Top 20 AWS Internship Interview Questions & Answers

 

Introduction

So, you’ve landed an AWS internship interview—awesome! But now you’re staring at your screen wondering, “What might they ask?” Don’t worry, you’re not alone. AWS is vast, and interviews can feel overwhelming. The good news? You don’t need to know everything. You just need to nail the basics, understand how AWS services work together, and show your passion to learn.

This guide gives you the top 20 AWS internship interview questions and answers that are not only frequently asked but also cover the core AWS concepts interviewers love to dig into.

Let’s dive in!

Basic AWS Interview Questions

1. What is AWS?

AWS (Amazon Web Services) is a cloud computing platform provided by Amazon. It offers services like computing power, storage, and databases on-demand over the internet. Essentially, AWS allows businesses to rent infrastructure instead of building their own data centers.

2. What are the key benefits of AWS?

  • Scalability: Scale resources up or down as needed.
  • Cost-Effective: Pay only for what you use.
  • Flexibility: Supports multiple programming languages and operating systems.
  • Security: Built with top-notch security protocols.
  • Global Reach: AWS has data centers worldwide.

3. What is the difference between public and private cloud?

  • Public Cloud: Resources are shared over the internet (e.g., AWS, Azure).
  • Private Cloud: Used by a single organization, often hosted on-premise.
  • AWS is a public cloud provider but supports hybrid models too.


AWS Core Services

4. What is EC2 and how is it used?

EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) allows users to run virtual machines on the cloud. It’s like renting a server in Amazon’s data center. You can choose OS, CPU, memory, and even auto-scale your instances based on demand.

5. Explain S3 and its use cases.

Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) is object storage used for storing data like images, videos, backups, and logs. It's highly durable and great for storing static website assets, backups, and big data.

6. What is Amazon RDS?

Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) is a managed database service for SQL-based databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Oracle. It handles backups, patching, and scaling.

7. Difference between RDS and DynamoDB?

  • RDS: SQL-based, relational, ideal for structured data.
  • DynamoDB: NoSQL, key-value store, great for high-speed, unstructured data.

Networking and Security

8. What is VPC in AWS?

VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) lets you create a private network within AWS. You can control your IP address range, subnets, route tables, and gateways to isolate your environment.

9. Explain Security Groups and NACLs.

  • Security Groups: Act as virtual firewalls for EC2 instances—control inbound and outbound traffic at the instance level.
  • NACLs (Network Access Control Lists): Control traffic at the subnet level—offer an additional layer of security.

10. How does IAM work in AWS?

IAM (Identity and Access Management) allows you to manage access to AWS services and resources securely. You can create users, groups, and assign permissions via policies.

AWS DevOps and Automation Tools

11. What is AWS CloudFormation?

CloudFormation is an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool. It lets you write templates in JSON or YAML to automate the provisioning of AWS resources like EC2, VPC, and more.

12. Explain AWS Lambda.

AWS Lambda lets you run code without provisioning servers. It’s ideal for event-driven applications. You only pay for the execution time—think “serverless computing.”

13. What is AWS CodePipeline?

It’s a continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) service. CodePipeline automates the build, test, and deploy phases of your release process every time code changes.

Monitoring and Management

14. What is Amazon CloudWatch used for?

CloudWatch is a monitoring service. It tracks metrics like CPU usage, memory, disk I/O, and can send alerts based on custom thresholds.

15. What is AWS Trusted Advisor?

Trusted Advisor gives you recommendations to improve security, reduce cost, increase performance, and fault tolerance. Think of it as your AWS consultant.

Storage and Databases

16. Difference between Amazon S3 and Amazon EBS?

  • S3: Object storage for data like files, logs, and backups.
  • EBS (Elastic Block Store): Block storage used with EC2 instances for applications requiring low-latency and high IOPS.


17. What is Amazon Redshift?

Redshift is AWS’s data warehouse solution. It’s optimized for online analytical processing (OLAP). Great for running complex queries on large data sets quickly.

Scenario-Based & Behavioral Questions

18. Describe a time when you solved a technical problem using AWS.

Here, share any project or practice lab where you built something using AWS. For example:

“During my coursework, I built a static website hosted on S3 and used CloudFront for faster delivery. When I faced permission issues with S3 buckets, I troubleshooted using IAM policies and resolved the error.”

19. How do you stay updated with AWS trends?

Mention resources like:

  • AWS Blogs
  • YouTube Channels (e.g., AWS Online Tech Talks)
  • Reddit, Twitter, or LinkedIn communities
  • Official AWS Documentation

Conclusion

Cracking an AWS internship interview isn’t about memorizing every service under the sun. It’s about demonstrating your understanding of cloud concepts, how different AWS services work together, and your enthusiasm to keep learning.

Go through these top 20 questions and answers, tweak your responses with real-life examples, and practice explaining concepts in simple terms. You'll walk into your interview confident and ready to impress.

FAQs

1. What is the best way to prepare for an AWS internship interview?

Start with hands-on practice using AWS Free Tier. Combine that with reading AWS whitepapers and solving real-world problems through mini-projects.

2. Do I need AWS certification for an internship?

It’s not mandatory, but having a certification like AWS Cloud Practitioner can give you an edge and show commitment.

3. What programming languages should I know for AWS?

Python, JavaScript (Node.js), and Java are commonly used with AWS. Knowing at least one scripting language is helpful, especially for Lambda.

4. How long are AWS internship interviews usually?

They typically last 30 to 60 minutes and may include a mix of technical, behavioral, and problem-solving questions.

5. What are some AWS projects to showcase during interviews?

  • Host a website on S3
  • Create a serverless app with Lambda and API Gateway
  • Build a CI/CD pipeline with CodePipeline
  • Use CloudFormation for infrastructure as code
  • Analyze logs using CloudWatch and Athena

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