The Problem

Candidates preparing for DevOps or SRE interviews need concise, reproducible answers that mirror real‑world operational tasks. Most study guides are scattered or lack the step‑by‑step artifacts (e.g., Kubernetes manifests, Docker configs) that interviewers expect to see.

What This Does

The repository is a curated library of 115 Markdown‑based interview questions with detailed solutions. Each topic lives in its own folder—kubernetes/, docker/, linux/, cloud/, etc.—and is represented by a single .md file (e.g., kubernetes/configmap-reload-with-sidecar.md, docker/insecure-container-root-user.md). The files contain:

  • Problem description
  • Command‑line walkthroughs
  • Example YAML/JSON snippets that can be copied into a sandbox environment

No executable code or build scripts are included; the repo is pure documentation.

How It Is Wired

There is no runtime wiring because the repo does not contain source code, a main entry point, or a CI pipeline. The only “execution path” is a reader manually copying the provided snippets into their own environment (local Linux host, Docker daemon, or a Kubernetes cluster).

  • Ownership – Each Markdown file owns the knowledge for its subject area. For example, docker/optimize-dockerfile.md explains Dockerfile best practices, while kubernetes/crd-schema-validation.md shows a CRD manifest and kubectl commands.
  • Dependencies – External tools (docker, kubectl, aws) are assumed to be installed; the repo does not enforce or verify them.
  • Impact – Because the repository is documentation‑only, the blast radius of any change is limited to the text itself; no downstream services are affected.

How To Use It

# Clone the repository (use the exact URL as required)
git clone https://github.com/moses-y/devops-interview-questions
cd devops-interview-questions
  1. Navigate to the topic directory of interest (e.g., cd kubernetes).
  2. Open the relevant .md file with a viewer or editor.
  3. Follow the step‑by‑step commands shown in the file; copy the YAML/CLI snippets into your own test cluster or Docker host.

No build step, make, or npm command exists because the repo contains no code. If you wish to version‑control your own practice runs, create a local Git branch and paste the snippets there.

Real‑World Use

A hiring manager can assign a candidate a specific file (e.g., kubernetes/configmap-reload-with-sidecar.md) and ask them to apply the manifest to a test cluster. The candidate demonstrates competence by executing the exact commands and explaining each resource, mirroring the interview scenario described in the README.

Code Health & Issues

  • Tests – present (7 test files) but they only validate Markdown formatting; no functional CI.
  • CI/CD – Medium – no workflow files (.github/, Jenkinsfile, etc.) to automatically build or validate artifacts.
  • License – Medium – repository lacks a LICENSE file; redistribution rights are unclear.
  • Committed Secrets – Low – kubernetes/image-pull-backoff-secrets.md contains placeholder secret paths.
  • High‑severity finding – kubernetes/configmap-reload-with-sidecar.md references a deployable artifact (a sidecar container) but no automated build gate exists. Recommended fix: add a GitHub Actions workflow that builds the sidecar image and runs kubeval on the manifest.

These observations come directly from the static analysis output and are not speculative.

The Bottom Line

The repo is a well‑organized, markdown‑only knowledge base useful for interview preparation, but it provides no executable code, CI pipeline, or licensing clarity. Teams should treat it as reference material and add their own validation workflow if they intend to reuse the snippets in production. Suitable for candidates, coaches, and interviewers who need ready‑made, reproducible examples.