A load balancer distributes user traffic across multiple instances of your applications. By spreading the load, load balancing reduces the risk that your applications experience performance issues. Cloud Load Balancing offers the most comprehensive portfolio of application and network load balancers. Here are 30 interview questions for Google Cloud interview questions.
30 Google Cloud Load Balancing interview questions
1. What is load balancing in Google Cloud?
– Load balancing in Google Cloud is a service that distributes network traffic across multiple resources to optimize application performance, scalability, and availability.
2. What are the types of load balancing available in Google Cloud?
– Google Cloud offers three types of load balancing: HTTP(S) Load Balancing, Network Load Balancing, and Internal Load Balancing.
3. How does HTTP(S) Load Balancing work in Google Cloud?
– HTTP(S) Load Balancing distributes HTTP and HTTPS traffic across multiple backend instances based on configurable rules, health checks, and session affinity.
4. What is the purpose of a backend service in HTTP(S) Load Balancing?
– A backend service defines a group of backend instances or a managed instance group that receives traffic from the load balancer.
5. What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS Load Balancing?
– HTTP Load Balancing is used for non-encrypted HTTP traffic, while HTTPS Load Balancing is used for encrypted HTTPS traffic.
6. What is the purpose of a forwarding rule in Network Load Balancing?
– A forwarding rule in Network Load Balancing defines how traffic is distributed across target instances or target pools.
7. What is the difference between TCP and UDP Load Balancing?
– TCP Load Balancing is used for TCP traffic, while UDP Load Balancing is used for UDP traffic.
8. How does Internal Load Balancing work in Google Cloud?
– Internal Load Balancing distributes internal TCP/UDP traffic across a set of backend instances or managed instance groups.
9. What is the purpose of a health check in load balancing?
– A health check monitors the health and availability of backend instances to determine if they can receive traffic.
10. How does load balancing handle session affinity?
– Load balancing can be configured to use session affinity (also known as sticky sessions) to direct requests from a client to the same backend instance.
11. How can you configure load balancing for autoscaling instances?
– Load balancing can be used with managed instance groups to automatically distribute traffic across instances that are dynamically created or scaled.
12. What is CDN (Content Delivery Network) and how does it relate to load balancing?
– CDN is a distributed network of servers that cache and deliver content to end-users based on their geographic location. Load balancing can be used to distribute traffic to CDN servers.
13. How can you handle load balancing across multiple regions in Google Cloud?
– Load balancing across multiple regions can be achieved by using a global load balancer that distributes traffic to backend instances across regions.
14. How do you handle SSL/TLS termination in Google Cloud load balancing?
– Google Cloud load balancers support SSL/TLS termination, allowing you to configure certificates and manage secure connections.
15. What is the role of a load balancer backend bucket in Google Cloud?
– A load balancer backend bucket is used in HTTP(S) Load Balancing to distribute traffic to Cloud Storage buckets based on URL paths.
16. What is the purpose of the URL map in Google Cloud load balancing?
– The URL map in Google Cloud load balancing is used to route requests to appropriate backend services based on URL patterns.
17. How does load balancing handle health checks for backend instances?
– Load balancing continuously performs health checks on backend instances and removes unhealthy instances from the pool of available resources.
18. Can load balancing be used with managed instance groups that span multiple regions?
– Yes, load balancing can be used with managed instance groups spanning multiple regions, allowing for global traffic distribution.
19. How can you configure load balancing with Cloud Armor for DDoS protection?
– Cloud Armor, Google Cloud’s distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) protection service, can be integrated with load balancing to filter traffic and protect backend resources.
20. What is the role of a load balancer backend service in Internal Load Balancing?
– A load balancer backend service in Internal Load Balancing defines a group of backend instances or a managed instance group that receives traffic.
21. How does Google Cloud load balancing handle sudden traffic spikes?
– Google Cloud load balancing automatically scales resources to handle sudden traffic spikes by distributing traffic to additional backend instances.
22. Can you use load balancing with containerized applications in Google Cloud?
– Yes, Google Cloud load balancing can be used with containerized applications by integrating it with Kubernetes or other container orchestration systems.
23. How does load balancing handle IPv6 traffic in Google Cloud?
– Load balancing in Google Cloud supports IPv6 traffic and can distribute traffic to backend instances over IPv6.
24. How can you monitor the performance and health of a load balancer in Google Cloud?
– Google Cloud provides monitoring and logging tools like Stackdriver that allow you to monitor the performance and health of load balancers.
25. Can you configure load balancing to distribute traffic based on custom criteria, such as HTTP headers?
– Yes, load balancing in Google Cloud can be configured to distribute traffic based on custom criteria like HTTP headers, cookies, or query parameters.
