Brush up on fundamental AWS interview questions with this quiz designed for entry-level certification preparation. Challenge your understanding of core concepts, cloud terminology, and best practices to confidently approach AWS-related interviews.
Which cloud computing model allows users to run applications without managing the underlying infrastructure, often referred to as serverless computing?
Explanation: Function as a Service (FaaS) enables deploying individual functions or pieces of code in response to events without managing servers, representing serverless computing. Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides a platform for app development but still involves some infrastructure management. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) gives control over servers and networks, requiring users to manage the infrastructure. Software as a Service (SaaS) offers fully managed applications and is not focused on serverless or code execution in response to events.
If you want to store data that is accessed infrequently but must be immediately available when needed, which storage class should you choose?
Explanation: Infrequent Access Storage is optimized for data that is not accessed often but still needs to be retrieved instantly when requested. Frequent Access Storage is designed for regularly accessed data and costs more. Archived Access Storage is suitable for data rarely accessed, often with retrieval delays. Ephemeral Storage refers to temporary storage, which is unsuitable for storing data long-term.
What AWS concept helps ensure your services remain available by distributing resources across multiple, isolated locations?
Explanation: Availability Zones are physically isolated locations within a region that help build redundancy and increase service availability. Elastic Volumes are storage features and do not offer geographic redundancy. Persistent Clusters may provide fault tolerance at the application level but are not an AWS-specific concept. Dedicated Subnets do not relate to physical separation or service availability.
Which AWS security feature allows you to grant granular permissions to users, controlling which actions they can perform?
Explanation: Identity and Access Management (IAM) lets you create users, assign roles, and precisely control what actions each user can take, enhancing security. Access Optimization Module (AOM) and Data Encryption Block (DEB) are not actual AWS features. Virtual Network Control (VNC) may sound related to networking but does not handle user permissions or access management.
If you need your web application to handle more users automatically when traffic increases, which AWS feature should you use?
Explanation: Automatic Scaling allows systems to add or remove resources based on incoming demand, ensuring high performance and cost-efficiency. Fixed Instance Group does not change size based on load. Manual Load Allocation requires manual intervention, lacking automation. Reserved Capacity ensures resource availability but doesn't automatically adjust to traffic spikes.
Which networking feature is used to create a logically isolated section of the AWS cloud, in which you can launch resources?
Explanation: A Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) allows you to define a private, isolated network within the cloud, offering full control over your networking setup. Global Access Network (GAN), Personal Subsystem Area (PSA), and Segmented Instance Group (SIG) are incorrect and do not represent actual AWS networking features.
When protecting sensitive stored data from unauthorized access, which AWS feature should you enable?
Explanation: Data Encryption at Rest secures data on disk, making it unreadable without proper permissions, and is essential for protecting stored information. Compute Optimizer helps optimize compute resource usage but does not offer security. Direct Cloud Replication focuses on data replication rather than security. Cloud Formation Scripting is for infrastructure automation, not data protection.
How can you organize and manage your AWS resources for easy identification and cost tracking?
Explanation: Applying Resource Tags lets you add metadata to resources such as project names, owners, or environments, improving organization and cost management. Allocating Static Ports pertains to network configuration, not organization. Enabling Fast Sync relates to data synchronization, and Assigning Data Buckets refers to storage, not resource management.
Which security measure adds an extra layer of protection by requiring a second form of verification in addition to a password?
Explanation: Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) requires users to provide additional verification, greatly increasing account security compared to password alone. Cloud Formation Validation checks templates for errors. Instance Monitoring observes resource performance, and Public Read Blocks restrict access but do not provide multi-step authentication.
What is a recommended best practice for preventing data loss in cloud storage solutions?
Explanation: Regularly scheduling backups ensures there are recent copies of data, minimizing the risk of loss due to accidental deletion or failures. Disabling version control reduces recovery options. Storing all files in one folder does not provide redundancy. Granting public access increases security risks rather than protecting against data loss.