on the Azure Command-Line interface?

Use the following command in the command line interface to create virtual machines -

Related Article- What Is Azure Blueprint?

Azure Data Scientist Interview Questions

Preparing for a particular profile means having knowledge about the kind of questions that can be asked associated with that role. These Azure data scientist interview questions are the leading ones in the field.

21. Which service is mainly used for creating a data warehouse in Azure?

Azure Synapse refers to an unlimited analytics service. It amalgamates enterprise data warehousing and big data analytics. With this service, users get the freedom to query data on singular terms to either use provisioned or serverless on-demand resources at scale.

22. Explain Dedicated SQL Pools.

Dedicated SQL Pool pertains to a feature suite. It uses Azure Synapse Analytics to implement more traditional Enterprise Data Warehousing platforms. All the resources are measured in DWU, which stands for Data Warehousing units. These resources are then provisioned via Synapse SQL.

Dedicated SQL Pools employ relational tables and columnar storage for data storage. This leads to reduced storage needs and enhanced query performance.

23. List the different windowing functions available in Azure Stream Analytics.

In Azure Stream Analytics, a window is a block of time-stamped event data. It facilitates the users in performing plenty of statistical operations. It has four kinds of windowing functions.

• Tumbling Window - Here, the data stream is divided into various fixed-length time groups.

• Sliding Window - Here, every time a new event occurs, it's followed by an aggregation.

• Hopping Window - Here, the data segments can overlap, too.

• Session Window - It does not have a certain window size. There are three parameters, namely max duration, partitioning key and timeout.

24. Which consistency models are there in Cosmos DB?

There are five key consistency models available in Cosmos DB. These are -

• Bounded Staleness - A time lag is set between the read and write operations. It's apt for conditions requiring equal priority for consistency and availability.

• Consistent Prefix - This ensures that the user does not have to come across out-of-order writes. There are no time limitations across regions and data replication.

• Strong - This model grabs the latest data version every time a read operation takes place.

• Eventual - There is no guarantee of any version-bound or time-bound replication here. It offers the lowest level of consistency & read latency.

• Session - It's set by default and is also the most popular consistency level. It offers the lowest latency writes and reads.

25. How to improve the performance of a SQL Azure Database?

The following practices can improve the performance of SQL Azure Database -

• Scaling - Scaling is a great practice for improving the performance of a database. There are two ways to scale a database, including vertical and horizontal scaling. Vertical scaling uses a higher service tier, whereas horizontal scaling distributes the load to different data stores.

• Caching - Implementing caching strategies can significantly reduce the load from data storage by accessing data frequently.

• Query optimization - Evaluate query execution plans and update statistics. It will identify and optimize slow-running queries. Maintaining the indexes properly speeds up data retrieval.

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Azure Data Architect Interview Questions

Here are some key Azure data architect interview questions to ace this profile-related interview.

26. How can Azure functions be secured?

There are many ways to secure Azure functions. Some of those are -

• Log & monitor

• Funcion access keys

• Data validation

• Security center

• Error handling

• HTTPS

• Network security

• Permissions

• Disabled FTP

• Disabled remote debugging

• Continuous security validation

• Secret management

• Secure deployment, etc.

27. What do you understand about Integration Runtime?

Integration Runtime (IR) is the compute infrastructure that provides data integration capabilities across different network environments. It acts as a bridge between activities and linked services. Azure Data Factory and Synapse pipelines mostly use these. The following are different types of IRs -

28. How can a VM be created with Azure CLI?

Follow this example to create a VM with Azure CLI.

29. Explain Azure Databricks.

Azure Databricks is a collaborative and swift Apache Spark-oriented analytics platform. It is built over Microsoft Azure cloud and provides an interactive workspace. This platform enables users to create, deploy and manage ML workloads and big data processing easily.

Its interactive and collaborative environment simplifies the process of model training, data engineering and data exploration. Some of the key use cases of Azure Databricks include-

• ETL

• Real-time analytics

• Predictive analytics

• Data science

30. What are some standard techniques and tools to watch Azure resources?

Some standard techniques and tools to watch Azure resources are -

• Azure Log Analytics - It collects and analyzes complete log data. Insights are offered about the performance and health of the resources.

• Azure Dashboards - It provides customizable views to visually depict data from various different sources.

• Azure Monitor - It offers real-time diagnostics and monitoring for all Azure resources.

• Azure Resource Graph - It's a tool for administrators to visualize resources throughout Azure subscriptions.

• Azure Alerts - It triggers a notification as per certain conditions.

31. What is Azure Data Lake Storage?

Azure Data Lake Storage is a secure and scalable service for data storage. It is specially designed to perform big data analytics. We can use it to store and analyze humongous amounts of data efficiently. It also provides a hierarchical file system that supports different data types.

