Scenario-Based GCP DevOps Interview Questions with Answers [2025]

CI/CD Pipelines in GCP

1. What steps troubleshoot a failing Cloud Build pipeline?

• Check Cloud Build logs in GCP Console for failing step details.
• Verify cloudbuild.yaml syntax and timeout settings.
• Increase timeout for resource-heavy tests.
• Inspect dependencies for networking issues, like VPC misconfigurations.
• Use Cloud Monitoring to track CPU/memory usage.
• Enable detailed logging and rerun pipeline.

Scenario: A Cloud Build pipeline fails during testing with timeout errors. This approach ensures reliable CI/CD pipelines for certification readiness, validated in a staging environment with network diagnostics.

2. Why does a Cloud Build pipeline fail due to authentication errors?

Scenario: A pipeline fails with "Permission denied" when accessing a private repository. The Cloud Build service account lacks IAM roles like roles/source.reader for Cloud Source Repositories or external repos. Verify roles in the GCP Console and grant permissions. Check SSH keys or OAuth tokens for external repos. Misconfigured VPC firewall rules may block access, requiring network expertise. This ensures secure pipeline execution.

3. When should you automate Cloud Build triggers versus manual runs?

• Automate triggers for commits, pull requests, or tags.
• Use manual runs for debugging or one-off builds.
• Configure triggers in GCP Console for specific branches.
• Ensure triggers align with agile workflows.
• Validate automation in staging environments.
• Monitor trigger execution for consistency.

Scenario: Your team debates automating builds. Automation suits frequent changes, reducing manual effort and speeding feedback in CI/CD pipelines.

4. Where do you store sensitive environment variables for Cloud Build?

Scenario: A pipeline needs API keys for deployment. Store non-sensitive variables in cloudbuild.yaml under env. For sensitive keys, use Secret Manager and reference via secretEnv. Ensure the Cloud Build service account has secretmanager.secrets.access permissions. This aligns with secure automation practices. Validate in a staging environment and monitor for secure pipeline execution, ensuring compliance with certification standards.

5. Who monitors Cloud Build pipeline performance in a DevOps team?

• DevOps engineer oversees CI/CD pipeline performance.
• Use Cloud Monitoring for build duration and resource usage.
• Collaborate with developers to optimize code.
• Work with sysadmins to adjust compute resources.
• Validate performance in staging environments.
• Monitor metrics for pipeline efficiency.

Scenario: Pipeline performance degrades, causing delays. The DevOps engineer ensures reliable CI/CD pipelines for certification readiness.

6. Which feature enables parallel execution in Cloud Build?

Scenario: A pipeline with multiple test suites runs slowly. Use dependsOn in cloudbuild.yaml to run independent steps in parallel, reducing execution time. Ensure no shared dependencies cause conflicts. Optimize networking for test environments using VPC setup principles.

• Configure dependsOn for parallel steps.
• Check for dependency conflicts in YAML.
• Validate parallelism in staging.
• Monitor execution time improvements.

This approach speeds up CI/CD pipelines for certification scenarios.

7. How do you integrate Ansible with Cloud Build for automation?

• Add a build step to run Ansible playbooks.
• Use a Docker image with Ansible installed.
• Store playbooks in Cloud Source Repositories.
• Run: ansible-playbook playbook.yml --extra-vars "env=prod".
• Ensure service account permissions for resources.
• Validate in staging for reliability.

Scenario: Your team uses Ansible for configuration. This ensures automated CI/CD pipelines.

8. What is the impact of a misconfigured Cloud Build trigger?

Scenario: A trigger deploys untested code to production. A broad branch filter (e.g., "*") causes unintended deployments. Review trigger settings in the GCP Console, restricting to "main". Implement branch protection rules. Validate in staging and monitor for reliable CI/CD pipelines, ensuring certification readiness without deployment errors.

9. Why use Cloud Source Repositories over GitHub?

• Cloud Source Repositories integrate with GCP services.
• Simplify IAM authentication for Cloud Build.
• Reduce external dependencies for GCP teams.
• Support external repos like GitHub if needed.
• Validate repository access in staging.
• Monitor repository performance.

Scenario: Your team debates repository options. Cloud Source Repositories suit GCP-centric workflows for certification.

10. When is it appropriate to use substitutions in Cloud Build?

Scenario: A pipeline needs dynamic configuration for environments. Use substitutions in cloudbuild.yaml for values like environment names, defined as _VARIABLE_NAME. They improve reusability without hardcoding. For example: substitutions: _ENV: dev. Reference in steps like echo $_ENV. Validate in staging and monitor for consistent CI/CD pipelines, aligning with certification requirements.

