Thilan Dissanayaka Interview Guides Jan 05

CI/CD concepts - Interview preparation guide

What is CI/CD?

CI/CD stands for Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery/Deployment.

CI is the practice of automatically integrating code changes from multiple contributors into a shared repository, often multiple times a day, and running automated tests to detect issues early.

CD refers to two related practices:

Continuous Delivery: Automatically preparing code changes for release to production.

Continuous Deployment: Automatically deploying every code change to production without manual intervention.

What are the key benefits of CI/CD?

  • Faster release cycles

  • Early detection of bugs

  • Improved code quality

  • Reduced integration issues

  • Consistent deployment process

  • Better collaboration between development and operations

What tools are commonly used for CI/CD?

  • CI Tools: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, Travis CI, Bamboo

  • CD Tools: Spinnaker, Argo CD, Flux

  • Supporting tools: Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Ansible, Helm

What is the difference between Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment?

  • Continuous Delivery prepares code for production release but requires manual approval to deploy.
  • Continuous Deployment automatically deploys code to production without manual steps.

What is a pipeline in CI/CD?

A pipeline is a set of automated steps that code goes through from commit to deployment. It typically includes stages like:

  • Code checkout
  • Build
  • Test
  • Package
  • Deploy

How do you handle secrets and sensitive data in CI/CD pipelines?

  • Use secret management tools like HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, or GitHub/GitLab secrets.
  • Avoid hardcoding secrets in scripts or code.
  • Use environment variables securely provided by the CI/CD platform.

What is the role of containers in CI/CD?

Containers (e.g., Docker) ensure that applications run in consistent environments across development, testing, and production. They help:

  • Speed up build and deployment
  • Simplify dependency management
  • Improve scalability and isolation

How do you ensure quality and security in a CI/CD pipeline?

  • Add unit, integration, and end-to-end tests
  • Include linting and static code analysis
  • Use security scanners (e.g., Snyk, Trivy, SonarQube)
  • Conduct vulnerability checks for dependencies and containers -Apply approval workflows for production deployments

What are some challenges you’ve faced in implementing CI/CD?

  • Long pipeline execution times
  • Flaky tests slowing down deployment
  • Environment mismatches between dev and prod
  • Managing secrets and credentials securely
  • Resistance to cultural change within teams

How would you implement a rollback strategy in a CI/CD pipeline?

  • Maintain previous builds/artifacts for quick redeployment
  • Use blue-green deployments or canary releases
  • Automate rollback steps in case of failed health checks
  • Monitor production health post-deployment and trigger rollback on anomalies

What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and how does it relate to CI/CD?

IaC is managing and provisioning infrastructure using code and automation tools like Terraform, CloudFormation, or Ansible. In CI/CD, IaC ensures:

  • Consistent environments
  • Version-controlled infrastructures
  • Easy automation of infrastructures
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