In 2020, more than 3.6 billion people were actively using cloud platforms and services in some form or other. Cloud computing is one of the most popular domains in the IT industry today. The demand for skilled cloud computing professionals is also increasing rapidly. As a result, cloud computing certifications have also become quite prevalent. 

Cloud computing infrastructure allows users to share computing resources without any hardware restrictions. These resources range from applications and storage to deployment and development platforms and business processes. Cloud computing simplifies computing resource applications through automation and standardization. 

While preparing for a cloud computing job interview, here are some of the most common questions that you must familiarise yourself with for a higher chance of getting the job. 

Cloud Computing Interview Questions You Should Know:

Q1. Name a few key features of cloud computing.

Cloud computing comes with a host of features and functionalities. Some of its key features are:

• Location independence - This means users can access resources from any remote location.
• Agility - Cloud computing helps users to reprovision resources quickly and cost-effectively.
• Reliability - Users can depend on computation and resources for easy accessibility.
• Scalability - Businesses can scale up operations easily through dynamic data provisioning.

Q2. What are cloud delivery models?

A cloud delivery model is a structural model representing a cloud computing environment. The primary cloud delivery models today are:

- IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) - This refers to request-based provisioning and delivery of services like storage, operating systems, networking, and utility software solution elements.

- PaaS (Platform as a Service) - PaaS is a cloud delivery model designed to combine IaaS with abstract middleware services, deployment tools, and software development. This provides organizations with a consistent method of creating and deploying apps within on-premises or cloud environments.

- SaaS (Software as a Service) - SaaS refers to business applications built and hosted using a multi-tenant hosting model by the provider. 

- FaaS (Function as a Service) - FaaS provides businesses with a platform where they can build, manage and deploy application functionalities without worrying about infrastructure maintenance. The Function as a Service model makes serverless architecture a reality for enterprises everywhere.

Q3. How many versions of cloud platforms exist? What are the differences between them?

Based on deployment, there are two primary cloud models - public cloud and private cloud.

1. Public cloud: The public cloud model encompasses all the hardware, network components, applications, interfaces, storage capacities, and services that a third party owns and operates to be used by other individuals or organizations. This commercial cloud model has a large scalable data center that conceals underlying infrastructure details from consumers. A public cloud platform is a perfect platform because it provides several options for storage, computing, and other services. 
2. Private cloud: The private cloud model is made up of all the hardware, network components, applications, interfaces, storage capacities, and services that an organization owns and operates to be used by its partners, customers and employees. A private cloud can be built and managed by third parties to be used exclusively by one organization or entity. It is a controlled environment that regular internet or public users cannot access.
3. Hybrid cloud: Several enterprises use some combination of multiple computing resources, both private and public. This forms a hybrid cloud environment.
4. Multi-cloud: What’s more, some organizations also use a whole range of public cloud services for various business and development units. This is known as a multi-cloud environment. 

Q4. What are the key constituents within a cloud ecosystem?

Various constituents work together to influence how a user views the existing cloud architecture. These are:

• Cloud service providers
• Cloud consumers
• Direct consumers

A direct customer generally reaps benefits from the services your business has made in a cloud environment. The end-users of this service are unaware of whether you are using a private or public cloud. As far as these users know, they have been interacting with the services directly. 

Q6. Who are the cloud service providers within cloud ecosystems?

A cloud service provider is a commercial vendor or enterprise that builds its cloud capabilities. Cloud service providers sell their offerings to cloud consumers. On the other hand, another organization might choose to be a cloud service provider internally for its partners, customers, and employees, either as a profit center or internal service. A cloud service provider also creates services or applications for such an environment. 

Q7. What do you know about the architecture of cloud computing?

Cloud computing architecture refers to the combination of every component in a cloud computing model that fits together from the perspective of the infrastructure. No matter the requirements of a particular constituent of the cloud environment, it’s vital for businesses to put together the right kind of offerings that will be able to support both external and internal users. The management of consumers and users must ensure the ready availability of services to support changing business requirements. The middleware, infrastructure, services, and applications that have been created based on on-premise modules of computing fall under this category. Additionally, the computing model also depicts a cloud auditor’s role accurately. The enterprise offers oversight through an external or internal group to ensure the consumer group meets the required obligations. 

Q8. What are the different levels of cloud storage?

A cloud storage device mechanism provides several common data storage levels. These are in the form of:

- Files: Data collections that have been grouped into files stored in folders

- Blocks: The smallest data unit that is accessible individually, the lowest storage level situated closest to the system hardware

- Datasets: Sets of data organized into delimited, record, or table-based formats

- Objects: The organization of data and all the metadata associated with it into web-based resources 

Each of these data storage levels is affiliated with certain types of technical interfaces. This corresponds to particular types of cloud storage devices and services used to expose the API.

Q9. What are cloud-enabling technologies?

Of all the technologies that exist today, various domains are contributing to the cloud-based platforms we know and use. These technologies and areas are called cloud-enabling technologies, with the most widely used ones being:

• Data center technology
• Broadband networks
• Internet architecture
• Web technology
• Modern virtualization technology
• Service technology
• Multi-tenant technology

Q10. What is the role of microservices in a true cloud environment?

Microservices are critical for true cloud environments. This can be attributed to four reasons:

• Every microservice has been created for a defined and limited objective, which simplifies application development. This means development teams can focus on the code needed for certain functions that are easy to understand and narrowly defined. 
• Changes to the code are reduced and less complicated than complex integrated apps. This makes changes faster and easier to do, which could mean fixing the problem at hand or upgrading the service using new requirements. 
• Microservices are highly scalable. This makes it easy for organizations to deploy additional instances of a service or even change the service as the business needs grow.
• Every microservice is fully validated and tested. When a new application leverages an existing microservice, the developer can assume the new application’s integrity without having to continually test it. 

Cloud computing interview questions have evolved and transformed over time. However, these remain the most fundamental questions that are almost certainly asked in some form or other. By preparing for these, you will have a strong foundation to answer other questions in the interview as well.