11. Where can you store build artifacts for global accessibility?

• Use Cloud Storage buckets with multi-region settings.
• Configure bucket permissions via IAM.
• Upload artifacts with gsutil cp post-build.
• Ensure low-latency access for global teams.
• Validate artifact access in staging.
• Monitor bucket performance.

Scenario: Artifacts need global access. This ensures reliable storage for CI/CD pipelines.

12. Who configures Cloud Build triggers for a multi-team project?

Scenario: Multiple teams share a GCP project. The DevOps lead configures triggers in the GCP Console for consistency across teams. They align triggers with branching strategies, collaborating with developers for workflow alignment.

• Define triggers for specific branches.
• Restrict trigger permissions via IAM.
• Validate triggers in staging.
• Monitor trigger execution.

This ensures coordinated CI/CD pipelines for certification.

13. Which metrics indicate a healthy Cloud Build pipeline?

• Monitor build success rate in Cloud Monitoring.
• Track average build time for efficiency.
• Analyze failure frequency for trends.
• Collect metrics with RHCE scripts.
• Validate metrics in staging.
• Ensure consistent pipeline performance.

Scenario: You report pipeline health. These metrics ensure certification readiness.

14. How do you handle a pipeline failure due to resource exhaustion?

Scenario: Builds fail with "insufficient CPU" errors. Increase machine type in cloudbuild.yaml (e.g., machineType: N1_HIGHCPU_8). Monitor resource usage via Cloud Monitoring. Scale resources with Terraform for dynamic adjustments. Ensure network bandwidth supports high-CPU tasks. Validate in staging and monitor for reliable CI/CD pipelines, meeting certification standards.

15. What is the role of Cloud Build in a hybrid cloud setup?

• Automate builds across GCP and AWS.
• Integrate with AWS via service accounts.
• Build container images for GKE or ECS.
• Ensure VPC peering for secure communication.
• Validate hybrid setup in staging.
• Monitor cross-cloud performance.

Scenario: Your organization uses GCP and AWS. Cloud Build ensures seamless CI/CD pipelines.

16. Why implement canary deployments in Cloud Build?

Scenario: A new feature causes production crashes. Canary deployments release features to a small user subset, minimizing risk. Configure Cloud Build to deploy to select GKE pods, monitoring with Cloud Monitoring. Roll back if errors occur, aligning with progressive delivery. Validate in staging for reliable CI/CD pipelines, ensuring certification readiness.

17. How do you secure Cloud Build pipeline configurations?

• Use Secret Manager for sensitive data.
• Reference secrets in cloudbuild.yaml via secretEnv.
• Restrict service account permissions via IAM.
• Suppress sensitive logs with Cloud Logging filters.
• Secure network access with VPC firewall rules.
• Validate security in staging.

Scenario: A pipeline exposes sensitive data. This ensures secure CI/CD pipelines.

18. Which tools integrate with Cloud Build for advanced workflows?

Scenario: Your team needs advanced pipeline features. Tools like Terraform for infrastructure, Spinnaker for deployments, and Ansible for configuration integrate with Cloud Build. Use Docker images to run these tools in build steps.

• Configure TerraformTask for IaC.
• Use Spinnaker for multi-cloud deployments.
• Run Ansible for automation.
• Validate integrations in staging.

This enhances CI/CD pipelines for certification.

GKE and Containerization

19. What steps resolve a GKE cluster failing to scale?

• Check cluster autoscaler settings in GKE Console.
• Verify node pool scaling configurations.
• Analyze CPU/memory usage with Cloud Monitoring.
• Adjust node pool size or use Horizontal Pod Autoscaling.
• Ensure VPC supports scaling traffic.
• Validate scaling in staging.

Scenario: A GKE cluster fails during traffic spikes. This ensures reliable Kubernetes operations.

20. Why does a GKE pod fail with "CrashLoopBackOff"?

Scenario: A pod repeatedly crashes with "CrashLoopBackOff". The application exits unexpectedly. Check pod logs with kubectl logs to identify errors. Verify container configuration (e.g., memory limits, environment variables). Use RHCE-level scripting to automate log analysis. Ensure network connectivity to dependencies. Validate in staging and monitor for stable Kubernetes deployments, meeting certification requirements.

21. When do you use GKE node pools for workload isolation?

• Create separate node pools for different workloads.
• Use taints and tolerations for pod placement.
• Configure node pools in GKE Console.
• Ensure networking supports isolated traffic.
• Validate isolation in staging.
• Monitor node pool performance.

Scenario: A team needs workload separation. This ensures efficient Kubernetes management.

