Top 10 AWS EKS interview question and answers
Get prepared for your AWS EKS interview with these top 10 frequently asked questions and answers. Learn about the key components of an EKS cluster, how updates are managed, how to deploy containers, how to store and manage secrets, and more. Understand the differences between EKS, ECS, and EC2, and how EKS can be used with other AWS services to build and deploy applications in the cloud.
What is EKS and why is it used?
EKS is a fully managed service that makes it easy to deploy and run Kubernetes on AWS. It allows developers to use Kubernetes to manage their applications, without the need to install and maintain their own Kubernetes clusters.
How does EKS compare to other container orchestration platforms like ECS and Fargate?
EKS is a fully managed service that runs the open-source Kubernetes software, while ECS (Elastic Container Service) is a proprietary container orchestration platform developed by AWS. ECS and Fargate are both good choices for running containers in the AWS cloud, but EKS offers the ability to use the popular and widely-adopted Kubernetes platform, which can be useful if you have an existing investment in Kubernetes or want to use tools and technologies that are compatible with Kubernetes.
How is EKS different from EC2 Container Service (ECS)?
ECS is a container orchestration service that allows you to run and manage containers on EC2 instances. EKS, on the other hand, is a fully managed Kubernetes service that runs on top of EC2 instances. EKS is based on the open-source Kubernetes software, while ECS is a proprietary container orchestration platform developed by AWS.
What are the key components of an EKS cluster?
An EKS cluster consists of three main components:
The Kubernetes control plane, which consists of one or more master nodes that run the Kubernetes control plane processes
Worker nodes, which are the EC2 instances that run your applications and workloads
Add-ons, which are optional components that provide additional functionality to your cluster, such as the Kubernetes dashboard or the Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) CNI plugin
How are updates to the Kubernetes control plane managed in EKS?
EKS handles updates to the Kubernetes control plane automatically, without requiring any downtime or manual intervention. You can choose to receive email notifications when updates are available, and you can also use the AWS Management Console or the AWS CLI to specify the desired Kubernetes version and upgrade the control plane when desired.
How are worker nodes added to an EKS cluster?
You can add worker nodes to an EKS cluster using the AWS Management Console, the AWS CLI, or the AWS SDKs. You can specify the desired instance type, the number of instances to launch, and the Amazon Machine Image (AMI) to use. You can also use autoscaling to automatically add worker nodes to your cluster based on demand.
How are containers deployed on EKS?
You can deploy containers on EKS using Kubernetes manifest files, which define the desired state of your application. You can use the kubectl command-line tool to apply these manifest files to your cluster, or you can use continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) tools such as AWS CodePipeline to automate the deployment process.
How are secrets and other sensitive data stored and managed in EKS?
EKS integrates with AWS Secrets Manager, which allows you to store and manage secrets such as database passwords, API keys, and other sensitive data. You can use Secrets Manager to store your secrets and then reference them in your Kubernetes manifest files.
How does EKS handle high availability and fault tolerance?
EKS is designed to be highly available and fault-tolerant. The Kubernetes control plane is automatically distributed across multiple availability zones (AZs) to ensure that it is always available. EKS also provides built-in support for autoscaling worker nodes, which can help ensure that your applications are able to handle changes in demand.
Can EKS be used to run applications that require GPU acceleration?
Yes, EKS supports the use of GPU-powered instances for applications that require GPU acceleration. You can launch worker nodes with GPU-powered instances such as P2 or P3 instances, and then use the Kubernetes resource limits and resource requests feature to ensure that your GPU-accelerated applications are scheduled on these instances.
How is security managed in EKS?
EKS integrates with various AWS security features and services to help you secure your applications and workloads. For example, you can use IAM to control access to your EKS cluster and resources, and you can use security groups and network ACLs to control inbound and outbound traffic to your cluster. EKS also integrates with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) for Kubernetes, which allows you to use IAM policies to fine-tune access control for your cluster resources.
How is monitoring and logging handled in EKS?
EKS integrates with various AWS monitoring and logging services to help you monitor and troubleshoot your applications. For example, you can use Amazon CloudWatch to monitor the performance of your EKS cluster and worker nodes, and you can use CloudWatch Logs to view log data generated by your applications and the Kubernetes control plane. You can also use third-party monitoring and logging tools such as Prometheus and Fluentd, which can be deployed as Kubernetes add-ons in your EKS cluster.
Can EKS be used to run applications across multiple regions and availability zones?
Yes, you can use EKS to run applications across multiple regions and availability zones to achieve greater scalability, availability, and disaster recovery. You can use the AWS Global Accelerator to improve the performance of your applications running in multiple regions, and you can use the AWS App Mesh service to manage traffic between your applications running in different regions.
Can EKS be used with other AWS services?
Yes, EKS can be used with many other AWS services to build and deploy applications in the cloud. For example, you can use EKS with Amazon ECR (Elastic Container Registry) to store and manage your Docker images, with AWS Fargate to run your containers without the need to manage EC2 instances, and with AWS CodePipeline to automate your CI/CD workflow. You can also use EKS with other services such as Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) and Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) to build scalable and reliable applications.
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