Looking for the top AWS EC2 interview questions to prepare for your next job? Here are 100 AWS interview questions along with their answers to help you!
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is your best chance to learn and grow in the cloud industry. It has changed the business world with its innovative approach towards secure and scalable solutions. Therefore, getting trained and certified for this platform can help take your career to the next level!
If you are interested in AWS, Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is a great place to start. Here are some AWS interview questions on EC2 to prepare you for the next interview.
AWS EC2 Interview Questions and answers
1. Explain Amazon EC2 Briefly.
EC2 is an Amazon web service with resizable computing capacity within the cloud. It’s called Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, where we can launch as many virtual servers as we want with Amazon EC2. We can also configure storage and networking, along with the security features.
2. What Are Some Important Features of EC2?
The following features make EC2 a reliable and secure service to use:
- Virtual configuration of CPU.
- Seamless Auto-scaling.
- Instances or virtual computing environment.
- Pre-configured templates.
- Key pairs to secure login information.
- Firewall for the configuration of source IP ranges and ports.
3. Explain Amazon EC2 Instance Storage.
There are many Amazon EC2 data storage options for instances. Four main types are Amazon EBS, Amazon EC2 Instance Store, Amazon S3, and Adding Storage. They can be used independently or together based on our requirements.
4. What Are the Best Practices for an EC2 Instance?
- Resource Management
- Storage
- Backup and Recovery
- Security and Networks
5. Explain the Best Practices for Security in Amazon EC2.
- Restrict access and allow only trusted hosts or networks to use the instance ports.
- Use AWS identity and access management for access control.
- Disable password-based login.
6. What are Availability Zones and Regions in Amazon EC2?
Amazon EC2 is hosted at various worldwide locations, and the independent geographic areas are called regions. Availability Zones are isolated locations within these regions. The Availability Zones are connected using low-latency links within a particular region.
7. Is Terminating an EC2 Instance Similar to Stopping an Instance?
When we terminate an EC2 instance, it transfers to the stopped state, while the EBS volumes are deleted and can’t be recovered. But when we stop an EC2 instance, it’s like a normal shutdown of the instance; then, it moves to the stopped state.
Also check- Latest AWS VPC Interview Questions And Answers
8. What are Different EC2 Instances Based on Cost?
The first one is the reserved instance. It’s best used when we need an instance for more than a year. The second is the on-demand instance, which is cheaper to use short term.
However, it becomes expensive when used long-term. Last one is the spot instance which can be bought with bidding. It’s cheaper than an on-demand instance.
9. How Would You Launch an EC2 Instance?
- First, we’ll open up the EC2 console.
- Choose Launch Instance from the dashboard.
- Pick an AMI.
- Pick an Instance Type.
- Select Review and Launch (let the wizard take care of the remaining configuration settings).
- Select Security Group from the Security Groups on the Review Instance Launch page, and click on Launch.
- When it asks for a key pair, pick an Existing key pair.
- Click on View Instance to return to the EC2 console.
10. What is a Key Pair?
Linux instances do not have any passwords for security, so we have to use key pairs. It helps us securely log into an instance.
We can specify the name of our key pair when we launch the instance. AWS incorporates public-key cryptography to protect login information. So, we can provide a private key after the launch of our instance when using SSH.
AWS EC2 basic Interview Questions
11. How Would You Launch an EC2 Instance in an Availability Zone?
We will first pick an AMI in the same region, select our Availability Zone or use AWS to pick it for us. Once the EC2 instance is created, it will show in our selected Availability Zone.
12. What If You Want an AMI from a Different Region?
We can use AMI from a different region by copying it to the region we are using. First, we’ll right-click the AMI we want and copy it. Next, we can pick our desired destination region, click on ‘Copy AMI,’ and connect it to our desired region.
13. What’s an AMI?
AMI is Amazon Machine Image, a master image to create EC2 instances. They are basically templates configured with an OS and required software to determine the operating environment of the user.
14. Name Some Common AMI Designs
- Just Enough Baked AMI
- Fully Baked AMI
- Hybrid AMI
It’s an AMI created by a developer and made available so that other developers can use it too. Shared AMIs are the easiest way to get started with Amazon EC2. However, Amazon does not vouch for the shared AMIs, so we have to create them at our own risk.
16. Explain Root Device Volume for Amazon EC2.
When we first launch an EC2 instance, the Root Device Volume holds the AMI used to create the instance. As soon as the instance is terminated, the Root Device Volume is deleted.
17. How Would You Stop the Deletion of Root Device Volume Using a Console?
- At the EC2 console, click on Launch Instance.
- On the Amazon Machine Image page, select the AMI and choose an Instance Type.