22. Where do you configure GKE pod security policies?

Scenario: Pods expose vulnerabilities. Configure PodSecurityPolicy in GKE to restrict privileged containers and enforce security. Use kubectl apply to deploy policies, ensuring least privilege. Validate policies in staging to prevent unauthorized access. Monitor compliance with Cloud Monitoring, aligning with DevSecOps practices for certification readiness.

23. Who manages GKE cluster upgrades in a DevOps team?

• DevOps engineer plans and executes upgrades.
• Use GKE Console to schedule upgrades.
• Coordinate with developers for downtime.
• Validate upgrades in staging environments.
• Monitor cluster stability post-upgrade.
• Ensure rollback plans are ready.

Scenario: A cluster upgrade risks downtime. This ensures reliable Kubernetes operations.

24. Which GKE feature supports zero-downtime deployments?

Scenario: A deployment causes service interruptions. Use rolling updates in GKE to ensure zero downtime, configuring maxSurge and maxUnavailable in deployment YAML. Monitor rollout with kubectl rollout status.

• Set rolling update strategy in YAML.
• Validate deployments in staging.
• Monitor rollout with Cloud Monitoring.
• Ensure network stability for updates.

This aligns with certification standards.

25. How do you handle a GKE pod failing to pull an image?

• Check imagePullSecrets in pod spec.
• Verify registry credentials in Secret Manager.
• Ensure networking allows registry access.
• Use kubectl describe pod for errors.
• Validate image pulls in staging.
• Monitor registry connectivity.

Scenario: A pod fails to pull an image. This ensures reliable Kubernetes deployments.

26. What do you do when a GKE cluster runs out of IP addresses?

Scenario: Pods fail to start due to IP exhaustion. Expand the VPC subnet range using gcloud compute networks subnets expand-ip-range. Reconfigure cluster networking to use alias IPs. Validate in staging and monitor with Cloud Monitoring to ensure sufficient IP availability, meeting certification requirements for scalable Kubernetes clusters.

27. Why does a GKE workload fail to access external services?

• Check VPC firewall rules for egress traffic.
• Verify Cloud NAT for external access.
• Ensure pod service accounts have permissions.
• Validate connectivity in staging.
• Monitor network traffic with Cloud Logging.
• Use RHCE scripts for diagnostics.

Scenario: A workload cannot reach APIs. This ensures reliable Kubernetes connectivity.

28. When do you use GKE Workload Identity for authentication?

Scenario: Pods lack permissions to access GCP services. Use Workload Identity to bind pod service accounts to GCP IAM roles, avoiding static credentials. Configure in GKE Console and validate in staging. Monitor authentication logs with Cloud Logging, ensuring secure Kubernetes operations for certification.

29. Where do you debug GKE pod networking issues?

• Use kubectl describe pod for network errors.
• Check VPC firewall rules for restrictions.
• Verify service and ingress configurations.
• Validate networking in staging.
• Monitor traffic with Cloud Monitoring.
• Use network diagnostic tools.

Scenario: Pods cannot communicate. This ensures reliable Kubernetes networking.

30. Who resolves GKE cluster resource contention?

Scenario: Pods compete for CPU, causing slowdowns. The DevOps engineer adjusts resource requests and limits in pod specs, using kubectl edit deployment. Monitor usage with Cloud Monitoring.

• Set resource limits in YAML.
• Validate adjustments in staging.
• Monitor resource allocation.
• Ensure cluster scalability.

This meets certification standards.

31. Which tools enhance GKE observability?

• Use Cloud Monitoring for cluster metrics.
• Integrate Prometheus for pod-level monitoring.
• Configure Cloud Logging for logs.
• Validate observability in staging.
• Monitor metrics and logs.
• Automate alerts with scripts.

Scenario: A team needs better visibility. This ensures robust Kubernetes monitoring.

32. How do you automate GKE cluster provisioning?

Scenario: Your team needs rapid cluster setup. Use Terraform to provision GKE clusters, defining node pools and networking in HCL files. Run: terraform apply. Integrate with Cloud Build for automation. Validate in staging and monitor with Cloud Monitoring for reliable Kubernetes provisioning, aligning with certification requirements.

33. What is the impact of a misconfigured GKE ingress?

• Ingress fails to route traffic correctly.
• Check ingress YAML for errors.
• Verify backend service configurations.
• Ensure VPC firewall rules allow traffic.
• Validate ingress in staging.
• Monitor traffic with Cloud Logging.

Scenario: Users cannot access services. This ensures reliable Kubernetes ingress.

