Inno 3.9 Cloud Flashcards
(41 cards)
What is IaaS in cloud computing?
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides virtualized computing resources over the internet, like virtual machines, storage, and networks. It gives users control over OS, applications, and storage, but abstracts the hardware. IaaS is scalable and cost-effective for managing infrastructure needs. Common use cases include development and testing environments or hosting web applications.
Example: Using Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines to deploy a custom web server.
What is PaaS in cloud computing?
Platform as a Service (PaaS) offers a framework for developers to build and deploy applications without managing infrastructure. It includes OS, databases, runtime, and middleware. PaaS enhances development speed and reduces operational complexity. Developers focus on code; the provider manages everything else.
Example: Deploying an app using Google App Engine without managing underlying servers.
What is SaaS in cloud computing?
Answer:
Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers fully managed applications over the internet, accessible through a browser. Users don’t manage infrastructure or application logic. It’s ideal for email, CRM, or collaboration tools. SaaS allows rapid adoption and often follows a subscription model.
Example: Using Gmail or Microsoft 365 online for email and document editing.
What are public, private, and hybrid clouds?
A public cloud is owned by a third-party provider and shared among customers. A private cloud is used exclusively by one organization, often hosted on-premises. A hybrid cloud blends both, allowing data and apps to move between environments. Hybrid clouds offer flexibility, data control, and cost savings.
Example: Using AWS (public) for hosting and an on-premise server (private) for sensitive data.
What are the categories of cloud services?
Cloud services are typically grouped into IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS, each offering different levels of abstraction. Some extensions include FaaS (Function as a Service) for serverless computing and DaaS (Desktop as a Service). Understanding these helps select the right service for scalability, maintenance, and control.
Example: Using AWS Lambda (FaaS) to run backend logic in response to events.
What is an IP address and how is it used?
An IP address uniquely identifies a device on a network. IPv4 uses 32 bits, while IPv6 uses 128 bits for scalability. Devices communicate by sending packets to destination IPs. Public IPs are globally unique; private IPs are used within local networks.
Example: 192.168.0.1 is a common private IP for home routers.
What is subnetting in networking?
Subnetting divides a larger network into smaller, manageable subnetworks. It improves routing efficiency and enhances security. A subnet mask defines the network and host portions of an IP. Subnetting is crucial in enterprise networks and cloud deployments.
Example: IP: 192.168.1.10 with subnet mask 255.255.255.0 defines a subnet of 256 IPs.
What is a VPN and how does it enhance security?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts traffic between a device and the network, creating a secure “tunnel.” It’s used to protect data in transit and access private networks remotely. VPNs are common in remote work and secure site-to-site communication.
Example: Employees use a VPN to securely access internal systems from home.
What is a firewall and why is it important?
A firewall monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on security rules. It blocks unauthorized access and protects against threats. Firewalls can be hardware-based, software-based, or cloud-native.
Example: A firewall blocks all traffic except ports 80 and 443 for web applications.
What is DNS and how does it work?
DNS (Domain Name System) translates human-friendly domain names into IP addresses. It allows users to access websites without memorizing numbers. DNS has records like A (address), MX (mail), and CNAME (alias).
Example: Typing google.com gets resolved to 142.250.190.78 via DNS.
What are the three pillars of security: CIA?
The CIA triad stands for Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. Confidentiality ensures only authorized access, integrity ensures data accuracy, and availability ensures services are accessible. Balancing these is key in security design.
Example: An online bank ensures only you access your account (C), no tampering occurs (I), and the system is up 24/7 (A).
What is IAM (Identity and Access Management)?
IAM controls who can access what resources in a system. It includes authentication (who you are) and authorization (what you can do). Modern IAM integrates with roles, policies, and multi-factor authentication.
Example: An AWS IAM user has permissions to manage EC2 but not S3.
What are common encryption practices in cloud security?