Azure Administrator Interview Questions

This section introduces the most asked Azure admin interview questions and answers. These questions are mostly asked to check your knowledge in Azure services, administration and best practices.

32. How are Azure PaaS and IaaS different?

IaaS and Paas are two different services of Azure.

33. What do you understand about Azure ExpressRoute?

Azure ExpressRoute is a security service of this platform that enables a secure connection between the on-premises network and the Microsoft cloud. This private connection offers advantages over public internet connections. It provides increased speed, reliability, lower latency and higher security. It can be very useful when you can’t access the public Internet due to security concerns.

34. What is Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?

Azure Kubernetes Service is a service offered by Microsoft Azure and managed by Kubernetes. It helps to streamline the deployment and management process of containerized applications. With this service, experts can quickly deploy and scale containerized applications without having to worry about the underlying Kubernetes infrastructure. AKS offloads much of the operational overhead of managing Kubernetes, including provisioning, upgrading and scaling.

35. Why use Azure Automation in cloud administration?

Azure Automation is used in cloud administration to automate repetitive and error-prone tasks, improve efficiency and reduce operational costs. It lets cloud administrators focus on more strategic tasks and business value by automating processes like deployments, updates and resource management. The automation also reduces the risk of potential human errors.

36. What is Azure Advisor?

Azure Advisor is a free service that provides personalized recommendations to help users optimize their Azure resources and deployments. It analyzes their system environment and offers actionable suggestions and best practices to improve reliability, security, performance and cost-effectiveness.

Scenarios-Based Azure Interview Questions

This section lists the most asked scenario-based Azure interview questions. Interviewers often ask these questions to check your decision-making skills.

37. How would you use Azure to execute a program in the absence of a server?

Azure does not necessarily require a server to run code. Azure Function is a service that can execute code in serverless environments. These services allow individuals to write programs that respond to specific events, such as HTTP requests, message queue updates or file uploads. All this without needing to manage any underlying infrastructure.

With these services, we can streamline the execution and management of complicated operations. Clients can also use them to access different services without integrating code manually, which accelerates development.

38. Think of a scenario where the front-end hosting of an application is done on Azure. Now the user wants to host a database on a local server for safety reasons. How would you manage the Azure connectivity in this situation?

There are multiple ways to perform this task, including -

• In case of limited resources, we can use the Azure VNET-based point-to-site service to connect such applications.

• We can also use site-to-site or express routes for connecting more resources to it. Site-to-site may have a drawback of time delay due to the reliance of VPN on the Internet. Express routes have a dedicated leased line, which overcomes lag constraints.

• If neither of the above methods is suitable, we can use a Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) service built and hosted locally.

39. Suppose you have an Azure Cosmos DB account named as consists of a database DB1. This database has a container Cont1 with a partition key /city. How will you configure its partition key?

Azure Cosmos DB offers various features to transfer live data between containers. Bulk Executor Library and Change Feed Processor are examples of such features. These features can enable data redistribution to set a new partition key strategy and update applications. We can use them to update the partition key.

40. A retail company wants to analyze its purchase data to predict its customers' future purchases. Which Azure service should they use?

While there are many analytical services available, I would recommend using Azure Machine Learning services. It is a data analytics service that can provide comprehensive solutions for data-related issues. This service enables computers to predict future sales, product demands and market trends on the basis of current data.

The best part of this service is the less requirement of programming requirements. This means there is no need to create complex code. It offers multiple open-source features for designing, implementing and managing predictive models.

41. How would you plan disaster recovery if your on-premises system fails?

There are various disaster recovery strategies we can use in this instance, including -

• Azure Site Recovery (ASR): It helps to replicate and orchestrate the failover of on-premise workloads.

• Azure Backup: It is used to create data backups to protect on-premise data in these kinds of situations.

• Azure Traffic Manager: It can distribute traffic across different Azure regions, which ensures the availability of applications in case of disasters.

Top 10 Azure DevOps Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Final Word For Azure Interview Questions

Mastering Azure interview questions is an imperative step at every experience level and for all job profiles. Familiarizing oneself with the key questions as per one's skill set and experience level is crucial to ace the interview. This blog is constructed around technical questions, but soft skills and self-presentation play an imperative role, too.

So, it's best to work on technical as well as soft skills simultaneously to increase the chances of getting selected. Becoming an Azure professional comes with plenty of perks. The future of Azure is bright, and similarly for those with skills in this field.

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FAQs Azure Interview Questions

Q1. How to prepare for Azure Interview Questions?

You can consider Microsoft's official documentation, free tutorials, and practice scenarios to prepare for the interview questions. Even these questions mentioned above are enough to help you ace interview rounds.

Q2. Why is Azure widely used in companies?

Azure is widely used because it integrates well with Microsoft products and offers secure, scalable cloud solutions.

Q3. Does Azure require coding knowledge?

Basic coding knowledge will help but many Azure services can be managed without advanced programming skills.