34. Why does a GKE cluster fail to upgrade?

Scenario: A cluster upgrade stalls. Insufficient node resources or incompatible add-ons cause failures. Check upgrade logs in GKE Console and adjust node pools. Validate upgrades in staging to avoid downtime. Monitor cluster health with Cloud Monitoring, ensuring stable Kubernetes upgrades for certification.

35. When do you use GKE autopilot mode?

• Use Autopilot for managed node provisioning.
• Suitable for simplified cluster management.
• Configure via GKE Console or gcloud.
• Validate Autopilot in staging.
• Monitor resource allocation.
• Ensure cost efficiency.

Scenario: A team wants simplified management. This aligns with Kubernetes certification goals.

Networking and Security

36. What steps resolve a VPC connectivity issue in GCP?

Scenario: Services cannot communicate across VPCs. Check firewall rules with gcloud compute firewall-rules list. Verify VPC peering or Cloud VPN configurations. Use Cloud Monitoring to track traffic.

• Update firewall rules for ingress/egress.
• Validate networking in staging.
• Monitor connectivity with Cloud Logging.
• Ensure subnet alignment.

This ensures reliable VPC operations.

37. Why does a load balancer fail to route traffic?

• Check health checks for backend services.
• Verify load balancer configuration in GCP Console.
• Ensure firewall rules allow health checks.
• Validate networking settings in staging.
• Monitor traffic with Cloud Monitoring.
• Use diagnostic scripts for troubleshooting.

Scenario: Users cannot access an application. This ensures reliable load balancing.

38. When do you use Cloud Armor for security?

Scenario: An application faces DDoS attacks. Use Cloud Armor to define security policies, blocking malicious traffic. Configure policies in the GCP Console and apply to load balancers. Validate in staging and monitor with Cloud Monitoring for effective security, aligning with DevSecOps certification requirements.

39. Where do you configure VPC firewall rules?

• Use GCP Console under VPC network > Firewall.
• Define rules with gcloud compute firewall-rules create.
• Specify allowed protocols and ports.
• Validate rules in staging.
• Monitor traffic with Cloud Logging.
• Ensure least privilege access.

Scenario: Traffic is blocked unexpectedly. This ensures secure networking.

40. Who manages IAM roles for VPC access?

Scenario: A team cannot access VPC resources. The cloud architect manages IAM roles, assigning roles like roles/compute.networkAdmin in the GCP Console. Validate permissions in staging to ensure access control. Monitor IAM logs with Cloud Logging, aligning with certification security standards.

41. Which network diagnostic tools troubleshoot VPC issues?

• Use gcloud compute networks describe for configuration.
• Run ping or traceroute for connectivity.
• Analyze traffic with networking tools like tcpdump.
• Validate diagnostics in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Automate checks with scripts.

Scenario: A VPC has connectivity issues. This ensures reliable networking.

42. How do you secure a VPC with private Google access?

Scenario: A VPC exposes sensitive services. Enable Private Google Access to allow VMs to reach GCP APIs without public IPs. Configure in GCP Console under VPC network > Private Google Access.

• Enable Private Google Access for subnets.
• Validate access in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Logging.
• Ensure firewall rules align.

This ensures secure networking.

43. What is the impact of a misconfigured Cloud NAT?

• VMs cannot access external services.
• Check Cloud NAT settings in GCP Console.
• Verify subnet associations and IP ranges.
• Validate networking in staging.
• Monitor traffic with Cloud Monitoring.
• Adjust NAT configurations.

Scenario: VMs lose internet access. This ensures reliable networking.

44. Why does a service account lack VPC permissions?

Scenario: A pipeline cannot access VPC resources. The service account lacks roles like roles/compute.networkUser. Assign roles in the GCP Console and verify with gcloud iam service-accounts describe. Validate in staging and monitor IAM logs with Cloud Logging for secure networking, meeting certification requirements.

45. When do you use VPC peering for multi-project setups?

• Use VPC peering for cross-project communication.
• Configure peering in GCP Console.
• Ensure firewall rules allow traffic.
• Validate peering in staging.
• Monitor connectivity with Cloud Monitoring.
• Align with project isolation needs.

Scenario: Projects need shared networking. This ensures efficient VPC management.

46. Where do you monitor VPC traffic for anomalies?

Scenario: Suspicious traffic appears in a VPC. Use Cloud Logging to monitor VPC flow logs for anomalies, configured under VPC network > Flow logs. Analyze logs with BigQuery for patterns and set alerts in Cloud Monitoring. Validate monitoring in staging, ensuring secure networking for certification.

