Deploying Spring Boot: Cloud vs. On-Premise Essentials Quiz Quiz

Explore key concepts of deploying Spring Boot applications on both cloud platforms and on-premise environments. This beginner-friendly quiz covers best practices, configuration, scalability, security, and the main differences between cloud and traditional deployments.

1. Spring Boot Cloud and On-Premise Deployment Basics

   Which of the following is a primary advantage of deploying a Spring Boot application in the cloud compared to on-premise deployment?

   1. Automatic scalability
   2. No need for configuration files
   3. Guaranteed offline access
   4. Fixed cost upfront

   Explanation: Automatic scalability is a major benefit of cloud deployments, allowing Spring Boot apps to handle changes in traffic more easily. Fixed cost upfront is typical of on-premise, not cloud, environments. Guaranteed offline access isn't related specifically to deployment type. Cloud still often requires configuration files, making that option incorrect.

2. Configuration Management in Spring Boot Deployments

   When deploying a Spring Boot application, which file is most commonly used to set environment-specific properties?

   1. appsettings.conf
   2. config.spring
   3. application.properties
   4. envconfig.xml

   Explanation: The application.properties file is the standard method in Spring Boot to define environment-specific settings like ports and endpoints. appsettings.conf and envconfig.xml are not default Spring Boot configuration files. config.spring is not a recognized configuration file in this context.

3. Network Access Differences

   In an on-premise deployment scenario, which of the following must you typically configure manually for remote access to your Spring Boot application?

   1. Automated traffic routing
   2. Firewall rules
   3. Zero-downtime deployment
   4. Self-healing clusters

   Explanation: On-premise deployments require manual firewall rule adjustments to allow or restrict network traffic to applications. Automated traffic routing and self-healing clusters are more common in cloud environments. Zero-downtime deployment is an advanced feature not specific to networking configuration.

4. Database Connectivity Options

   When deploying Spring Boot in the cloud, what is a typical approach for connecting to a managed database service?

   1. Use only default memory storage
   2. Embed the database directly in the JAR file
   3. Set the database URL in environment variables
   4. Hard-code credentials in Java classes

   Explanation: Cloud deployments often store sensitive details like database URLs in environment variables for security and flexibility. Embedding a database in the JAR or using memory-only storage is rare for production scenarios. Hard-coding credentials is insecure and not recommended.

5. Deploying with Containers

   What is a main benefit of using containers like Docker for deploying Spring Boot applications?

   1. Access to free bandwidth
   2. Guaranteed faster application code
   3. Simplified dependency management
   4. Direct editing of Java source files after deployment

   Explanation: Containers help package all dependencies, ensuring the application runs consistently across different environments. They do not make code inherently faster or provide free bandwidth. You typically cannot directly edit Java source files in a running container.

6. Service Discovery in the Cloud

   Which feature is typically used for locating and managing multiple Spring Boot services in a cloud deployment?

   1. Service discovery
   2. Manual connection by developers
   3. Local hard-coding of IP addresses
   4. Static HTML index page

   Explanation: Service discovery systems help applications find each other dynamically in cloud setups. Local hard-coding defeats the flexibility necessary for cloud scaling. Static HTML pages and manual developer connections do not serve this networking purpose.

7. Monitoring and Logging Differences

   Which monitoring approach is commonly integrated with Spring Boot applications deployed in the cloud?

   1. Using only print statements
   2. Turning off all logging
   3. Centralized log aggregation
   4. Manual log review on each server

   Explanation: Centralized log aggregation collects logs from many instances for easy management in scalable cloud setups. Manually reviewing logs on each server is impractical at scale. Disabling all logging or using only print statements limits troubleshooting and application health monitoring.

8. Load Balancing

   Which tool is frequently used to balance traffic to multiple instances of a Spring Boot application in the cloud?

   1. Single-user mode
   2. Excel spreadsheet
   3. Database trigger
   4. Load balancer

   Explanation: A load balancer distributes incoming traffic among multiple application instances, ensuring reliability and optimal use of resources. Database triggers don't manage network traffic. Excel spreadsheets and single-user modes are unrelated to load balancing.

9. Security Differences

   What extra security step is often needed for exposing Spring Boot applications on the public internet, whether cloud or on-premise?

   1. Using only HTTP port 80
   2. Disabling authentication
   3. Enabling HTTPS/SSL encryption
   4. Allowing all IP addresses without restriction

   Explanation: Using HTTPS ensures data is encrypted between the user and the application, safeguarding privacy and data integrity. Allowing all IPs or disabling authentication exposes you to security risks. Relying solely on HTTP port 80 does not provide encryption.

10. Updating Deployed Applications

    When updating a deployed Spring Boot application, what is a preferred method to minimize downtime?

    1. Delete the production database first
    2. Shut down all servers at once
    3. Ignore user requests during updates
    4. Perform a rolling deployment

    Explanation: A rolling deployment updates applications in stages, so some instances stay online while others update, reducing downtime. Deleting the production database or shutting all servers interrupts service and risks data loss. Ignoring user requests is not a professional update method.