20+ Platform Engineer Interview Questions and Answers

Designing a coffee vending machine system.

• Identify the types of coffee to be offered

• Determine the payment methods (cash, card, mobile payment)

• Select the appropriate hardware components (dispenser, grinder, etc.)

• Develop software for user interface and payment processing

• Implement sensors for inventory management

• Ensure regular maintenance and cleaning

• Consider energy efficiency and sustainability

I have used AWS core services such as EC2, S3, RDS, and Lambda for infrastructure provisioning, storage, database management, and serverless computing.

• EC2 - for provisioning virtual servers to run applications

• S3 - for scalable object storage

• RDS - for managed relational databases

• Lambda - for serverless computing and running code without provisioning or managing servers

Scaling patterns for distributed system

• Horizontal scaling - adding more instances of the same component

• Vertical scaling - increasing the resources of a single instance

• Sharding - partitioning data across multiple nodes

• Caching - storing frequently accessed data in memory

• Load balancing - distributing traffic across multiple nodes

• Auto-scaling - automatically adjusting resources based on demand

Helm is a package manager for Kubernetes that helps in deploying applications.

• Create a Helm chart for the application

• Customize values in the values.yaml file

• Run 'helm install ' to deploy the application

• Use 'helm upgrade' to make changes to the deployment

• Monitor the deployment using 'helm status'

Big endian and small endian are two different ways of storing and interpreting multi-byte data in computer memory.

• Big endian stores the most significant byte first, while small endian stores the least significant byte first.

• Big endian is used by network protocols like TCP/IP, while small endian is used by x86 processors.

• For example, the number 0x12345678 is stored as 12 34 56 78 in big endian, and 78 56 34 12 in small endian.

The candidate is asked to share and explain code on the screen.

• Prepare to explain the code structure, logic, and any specific functions or methods used.

• Highlight any key features or optimizations in the code.

• Be ready to answer questions about the code's functionality and potential improvements.

Kubernetes is a container orchestration platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.

• Kubernetes follows a master-slave architecture where the master node controls the cluster and the worker nodes run the containers.

• Key components of Kubernetes architecture include Pods, Nodes, Clusters, Services, and Controllers.

• Kubernetes administration involves tasks like deploying applications, scaling resources, monitoring cluster health, a...read more

useEffect is a hook in React that allows performing side effects in function components.

• Used to perform side effects in function components

• Runs after every render by default

• Can specify dependencies to control when it runs

A prime number is a number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself.

• Check if the number is greater than 1

• Iterate from 2 to the square root of the number and check if it is divisible by any number

• If it is not divisible by any number, then it is a prime number

Optimizing database involves indexing, query optimization, normalization, and proper hardware configuration.

• Use indexing to speed up data retrieval

• Optimize queries by avoiding unnecessary joins and using appropriate indexes

• Normalize database tables to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity

• Consider hardware configuration like storage type and memory allocation for optimal performance

Apache Kafka is a popular platform for ingesting streaming data.

• Apache Kafka is a distributed streaming platform that can handle high volumes of data in real-time.

• It allows for the ingestion, storage, and processing of streaming data from various sources.

• Kafka provides fault tolerance, scalability, and high throughput for streaming data pipelines.

CI-CD pipeline automates software delivery process, from code changes to production deployment.

• Automates building, testing, and deploying code changes

• Ensures code quality and consistency

• Facilitates faster and more frequent releases

• Integrates with version control systems like Git

• Tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, and CircleCI are commonly used

Cosine similarity is a measure of similarity between two non-zero vectors of an inner product space.

• It measures the cosine of the angle between two vectors.

• Values range from -1 (completely opposite) to 1 (completely similar).

• Used in information retrieval, text mining, and recommendation systems.

HashiCorp Vault is a tool for securely storing and accessing secrets.

• HashiCorp Vault provides a centralized place to store sensitive data such as API keys, passwords, and certificates.

• It offers features like encryption, access control, and audit logging to ensure security.

• Vault can be integrated with various cloud providers, databases, and applications to manage secrets effectively.

• Configuration of Vault involves setting up authentication methods, policies, and secret engines...read more

Linux booting process involves several stages including BIOS, bootloader, kernel loading, and initialization.

• BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) performs Power-On Self Test (POST) and locates the bootloader

• Bootloader (GRUB, LILO) loads the kernel into memory and initializes the system

• Kernel initializes hardware, mounts the root filesystem, and starts system services

• Init process (systemd, SysVinit) starts user-space processes and services

Helm install is used to initially install a chart, while helm upgrade is used to update an existing release with new values or a new chart version.

• Helm install is used to deploy a new release of a chart for the first time.

• Helm upgrade is used to update an existing release with new values or a new chart version.

• Helm install creates a new release, while helm upgrade updates an existing release.

• Helm install can be used with the --name flag to specify a release name, while helm u...read more

Day to day tasks involve managing and maintaining platform infrastructure, troubleshooting issues, implementing automation, and collaborating with other teams.

• Managing and maintaining platform infrastructure

• Troubleshooting issues related to platform performance or availability

• Implementing automation for repetitive tasks

• Collaborating with other teams to ensure smooth operation of the platform

Run levels in Linux are different operating modes that determine which services and processes are running.

• Run levels range from 0 to 6, with each level having a specific purpose.

• Run level 0 is for system halt, run level 1 is for single-user mode, run level 6 is for system reboot.

• Run level 3 is typically used for full multi-user mode with networking, run level 5 is for full multi-user mode with graphical interface.

• The default run level can be set in the /etc/inittab file or by...read more

Stateful in k8s refers to managing stateful applications in Kubernetes.

• StatefulSets are used to manage stateful applications in Kubernetes.

• Stateful applications require persistent storage for data.

• StatefulSets provide stable, unique network identifiers and stable storage.

• Stateful applications maintain state across restarts or rescheduling.

• Examples of stateful applications include databases like MySQL or MongoDB.

Using states in Terraform to manage infrastructure

• Terraform state is used to store information about the infrastructure being managed

• State files can be stored locally or remotely

• State files should be stored securely to prevent unauthorized access