47. Who resolves firewall rule conflicts in a VPC?

• Cloud architect resolves firewall conflicts.
• Check rule priorities in GCP Console.
• Update rules with gcloud compute firewall-rules update.
• Validate rules in staging.
• Monitor traffic with Cloud Logging.
• Ensure minimal rule overlap.

Scenario: Rules block legitimate traffic. This ensures secure networking.

48. Which steps secure a load balancer in GCP?

Scenario: A load balancer exposes vulnerabilities. Use Cloud Armor for DDoS protection and SSL policies for encryption. Configure in GCP Console under Load balancing.

• Apply Cloud Armor policies to load balancers.
• Enable HTTPS with SSL certificates.
• Validate security in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.

This ensures secure networking.

49. How do you handle a VPC subnet running out of IPs?

• Expand subnet range with gcloud compute networks subnets expand-ip-range.
• Use alias IPs for scalability.
• Verify subnet configurations in GCP Console.
• Validate networking in staging.
• Monitor IP usage with Cloud Monitoring.
• Plan subnet expansions proactively.

Scenario: Pods fail due to IP exhaustion. This ensures scalable networking.

50. What do you do when a VPC peering connection fails?

Scenario: Services cannot communicate across peered VPCs. Check peering status with gcloud compute networks peerings list. Verify firewall rules and subnet overlaps. Reconfigure peering in GCP Console. Validate in staging and monitor with Cloud Logging for reliable networking, ensuring certification readiness.

51. Why use Cloud VPN for hybrid connectivity?

• Connect on-premises networks to GCP securely.
• Configure Cloud VPN in GCP Console.
• Ensure IPsec tunnels for encryption.
• Validate connectivity in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Align with hybrid cloud strategies.

Scenario: On-premises apps need GCP access. This ensures secure networking.

52. When do you implement network tags for firewall rules?

Scenario: VMs need selective access control. Use network tags to apply firewall rules to specific instances, configured in GCP Console. Validate tags in staging to ensure correct traffic flow. Monitor rule application with Cloud Logging, aligning with certification networking standards.

Observability and Monitoring

53. What steps troubleshoot a missing metric in Cloud Monitoring?

• Check metric configuration in Cloud Monitoring.
• Verify agent installation on VMs or GKE.
• Ensure service account has monitoring.viewer role.
• Validate metrics in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Logging.
• Use diagnostic scripts for automation.

Scenario: A metric is unavailable. This ensures reliable observability.

54. Why does Cloud Monitoring show incomplete logs?

Scenario: Logs are missing for a service. Check log sink configurations in Cloud Logging for correct filters. Verify service account permissions and log inclusion rules. Use gcloud logging read to fetch logs. Validate in staging.

• Update sink filters for completeness.
• Monitor logs with Cloud Monitoring.
• Ensure logging consistency.

This meets certification observability standards.

55. When do you set up alerts in Cloud Monitoring?

• Create alerts for critical metrics like CPU usage.
• Configure in Cloud Monitoring under Alerting.
• Use notification channels like email or PagerDuty.
• Validate alerts in staging.
• Monitor alert triggers.
• Automate with RHCE scripts.

Scenario: A team needs outage notifications. This ensures robust observability.

56. Where do you analyze application performance issues?

Scenario: An application slows down unexpectedly. Use Cloud Trace to analyze request latency and Cloud Profiler for performance bottlenecks. Configure in GCP Console and integrate with Cloud Monitoring. Validate in staging and monitor for consistent observability, ensuring certification readiness for performance troubleshooting.

57. Who configures Cloud Monitoring dashboards?

• DevOps engineer creates dashboards in Cloud Monitoring.
• Include metrics like CPU, memory, and latency.
• Share dashboards with team for visibility.
• Validate dashboards in staging.
• Monitor dashboard accuracy.
• Automate metric collection.

Scenario: A team needs visibility into metrics. This ensures effective observability.

58. Which tools enhance GKE observability?

Scenario: A team lacks visibility into GKE metrics. Use Cloud Monitoring for cluster metrics, Prometheus for pod-level monitoring, and Cloud Logging for logs. Configure in GCP Console and validate in staging. Monitor with automated scripts, aligning with observability certification standards.

59. How do you handle high latency reported in Cloud Monitoring?

• Check Cloud Trace for request bottlenecks.
• Analyze resource usage with Cloud Monitoring.
• Optimize application code or infrastructure.
• Validate optimizations in staging.
• Monitor latency improvements.
• Scale resources as needed.

Scenario: Users report slow responses. This ensures reliable observability.

60. What is the impact of a misconfigured log sink?

Scenario: Logs are not exported to BigQuery. Check sink configuration in Cloud Logging for correct filters and destinations. Verify service account permissions with roles/bigquery.dataEditor. Update with gcloud logging sinks update.

