Google Cloud Interview Questions

In today’s cloud-driven world, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) has emerged as a leading provider of cloud-based infrastructure and services. With its vast array of services and tools, GCP has become a popular choice for businesses of all sizes. To effectively utilize GCP, organizations need skilled cloud architects who can design, implement, and manage cloud architectures.

As a Fully Certified professional and a recognized Google Cloud Champion with extensive experience conducting numerous interviews and serving as an interview panelist for Google Cloud Platform (GCP), I have compiled this comprehensive guide to help aspiring GCP cloud architects excel in their job interviews and secure their dream positions.

This blog post consist of top Google Cloud interview questions that cloud architects can expect to encounter, providing practical tips based on my expertise and insights. By following the strategies outlined in this blog post, you can equip yourself with the necessary knowledge and skills to showcase your expertise and make a lasting impression on your interviewers.

Generic Questions

• What are the benefits of using cloud computing?
• How can you ensure data security in the cloud?
• How do you use IAM best practices to secure your GCP environment?
• What are different compute services in GCP and usecases for each service?
• Which databases are available on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and how do you go about selecting the most suitable ones for your needs?
• What is the difference between Compute Engine,App Engine and Kubernetes Engine?
• Why would you opt for Kubernetes instead of Cloud Run, even though both platforms support container deployment?
• How do you design a network architecture on GCP to ensure secure communication between resources?
• What is your experience with deploying and managing containers on GCP using tools like Docker and Kubernetes?
• How do you monitor and troubleshoot GCP applications?
• What are VPC peering and VPC Service Controls?
• What are best practices to protect sensitive data in Cloud?
• What are the different types of load balancers available in GCP?
• What is Cloud CDN (Content Delivery Network), and how does it work?\
• What are some of the best practices for designing and implementing GCP solutions?
• How will you setup CI/CD Pipeline in GCP using all cloud native solutions considering security best practices?
• Tell me about a time when you successfully migrated a complex application to the cloud.
• What are some of the security concerns with cloud computing?
• How do you stay up-to-date on the latest GCP technologies?
• Describe a time when you had to overcome a challenging technical obstacle while designing cloud solutions
• What are some of the best practices for using Terraform to manage GCP infrastructure?
• How do you use Terraform modules to simplify your GCP configurations?
• How you consider Disaster Recovery for your user facing application.
• Have you worked with any of the artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) services on Google Cloud Platform (GCP)?

Scenario Based Questions

• You are tasked with designing a scalable web application on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). How would you architect the solution, considering factors such as high availability, load balancing, and fault tolerance?
• Explain how you would deploy an application across multiple regions in GCP to achieve optimal performance and availability. Consider the use of Google Cloud Load Balancers and regional deployments.
• You are handling a project that involves processing and storing sensitive customer data. Describe the security measures you would implement in GCP to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the data.
• You are working on transitioning a monolithic application to a microservices architecture using Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). Outline the steps involved in this transition and the benefits it brings
• Discuss how you would design a disaster recovery plan for critical applications hosted on GCP. Consider data backups, failover strategies, and testing procedures
• Your project requires real-time data processing. Propose a solution using Google Cloud services like Cloud Pub/Sub, Dataflow, and BigQuery. Explain how these services work together for real-time analytics
• Your team is considering adopting serverless computing for certain components of an application. Provide examples of use cases where Cloud Functions would be beneficial, and explain the advantages of serverless architecture
• Imagine you are tasked with designing the architecture for a new e-commerce platform expected to experience rapid growth. How would you architect the system on GCP to ensure scalability and high availability?
• A project involves collaboration with external partners who need restricted access to certain resources. How would you implement Identity and Access Management (IAM) on GCP to ensure secure collaboration while maintaining proper access controls?
• Your team is adopting Kubernetes for container orchestration. Explain how you would design a scalable and resilient architecture using Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) for deploying and managing containerized applications.”
• Your company currently has on-premises infrastructure but is considering migrating to the cloud. Design a hybrid cloud solution using GCP to ensure seamless integration and data synchronization between on-premises and cloud resources.
• Your organization is concerned about cloud costs. Propose strategies for optimizing costs in GCP while maintaining performance and functionality. Consider reserved instances, budget alerts, and resource scaling.
• Your company is migrating its existing data to Google Cloud. Outline the steps and considerations for a successful data migration, ensuring minimal downtime and data integrity.
• As an architect planning to migrate an on-premises application to Google Cloud Platform (GCP), what steps would you take in the migration process?
• What are different phases in Migration process?
• In your role as an architect, when setting up a Google Cloud landing zone, what steps do you need to take?
• As an architect establishing a Google Cloud landing zone, what measures will you implement to ensure security throughout the process?

Tips for Interview preparation

1. Understand GCP Services

- Have a strong understanding of the various services offered by Google Cloud Platform. Know their use cases, advantages, and limitations.

2. Hands-on Experience:

- Gain hands-on experience by working on projects or labs using GCP. Practical experience is invaluable in demonstrating your skills.

3. Architecture Design Scenarios:

- Be prepared to discuss and design architectures for different scenarios. Practice designing scalable, secure, and efficient solutions on GCP.

4. Networking Knowledge

- Brush up on your networking knowledge within GCP. Understand concepts like VPCs, subnets, load balancing, and how to design for high availability.

5. Security Best Practices

- Familiarize yourself with security best practices on GCP. Be ready to discuss how you would implement security measures for data protection and compliance.

6. Data Management

- Have a good understanding of GCP’s data storage and database services. Know when to use Bigtable, BigQuery, Cloud Storage, etc.

7. Integration and Hybrid Cloud

- Understand how to integrate GCP services and how to design solutions that involve hybrid cloud scenarios, especially if the organization has on-premises infrastructure.

8. Cost Optimization

- Demonstrate your ability to optimize costs on GCP. Understand pricing models, use committed use discounts, and discuss strategies for cost-effective solutions.

9. IAM and Access Controls

- Be well-versed in Identity and Access Management (IAM) principles on GCP. Understand how to grant least privilege access and ensure secure authentication.

10. Disaster Recovery and Backup

- Discuss your approach to disaster recovery planning on GCP. Be familiar with backup strategies and how to ensure business continuity.

11. Stay Updated

- Keep yourself updated with the latest developments on GCP. Be aware of new services, features, and best practices introduced by Google Cloud.

12. Problem-Solving Scenarios

- Be ready to tackle problem-solving scenarios. Architects often encounter challenges, and interviewers may present you with hypothetical situations to assess your problem-solving skills.

13. Review Past Projects

- Reflect on your past projects involving GCP. Be ready to discuss challenges faced, solutions implemented, and lessons learned.

14. Ask Questions

• Don’t hesitate to ask clarifying questions during the interview. It shows your engagement and interest in the discussion.

About Me

As an experienced Fully certified (11x certified) Google Cloud Architect/Data Engineer with over 7+ years of expertise in Google Cloud Networking,Data ,Devops, Security aand BI, I am passionate about technology and innovation. Being a Champion Innovator and Google Cloud Architect, I am always exploring new ways to leverage cloud technologies to deliver innovative solutions that make a difference.

If you have any queries or would like to get in touch, you can reach me at my email address vishal.bulbule@techtrapture.com or connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishal-bulbule/. For a more personal connection, you can also find me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/vishal_bulbule/?hl=en.

Additionally, please check out my YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@techtrapture for tutorials and demos on Google Cloud.