26. How does Google Cloud load balancing handle session persistence?
– Google Cloud load balancing supports session persistence by using cookies or other mechanisms to direct subsequent requests from a client to the same backend instance.
27. What is the role of a target pool in Network Load Balancing?
– A target pool is a group of target instances that Network Load Balancing distributes traffic to.
28. How can you handle load balancing for different protocols in Google Cloud?
– Google Cloud load balancing supports multiple protocols such as HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, and UDP, allowing you to configure load balancing for different types of traffic.
29. How does load balancing handle cross-region failover in Google Cloud?
– Load balancing can be configured with failover mechanisms to redirect traffic to a different region if the primary region becomes unavailable.
30. Can load balancing be used with serverless functions in Google Cloud?
– Yes, Google Cloud load balancing can be used with serverless functions like Cloud Functions or Cloud Run by integrating them with the load balancer.
15 Scenario based interview questions
1. Scenario: How would you configure load balancing for a web application hosted on multiple Google Compute Engine instances?
Answer: I would create a managed instance group and define it as the backend service for an HTTP(S) Load Balancer. Then, I would set up a health check to monitor the instances’ health and distribute traffic evenly across the instances.
2. Scenario: How would you handle a sudden surge in traffic to your web application?
Answer: I would configure an autoscaling policy for the managed instance group. With autoscaling, Google Cloud will automatically create additional instances to handle the increased traffic load.
3. Scenario: How would you configure SSL/TLS termination for an HTTPS Load Balancer?
Answer: I would obtain an SSL certificate and configure it in the HTTPS Load Balancer’s frontend configuration. This ensures that the load balancer terminates SSL/TLS connections and forwards the traffic to the backend instances over HTTP.
4. Scenario: How would you handle load balancing for a globally distributed web application?
Answer: I would use a global HTTP(S) Load Balancer to distribute traffic across backend instances deployed in multiple regions. The load balancer automatically routes traffic to the closest available instances.
5. Scenario: How would you configure load balancing for a microservices-based architecture?
Answer: I would set up an HTTP(S) Load Balancer and create multiple backend services, each corresponding to a specific microservice. The load balancer will distribute traffic based on the URL paths defined in the URL map.
6. Scenario: How would you configure load balancing for a UDP-based game server?
Answer: I would use a Network Load Balancer and configure a forwarding rule to distribute UDP traffic across the target instances or target pools hosting the game servers.
7. Scenario: How would you implement session persistence for an e-commerce application using Google Cloud load balancing?
Answer: I would configure session affinity (sticky sessions) in the load balancer settings to direct requests from a client to the same backend instance, ensuring session persistence.
8. Scenario: How would you monitor the performance of a load balancer in Google Cloud?
Answer: I would use Stackdriver Monitoring to monitor key metrics such as request latency, error rates, and backend instance health. This helps me ensure the load balancer is performing optimally.
9. Scenario: How would you implement cross-region failover for a mission-critical application using load balancing?
Answer: I would set up multiple backend services in different regions and configure a failover mechanism in the load balancer. If the primary region becomes unavailable, traffic will automatically be redirected to the backup region.
10. Scenario: How would you handle load balancing for a mixture of IPv4 and IPv6 traffic in Google Cloud?
Answer: I would configure the load balancer to support both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic. The load balancer will distribute traffic to backend instances using the appropriate IP version.
11. Scenario: How would you integrate Cloud Armor with load balancing to protect against DDoS attacks?
Answer: I would configure Cloud Armor security policies and associate them with the load balancer. This allows Cloud Armor to inspect incoming traffic and block malicious requests, providing DDoS protection.
12. Scenario: How would you handle load balancing for a highly available application that spans multiple regions?
Answer: I would configure a global HTTP(S) Load Balancer and set up backend services in each region. The load balancer will distribute traffic across the backend services to achieve high availability.
13. Scenario: How would you configure load balancing for a microservice that communicates over gRPC?
Answer: I would use a Network Load Balancer and configure a forwarding rule for gRPC traffic. This ensures that gRPC requests are properly load balanced across target instances.
14. Scenario: How would you handle load balancing for containerized applications running in Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)?
Answer: I would use an Ingress resource in GKE to expose the containerized applications to the HTTP(S) Load Balancer. The load balancer will distribute traffic to the appropriate backend services in the cluster.
15. Scenario: How would you ensure high availability for load balancers themselves?
Answer: Google Cloud load balancers are designed to be highly available by default. They are distributed across multiple Google Cloud regions, ensuring redundancy and reliability.
These interview questions and answers will help you prepare for discussions on Google Cloud load balancing, covering various aspects and scenarios related to load balancing in the Google Cloud environment.
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