• Validate sinks in staging.
• Monitor log exports.
• Ensure sink reliability.

This meets observability standards.

61. Why use Prometheus with Cloud Monitoring?

• Prometheus provides detailed pod-level metrics.
• Integrate with Cloud Monitoring for unified observability.
• Configure via GKE Workload Metrics.
• Validate metrics in staging.
• Monitor with automated alerts.
• Enhance GKE visibility.

Scenario: A team needs detailed metrics. This ensures robust observability.

62. When do you use Cloud Logging for error tracking?

Scenario: An application generates frequent errors. Use Cloud Logging to filter error logs with specific patterns. Configure log-based metrics in Cloud Monitoring for alerting. Validate in staging and monitor for consistent error tracking, ensuring observability aligns with certification requirements.

63. Where do you store observability data for long-term analysis?

• Export logs to BigQuery for analysis.
• Store metrics in Cloud Monitoring.
• Configure sinks in Cloud Logging.
• Validate data exports in staging.
• Monitor export reliability.
• Ensure data retention policies.

Scenario: A team needs historical data. This ensures robust observability.

64. Who resolves missing logs in Cloud Logging?

Scenario: Logs are incomplete for a service. The DevOps engineer checks log inclusion filters and service account permissions in Cloud Logging. Update filters with gcloud logging sinks update. Validate in staging to ensure complete logging. Monitor with Cloud Monitoring for observability certification standards.

65. Which metrics track GKE performance?

• Monitor CPU/memory usage in Cloud Monitoring.
• Track pod restart rates.
• Analyze network throughput.
• Validate metrics in staging.
• Set alerts for performance issues.
• Automate with RHCE scripts.

Scenario: A cluster shows performance issues. This ensures effective observability.

66. How do you automate observability alerts?

• Create alerts in Cloud Monitoring for key metrics.
• Use notification channels like email or PagerDuty.
• Automate with scripts for custom alerts.
• Validate alerts in staging.
• Monitor alert reliability.
• Integrate with incident response.

Scenario: A team needs automated notifications. This ensures robust observability.

67. What do you do when Cloud Monitoring shows false alerts?

• Check alert conditions in Cloud Monitoring.
• Adjust thresholds for sensitivity.
• Verify metric data accuracy.
• Validate alerts in staging.
• Monitor alert accuracy.
• Use diagnostic scripts.

Scenario: Alerts trigger unnecessarily. This ensures reliable observability.

68. Why does a service lack observability metrics?

Scenario: A service shows no metrics in Cloud Monitoring. The monitoring agent is missing or misconfigured. Install the Ops Agent on VMs or GKE nodes with gcloud compute instances install-ops-agent. Verify service account permissions. Validate in staging and monitor for consistent observability, meeting certification standards.

69. When do you use log-based metrics in Cloud Logging?

• Create metrics for specific log patterns.
• Configure in Cloud Logging under Metrics.
• Use for alerting in Cloud Monitoring.
• Validate metrics in staging.
• Monitor metric reliability.
• Automate with scripts.

Scenario: A team needs error tracking. This ensures robust observability.

Infrastructure Automation

70. What steps automate GKE cluster provisioning?

Scenario: Your team needs rapid cluster setup. Use Terraform to provision GKE clusters, defining node pools in HCL. Run: terraform apply. Integrate with Cloud Build for automation. Validate in staging and monitor with Cloud Monitoring. This ensures scalable Kubernetes provisioning, aligning with certification standards.

71. Why does a Terraform deployment fail in GCP?

• Check Terraform logs for errors.
• Verify service account permissions.
• Ensure Terraform state file integrity.
• Validate deployments in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Fix configuration syntax.

Scenario: A Terraform job fails. This ensures reliable automation.

72. When do you use Cloud Deployment Manager?

• Use for GCP-native infrastructure automation.
• Define templates in YAML or Jinja.
• Deploy with gcloud deployment-manager deployments create.
• Validate in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Integrate with CI/CD pipelines.

Scenario: A team needs GCP-specific automation. This aligns with certification goals.

73. Where do you store Terraform state files?

• Store in Cloud Storage for collaboration.
• Use backend block in Terraform HCL.
• Ensure bucket permissions via IAM.
• Validate state in staging.
• Monitor state integrity.
• Lock state for consistency.

Scenario: A team needs shared state. This ensures reliable automation.

74. Who manages infrastructure automation scripts?

• DevOps engineer creates automation scripts.
• Store scripts in Cloud Source Repositories.
• Integrate with Cloud Build for execution.
• Validate scripts in staging.
• Monitor script execution.
• Collaborate with developers.

