Cloud Engineer interview question · Most asked
Compare object, block and file storage in the cloud.
Summary
Object storage (S3, Blob, Cloud Storage) holds files behind an HTTP API, scales without limits and is cheapest; block storage (EBS, Managed Disks, Persistent Disk) is a disk for one VM in one zone, used for databases and OS volumes; file storage (EFS, Azure Files, Filestore) is a shared network file system for several servers.
Longer Answer
Use object storage for most application data, backups and media; block for low-latency single-server needs; file for legacy shared-file workloads. Snapshots of block volumes are incremental and can be copied across regions.
Key Points
- Object: API, cheap, unlimited.
- Block: disk for one VM, zonal.
- File: shared NFS/SMB.
- Pick by access pattern.
Explanation
What interviewers look for
Correct characteristics and use cases.
More most-asked Cloud Engineer questions
- What do Multi-AZ deployments and read replicas give you for managed databases?
- Explain RTO and RPO and the four disaster recovery strategies.
- What are regions and availability zones, and how do you use them for resilience?
- How do you eliminate long-lived credentials in a cloud environment?
- How do you keep object storage buckets from being exposed publicly?
- How do you approach cloud cost optimisation?
- How is an AWS IAM request evaluated when several policies apply?
- What security services and settings belong in every cloud account from day one?