- On the Instance Details pages, configure the settings.
- Deselect ‘Delete on Termination’ on the Add Storage page.
- Complete the remaining wizard configuration pages and click Launch.
18. Explain the Difference between Using an Amazon EBS and a Local Instance Store for the Root Device Volume.
Using Amazon EBS for the root device allows the data to persist independently regardless of the instance lifetime. This way, we can stop and restart the EC2 instance at any subsequent time.
On the other hand, the local instance store carries on only during the instance’s lifetime. So, data is not stored in the root device.
19. How Would You Configure a CloudWatch to Recover an Amazon EC2 Instance?
- First, create an Alarm with Amazon CloudWatch.
- Go to the Actions tab in Define Alarm.
- Select “Recover this instance.”
20. What is a Security Group in EC2? Explain Its Features Briefly.
Security groups in EC2 work as firewalls for associated instances. They control both outbound and inbound traffic at the instance level. As for its features, we can add rules to.
- Connect to our instance using SSH.
- Permit the outbound and inbound access for HTTP and HTTPS from any location.
21. How Would You Add an EBS Volume to an Amazon EC2 Instance?
- Open the EC2 console.
- Choose Volumes from the left navigation page.
- Pick a volume and click on Attach Volume.
- Choose the instance for the EBS volume to attach.
- Click on Attach.
- Connect it to the instance. EBS Volume will be available now.
22. How Would You Disable a Password-based Login for Root User?
- Open the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file on any text editor.
- Look for #PermitRootLogin yes.
- Change it to PermitRootLogin without-password.
Every distribution of EC2 does not have the same location for this file. One may find it in another location.
23. Can You Use S3 with an EC2 Instance?
Yes, we can use the Amazon S3 with EC2 instances with root devices using local instance storage. Developers can access the same scalability, speed, and reliability level with S3 that Amazon uses for its own global network. We can also utilize the same tools for S3 that we use for loading the AMIs.
24. What Would Happen If You Reboot an Amazon EC2 Instance?
It’s just like rebooting a PC. When we reboot an EC2 instance, the hard disk is not affected. We don’t return to the original state of the image. Rebooting is also unrelated to billing, as it only beings when we launch an image and stops when we terminate it. Otherwise, rebooting does not affect it.
25. How Would You Launch EC2 Instances and Assign a Predetermined Private IP to Each Instance?
A Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is the most desirable way to connect EC2 instances with our own data center. Once the data center is connected with the VPC containing the instances, we can assign private IP addresses to the instances and access them using our data center.
26. Can You Change Private IP Addresses While the EC2 Instance Is Running or Stopped in a VPC?
We cannot change the primary private IP address, but the secondary private IP addresses can be modified. We can unassign, assign, or move them between instances and interfaces at any given point.
27. Explain the Creation of a Security Group in Amazon EC2.
- Open up the EC console and pick a region from the navigation bar.
- Now select the Security Groups, search and click on Create Security Group.
- Name the new security group and add a description.
- Select VPC from the VPC list.
- Click on Add Rule on the Inbound tab to create new rules. Then click on Create.
28. What are the Types Of EBS Volume?
EBS Volume has three types:
- EBS SSD – general purpose: The volume is ideal for small to medium workloads, such as frequent read/write operations or Root disc EC2.
- EBS SSD – provisioned IOPS: The volume is ideal for demanding I/O workloads. It provides high performance for low-latency operations.
- EBS HDD – throughput optimized: Throughput-intensive workloads that need frequent access require a low-cost EBS HDD for best performance.
- EBS Cold HDD: This HDD is designed for workloads that are less frequently accessed.
- Previous generation: These are HDDs used for less-frequented workloads. They are ideal for small datasets and their performance holds less importance.
AWS EC2 Scenario based Interview Questions
AWS EC2 Real Time Interview Questions
You may also like to explore below interview questions on AWS.
- AWS IAM Interview Questions And Answers
- AWS VPC Interview Questions And Answers
- AWS S3 Interview Questions And Answers
Summary
These AWS EC2 interview questions will prepare for your next AWS job interview. These are the core questions that answer the basic queries related to Amazon EC2.
If you wish to learn more about the EC2 platform, check out the FAQs provided by Amazon.
I am an Amazon Web Services Professional, having more than 11 years of experience in AWS and other technologies. Extensively working in various AWS tools like S3, Lambda, API, Kinesis, Load Balancers, EKS, ECS, and many more. Working as a Solution Architect and Technology Lead for Architecting and implementing the same for different clients. He provides expert solutions around the world and especially in countries like the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, etc. Check out the complete profile on About us.