Scenario: Scripts need maintenance. This ensures efficient automation.

75. Which tools automate GKE configuration?

• Use Terraform for cluster provisioning.
• Apply Ansible for node configuration.
• Integrate with Cloud Build for automation.
• Validate configurations in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Ensure consistent setups.

Scenario: A team needs automated GKE setup. This meets certification standards.

76. How do you handle a Terraform state file corruption?

• Restore from Cloud Storage backups.
• Check state file with terraform state list.
• Reconcile resources with terraform import.
• Validate state in staging.
• Monitor state integrity.
• Implement state locking.

Scenario: A state file corrupts. This ensures reliable automation.

77. What is the impact of a misconfigured Ansible playbook?

• Playbook fails to configure resources.
• Check playbook syntax with ansible-playbook --syntax-check.
• Verify variable definitions.
• Validate playbooks in staging.
• Monitor execution with Cloud Logging.
• Fix dependency issues.

Scenario: A playbook fails in Cloud Build. This ensures robust automation.

78. Why use Config Connector for GKE automation?

• Manage GCP resources as Kubernetes objects.
• Configure with kubectl apply for CRDs.
• Integrate with GKE for automation.
• Validate in staging environments.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Ensure resource consistency.

Scenario: A team needs Kubernetes-native automation. This aligns with certification.

79. When do you integrate Cloud Build with Terraform?

Scenario: A team needs automated infrastructure deployment. Use Cloud Build to run Terraform jobs, defining steps in cloudbuild.yaml. Run: terraform plan and terraform apply. Validate in staging to ensure correct provisioning. Monitor with Cloud Monitoring for reliable automation, meeting certification standards.

80. Where do you store Ansible playbooks for automation?

• Store in Cloud Source Repositories.
• Use version control for collaboration.
• Integrate with Cloud Build for execution.
• Validate playbooks in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Logging.
• Ensure playbook security.

Scenario: A team needs playbook management. This ensures robust automation.

81. Who resolves Terraform deployment failures?

• DevOps engineer debugs Terraform failures.
• Check logs with terraform output.
• Verify service account permissions.
• Validate deployments in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Fix configuration errors.

Scenario: A deployment fails. This ensures reliable automation.

82. Which steps optimize Ansible playbook performance?

• Use roles for modular playbooks.
• Cache facts to reduce execution time.
• Parallelize tasks with async.
• Validate performance in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Logging.
• Optimize variable usage.

Scenario: Playbooks run slowly. This ensures efficient automation.

83. How do you handle a Cloud Build automation failure?

Scenario: A Cloud Build job fails during Terraform execution. Check logs in GCP Console for errors. Verify Terraform configuration and service account permissions. Re-run with terraform apply. Validate in staging and monitor with Cloud Monitoring for reliable automation, aligning with certification requirements.

84. What do you do when an Ansible playbook lacks permissions?

• Check service account IAM roles.
• Update playbook with correct credentials.
• Run: ansible-playbook --user for authentication.
• Validate in staging environments.
• Monitor with Cloud Logging.
• Ensure least privilege access.

Scenario: A playbook cannot access resources. This ensures secure automation.

85. Why does a Cloud Deployment Manager job fail?

• Check YAML/Jinja syntax errors.
• Verify service account permissions.
• Run: gcloud deployment-manager deployments describe.
• Validate in staging environments.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Fix resource dependencies.

Scenario: A deployment fails. This ensures reliable automation.

DevSecOps and Compliance

86. What steps secure a Cloud Build pipeline?

• Use Secret Manager for sensitive data.
• Restrict service account permissions via IAM.
• Suppress sensitive logs with Cloud Logging.
• Validate security in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Enforce VPC firewall rules.

Scenario: A pipeline exposes data. This ensures DevSecOps compliance.

87. Why does a pipeline fail security scans?

• Check for vulnerable dependencies.
• Add SAST tools like Trivy to Cloud Build.
• Verify scan configurations in YAML.
• Validate scans in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Update dependencies regularly.

Scenario: Scans detect vulnerabilities. This ensures secure CI/CD pipelines.

88. When do you rotate service account keys?

Scenario: A pipeline risks compromised keys. Rotate keys after breaches or expirations, using gcloud iam service-accounts keys create. Update Cloud Build configurations. Validate in staging to ensure uninterrupted workflows. Monitor IAM logs with Cloud Logging, aligning with DevSecOps certification standards.

89. Where do you check for unauthorized pipeline access?

• Review IAM roles in GCP Console.
• Check Cloud Audit Logs for access attempts.
• Restrict permissions to least privilege.
• Validate access in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Logging.
• Automate access audits.

