Cloud Platforms & DevOps Flashcards

What is the AWS Shared Responsibility Model?

Answer: AWS is responsible for security of the cloud infrastructure; customers are responsible for security in the cloud

AWS secures the underlying physical infrastructure, while customers are responsible for their data, identity management, network configuration, and application security.

What is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)?

Answer: Cloud-provided virtualized compute, storage, and networking that customers configure themselves

IaaS provides raw compute (VMs), storage, and networking, leaving customers responsible for OS, runtime, and application configuration — e.g., AWS EC2, Azure VMs.

What is GitOps?

Answer: Using Git as the single source of truth for declarative infrastructure and application configuration, with automated sync to the cluster

In GitOps, all desired state is stored in Git, and operators like Argo CD or Flux continuously reconcile cluster state with the repository, making Git the control plane.

What is a cloud cost optimization strategy called 'right-sizing'?

Answer: Selecting the smallest instance type that meets a workload's actual performance requirements

Right-sizing analyzes actual CPU, memory, and I/O usage to replace over-provisioned instances with smaller, cost-appropriate alternatives without impacting performance.

What is a cloud NAT Gateway?

Answer: A managed service that lets private subnet instances initiate outbound internet connections without being directly reachable from the internet

A NAT Gateway provides internet access to private subnet resources (e.g., EC2 downloading updates) while preventing inbound connections from the public internet.

What are reserved instances in AWS?

Answer: A billing commitment for 1 or 3 years that provides significant discounts over on-demand pricing

Reserved instances offer up to 72% discount over on-demand in exchange for a 1 or 3 year usage commitment, ideal for stable, predictable workloads.