Encryption protects data at rest and in transit using algorithms like AES and RSA. Symmetric encryption uses one key; asymmetric uses a public/private key pair. TLS secures network traffic; storage is often encrypted using customer-managed or provider-managed keys.
Example: HTTPS uses TLS to encrypt data between your browser and a website.
What is a blue-green deployment?
Blue-green deployment involves two environments: one active (blue) and one idle (green). Updates are deployed to the green environment, then traffic switches over. If issues arise, rollback is easy. It minimizes downtime and risk.
Example: A new app version is deployed to green; if it works, traffic is routed from blue to green.
What is a rolling update?
A rolling update gradually replaces old instances with new ones, usually in small batches. It avoids full downtime but requires backward compatibility. This is common in Kubernetes and container deployments.
Example: Updating a web service on 3 pods one at a time to the new version.
What is a canary release?
Answer:
A canary release sends new versions to a small user group before full deployment. If no issues are found, rollout continues. It allows real-world testing with limited impact.
Example: 5% of users get the new feature; if it works, all users receive it.
What is CI (Continuous Integration)?
CI involves automatically integrating code changes from multiple contributors into a shared repository. Automated builds and tests validate each change. CI reduces integration issues and encourages frequent commits.
Example: GitHub Actions runs tests on every push to the main branch.
MULTIPLE CONTRIBUTORS INTO SHARED REPOSITORY, AUTOMATED BUILDS VALIDATES EACH CHANGES
What is CD (Continuous Deployment/Delivery)?
Continuous Delivery automates code release to staging after successful CI. Continuous Deployment extends this to production. It ensures fast, reliable software delivery.
Example: A successful merge triggers tests and deploys the app to AWS with no manual steps.
AUTOMATED CODE RELASE TO STAGING AFTER SUCCESSFUL CI
What are the benefits of CI/CD pipelines?
CI/CD pipelines ensure consistent, fast, and error-free delivery. They reduce manual effort, enable faster feedback, and improve software quality. Pipelines automate build, test, and deploy processes.
Example: Jenkins or GitHub Actions pipeline builds, tests, and deploys an app on every commit.
What is IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)?
IaaS gives you virtual servers, storage, and networking over the internet. It’s like renting raw hardware, but in the cloud. You install your own operating system, applications, and manage everything except the physical hardware.
You manage:
Your app
Your runtime (e.g., .NET, Node.js)
Operating system
Storage/data
The cloud provider manages:
Physical servers
Networking
Data centers
Using Azure Virtual Machines or AWS EC2 to host your web app or database, where you install and configure everything yourself.
What is PaaS (Platform as a Service)?
Explanation:
PaaS gives you a ready-made environment to build and deploy your applications. You just focus on your code — the platform handles the infrastructure, operating system, and runtime.
You manage:
Your app
Your data
The cloud provider manages:
Runtime (e.g., .NET Core, Java)
Operating system
Servers and infrastructure
Scaling and load balancing
like Heroku, Azure App Service
What are the common cloud pricing models?
Cloud services are typically billed on a pay-as-you-go, reserved, or spot pricing model.
Pay-as-you-go charges based on usage (hourly, per request).
Reserved instances offer lower cost for long-term commitment (1–3 years).
Spot instances are cheap but can be interrupted anytime.
Example: AWS EC2 instances can be run on-demand or reserved for discount.
How can you estimate the cost of cloud services?
Cloud providers offer pricing calculators (e.g., AWS, Azure) to estimate monthly or yearly costs based on selected resources. You input expected usage like number of VMs, storage size, and bandwidth. These tools help prevent surprise bills and improve budgeting.
Example: Using the AWS Pricing Calculator to estimate cost for 3 EC2 instances and S3 storage.
What are some common cost optimization strategies?
Key strategies include:
Right-sizing resources (e.g., smaller VM types)
Using reserved or spot instances
Auto-scaling resources based on demand
Removing unused or idle resources
Using cost-monitoring tools and budgets
Example: Shutting down dev servers at night to reduce usage costs.