Scenario: Unauthorized access occurs. This ensures DevSecOps compliance.

90. Who handles compliance audit failures?

• Security engineer addresses audit failures.
• Add SAST/DAST to Cloud Build pipelines.
• Configure audit logs in Cloud Logging.
• Validate compliance in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Ensure regulatory alignment.

Scenario: A pipeline fails PCI compliance. This meets certification standards.

91. Which steps fix a failed SAST scan in Cloud Build?

• Check Trivy scan logs in Cloud Build.
• Update vulnerable dependencies.
• Re-run scans with cloudbuild.yaml.
• Validate scans in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Automate dependency updates.

Scenario: A scan detects vulnerabilities. This ensures secure CI/CD pipelines.

92. How do you handle a pipeline exposing logs?

Scenario: Sensitive data appears in pipeline logs. Use Secret Manager for secrets and mask with secretEnv in cloudbuild.yaml. Configure log filters in Cloud Logging. Validate in staging and monitor for secure logging, ensuring DevSecOps compliance for certification readiness.

93. What is the role of IAM in DevSecOps?

• Assign least privilege roles to service accounts.
• Configure roles in GCP Console.
• Monitor IAM logs with Cloud Logging.
• Validate permissions in staging.
• Ensure compliance with audits.
• Automate role assignments.

Scenario: A pipeline lacks secure access. This ensures DevSecOps standards.

94. Why does a GKE cluster fail compliance checks?

• Check PodSecurityPolicy configurations.
• Verify Workload Identity settings.
• Ensure audit logging is enabled.
• Validate compliance in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Update security policies.

Scenario: A cluster fails audits. This ensures secure Kubernetes operations.

95. When do you integrate SAST in CI/CD pipelines?

Scenario: Vulnerabilities rise in deployments. Add SAST tools like Trivy to Cloud Build pipelines, configuring in cloudbuild.yaml. Validate scans in staging to catch issues early. Monitor scan results with Cloud Monitoring, ensuring DevSecOps compliance for certification.

96. Where do you manage service account security?

• Configure in GCP Console under IAM.
• Assign roles like roles/cloudbuild.builds.editor.
• Rotate keys with gcloud iam service-accounts keys create.
• Validate security in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Audit Logs.
• Ensure least privilege access.

Scenario: A service account is compromised. This ensures DevSecOps compliance.

97. Who monitors security alerts in GCP?

• Security engineer monitors alerts in Security Command Center.
• Configure alerts in Cloud Monitoring.
• Integrate with PagerDuty for notifications.
• Validate alerts in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Logging.
• Automate response scripts.

Scenario: Alerts indicate vulnerabilities. This ensures secure operations.

98. Which steps fix a pipeline failing compliance?

Scenario: A pipeline fails GDPR compliance. Add audit logging tasks in cloudbuild.yaml and enforce branch policies. Integrate SAST/DAST scans with Trivy. Validate in staging and monitor with Cloud Monitoring for compliance, ensuring DevSecOps certification readiness.

99. How do you implement zero-downtime deployments?

• Use rolling updates in GKE deployments.
• Configure maxSurge and maxUnavailable in YAML.
• Validate deployments in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Ensure network stability.
• Integrate canary deployments.

Scenario: Deployments cause outages. This ensures seamless CI/CD pipelines.

100. What do you do when a security policy blocks legitimate traffic?

Scenario: Cloud Armor blocks valid requests. Check policy rules in GCP Console and adjust filters for legitimate traffic. Validate in staging to ensure access. Monitor with Cloud Logging for traffic patterns, aligning with DevSecOps certification standards.

101. Why integrate DAST in CI/CD pipelines?

• DAST scans running applications for vulnerabilities.
• Add DAST tools like OWASP ZAP to Cloud Build.
• Configure scans in cloudbuild.yaml.
• Validate scans in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Ensure runtime security.

Scenario: Runtime vulnerabilities appear. This ensures DevSecOps compliance.

102. When do you use Binary Authorization in GKE?

Scenario: Unverified images deploy to GKE. Use Binary Authorization to enforce image signatures, configured in GKE Console. Validate policies in staging to prevent unauthorized deployments. Monitor with Cloud Logging, ensuring secure Kubernetes operations for certification.

103. Where do you audit security configurations?

• Use Security Command Center for audits.
• Check IAM roles and firewall rules.
• Export audit logs to BigQuery.
• Validate configurations in staging.
• Monitor with Cloud Monitoring.
• Ensure compliance alignment.

Scenario: An audit reveals gaps. This ensures DevSecOps compliance.