README.md

Automation & Scripting Interview Questions

Beginner-Level (1-20) Questions

1. What is automation in DevOps?

Automation in DevOps refers to scripting repetitive tasks like provisioning, configuration, deployment, and monitoring to improve efficiency and reduce errors.

2. What are the benefits of scripting in DevOps?

• Reduces manual effort
• Increases consistency and repeatability
• Improves efficiency and speed
• Reduces errors and enhances security

3. What is Bash scripting?

Bash scripting is writing command-line instructions in a script file (.sh) to automate tasks in Unix/Linux environments.

4. How do you write a basic Bash script?

#!/bin/bash
echo "Hello, DevOps!"

Save the file (script.sh), make it executable (chmod +x script.sh), and run it (./script.sh).

5. What is the difference between Bash and Shell scripting?

Bash is a type of shell, but shell scripting can also be done in other shells like sh, csh, and zsh. Bash provides more advanced scripting features.

6. What are variables in Bash?

Variables store values and are defined without a $ sign but accessed using $.

name="DevOps"
echo "Hello, $name"

7. What is Python scripting used for in DevOps?

• Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• CI/CD automation
• Log analysis
• Cloud automation (AWS, Azure, GCP SDKs)

8. How do you define a function in Python?

def greet():
    print("Hello, DevOps!")
greet()

9. What is YAML, and where is it used?

YAML (Yet Another Markup Language) is a human-readable format used for Kubernetes configurations, Ansible playbooks, CI/CD pipelines, etc.

10. What is a YAML file example?

version: '3'
services:
  web:
    image: nginx
    ports:
      - "80:80"

11. How do you write a simple Groovy script?

println "Hello, DevOps!"

Groovy is used in Jenkins pipelines and automation tasks.

12. What is the shebang (#!) in a script?

The shebang (#!/bin/bash or #!/usr/bin/python3) specifies the interpreter for executing the script.

13. What are loops in Bash?

Bash supports for, while, and until loops. Example:

for i in {1..5}; do echo "Iteration $i"; done

14. What are conditional statements in Bash?

if-else statements execute different code based on conditions.

if [ $USER == "root" ]; then echo "Admin access"; else echo "User access"; fi

15. How do you read input in Bash?

echo "Enter name: "
read name
echo "Hello, $name"

16. How do you create a Python virtual environment?

python3 -m venv myenv
source myenv/bin/activate

17. How do you parse JSON in Python?

import json
data = '{"name": "DevOps"}'
parsed = json.loads(data)
print(parsed["name"])

18. What is the awk command in Bash?

awk is used for text processing. Example:

awk '{print $1}' file.txt

Extracts the first column from file.txt.

19. How do you comment in YAML?

Use # for comments.

# This is a comment
name: DevOps

20. How do you declare variables in Groovy?

def name = "DevOps"
println name

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Intermediate-Level (21-40) Questions

21. How do you pass arguments to a Bash script?

#!/bin/bash
echo "Hello, $1!"

Run: ./script.sh DevOps → Output: Hello, DevOps!

22. How do you handle errors in Bash scripts?

Use set -e to stop execution on errors.

23. What is an Ansible playbook?

A YAML file that defines automation tasks for servers.

24. How do you handle exceptions in Python?

try:
    print(1 / 0)
except ZeroDivisionError:
    print("Cannot divide by zero")

25. How do you schedule a script with Cron?

Edit crontab -e and add:

0 5 * * * /path/to/script.sh

Runs the script daily at 5 AM.

26. How do you execute a Groovy script in Jenkins?

Use script {} inside a Jenkins pipeline.

27. How do you create a list in Python?

mylist = [1, 2, 3]
print(mylist[0])

28. What is sed in Bash?

Used for text replacement. Example:

sed -i 's/old/new/g' file.txt

29. How do you define a dictionary in Python?

mydict = {"name": "DevOps"}
print(mydict["name"])

30. How do you validate a YAML file?

Use yamllint or kubectl apply -f --dry-run=client.

31. How do you install Python modules?

pip install requests

32. What is Jenkins pipeline syntax for automation?

pipeline {
    agent any
    stages {
        stage('Build') {
            steps {
                echo "Building..."
            }
        }
    }
}

33. How do you iterate over a dictionary in Python?

for key, value in mydict.items():
    print(key, value)

34. How do you set environment variables in Bash?

export VAR="DevOps"

35. What is an Ansible role?

A reusable way to organize Ansible tasks, handlers, and templates.

36. What is a multiline string in YAML?

message: |
  Line 1
  Line 2

37. What is an associative array in Bash?

declare -A myarray
myarray[name]="DevOps"
echo ${myarray[name]}

38. How do you run a shell command in Python?

import os
os.system("ls")

39. What is jq in Linux?

Used to parse JSON. Example:

cat data.json | jq '.name'

40. How do you exit a script with a status code?

exit 1

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Advanced-Level (41-60) Questions

41. How do you debug a Bash script?

Use set -x for debugging:

#!/bin/bash
set -x
echo "Debugging mode enabled"

42. How do you trap signals in a Bash script?

trap "echo 'Script interrupted'; exit" SIGINT SIGTERM

Catches Ctrl+C (SIGINT) and terminates gracefully.

43. What is the difference between $(command) and backticks `command` in Bash?

Both execute commands, but $(command) is preferred as it's nestable.

44. How do you handle multiline commands in a Bash script?

Use \ for line continuation:

echo "This is a \
multiline command"

45. How do you use conditionals inside a YAML file?

With Jinja2 templating in Ansible:

tasks:
  - name: Install package
    yum:
      name: httpd
    when: ansible_os_family == "RedHat"

46. How do you encrypt secrets in YAML?

Use Ansible Vault:

ansible-vault encrypt secrets.yaml

47. How do you execute a Python script inside a Bash script?

python3 <<EOF
print("Hello from Python")
EOF

48. What is the difference between continue and break in Bash loops?

• break exits the loop entirely.
• continue skips the current iteration.

49. How do you parse a JSON file in Bash?

Use jq:

cat data.json | jq '.key'

50. How do you use arrays in Groovy?

def arr = ["a", "b", "c"]
println arr[0]

51. What is a Jenkins shared library in Groovy?

A reusable pipeline function stored in Git.

52. How do you set a timeout for a script in Bash?

timeout 10s ./script.sh

53. How do you execute a Bash function in a subshell?

(my_function)

Runs in a new shell, not affecting the parent script.

54. How do you use Python to send an HTTP request?

import requests
response = requests.get("https://example.com")
print(response.text)

55. How do you handle authentication in a Python script?

import requests
requests.get("https://example.com", auth=("user", "pass"))

56. How do you find and replace text in YAML files?

Use yq:

yq e '.name="NewValue"' -i config.yaml

57. How do you define a multi-stage Jenkins pipeline in Groovy?

pipeline {
    agent any
    stages {
        stage('Build') { steps { echo "Building..." } }
        stage('Test') { steps { echo "Testing..." } }
    }
}

58. What is an inline script in a CI/CD pipeline?

Running a script directly inside a pipeline (e.g., GitHub Actions, Jenkins).
Example in GitHub Actions:

jobs:
  build:
    steps:
      - run: echo "Inline script execution"

59. How do you execute a script remotely via SSH in Bash?

ssh user@server 'bash -s' < local_script.sh

60. How do you ensure idempotency in an Ansible playbook?

Ansible modules ensure idempotency by only making changes when needed.

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