Interview Q&A

Short answer: Feature Azure SQL Cosmos DB Type Relational NoSQL, multi-model Schema Fixed Schema-less Scaling Vertical/Horizontal Horizontal, automatic Consistenc ACID Multiple consistency levels (Strong, Eventual, etc.) Use Case OLTP, structured data Global apps, unstructured data, IoT

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Use connection string in appsettings.json: "ConnectionStrings": { "DefaultConnection": "Server=tcp:myserver.database.windows.net,1433;Initial Catalog=MyDb;Persist Security Info=False;User ID=myuser;Password=mypassword;MultipleActiveResultSets=False;Encrypt =True;TrustServerCertificate=False;Connection Timeout=30;" } Inject DbContext using Entity Framework Core: builder.Services.AddDbContext<MyDbContext>(options =>…

Explain a bit more

options.UseSqlServer(builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("Defa ultConnection")));

Example code

Use connection string in appsettings.json: "ConnectionStrings": { "DefaultConnection": "Server=tcp:myserver.database.windows.net,1433;Initial
Catalog=MyDb;Persist Security Info=False;User
ID=myuser;Password=mypassword;MultipleActiveResultSets=False;Encrypt
=True;TrustServerCertificate=False;Connection Timeout=30;"
} Inject DbContext using Entity Framework Core: builder.Services.AddDbContext<MyDbContext>(options => options.UseSqlServer(builder.Configuration.GetConnectionString("Defa ultConnection")));

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest on Azure typically uses App Service + SQL Database + Blob Storage + Application Insights for monitoring.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: SQL Authentication: Username and password. Azure Active Directory (AAD) authentication. Managed Identity: Use Azure App Service identity to connect without storing credentials.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest on Azure typically uses App Service + SQL Database + Blob Storage + Application Insights for monitoring.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Use Azure Data Migration Assistant (DMA). Use bacpac import/export. Use SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) deploy options.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest on Azure typically uses App Service + SQL Database + Blob Storage + Application Insights for monitoring.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Use ADO.NET connection pooling (default in .NET). Ensure DbContext is scoped per request in ASP.NET Core.

Example code

services.AddDbContext<MyDbContext>(options => options.UseSqlServer(connectionString));

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest on Azure typically uses App Service + SQL Database + Blob Storage + Application Insights for monitoring.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Enable Transparent Data Encryption (TDE). Configure firewall rules and VNet integration. Use AAD authentication or Managed Identity. Enable Advanced Threat Protection.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest on Azure typically uses App Service + SQL Database + Blob Storage + Application Insights for monitoring.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: SQL (Core) API MongoDB API Cassandra API Gremlin (Graph) API Table API

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest on Azure typically uses App Service + SQL Database + Blob Storage + Application Insights for monitoring.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Use QueryDefinition and FeedIterator with MaxItemCount. var query = new QueryDefinition("SELECT * FROM c"); var iterator = container.GetItemQueryIterator<MyItem>(query, requestOptions: new QueryRequestOptions { MaxItemCount = 10 }); while (iterator.HasMoreResults) { foreach (var item in await iterator.ReadNextAsync()) { Console.WriteLine(item.Id); } }

Example code

Use QueryDefinition and FeedIterator with MaxItemCount. var query = new QueryDefinition("SELECT * FROM c");
var iterator = container.GetItemQueryIterator<MyItem>(query,
requestOptions: new QueryRequestOptions { MaxItemCount = 10 }); while (iterator.HasMoreResults) {
foreach (var item in await iterator.ReadNextAsync())
{ Console.WriteLine(item.Id); }
}

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest on Azure typically uses App Service + SQL Database + Blob Storage + Application Insights for monitoring.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Cosmos DB supports Strong, Bounded Staleness, Session, Consistent Prefix, Eventual. Set consistency when creating CosmosClient: var clientOptions = new CosmosClientOptions

Example code

{ ConsistencyLevel = ConsistencyLevel.Session }; var cosmosClient = new CosmosClient(endpointUri, primaryKey, clientOptions);

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest on Azure typically uses App Service + SQL Database + Blob Storage + Application Insights for monitoring.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Automatic backups every 4 hours (retention 7–30 days depending on config). Restore using point-in-time restore in Azure Portal or via CLI.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest on Azure typically uses App Service + SQL Database + Blob Storage + Application Insights for monitoring.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Secrets: Strings, passwords, API keys, connection strings Keys: Cryptographic keys for encryption/decryption (RSA, EC) Certificates: SSL/TLS or client certificates

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Connection strings and payment keys live in Key Vault—not in source control or plain appsettings on disk.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Use Azure.Extensions.AspNetCore.Configuration.Secrets package to load secrets into IConfiguration. var builder = new ConfigurationBuilder() .AddAzureKeyVault(new Uri(" new DefaultAzureCredential()); var configuration = builder.Build();

Example code

var secretValue = configuration["MySecret"];

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Connection strings and payment keys live in Key Vault—not in source control or plain appsettings on disk.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Configure Access Policies in Azure Portal or via Azure CLI. Assign roles: Get → read secrets List → enumerate secrets Set → update secrets Use Managed Identity for apps instead of storing credentials.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Connection strings and payment keys live in Key Vault—not in source control or plain appsettings on disk.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Enable Managed Identity on your App Service or Function App. Grant Key Vault access policy to the identity. Access secrets without storing credentials: var client = new SecretClient(new Uri(" new DefaultAzureCredential()); KeyVaultSecret secret = client.GetSecret("MySecret");

Example code

string value = secret.Value;

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Connection strings and payment keys live in Key Vault—not in source control or plain appsettings on disk.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Enable diagnostic logging in Azure Key Vault. Logs include secret reads, updates, deletions, and authentication attempts. Can be sent to Log Analytics, Event Hub, or Storage Account.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Connection strings and payment keys live in Key Vault—not in source control or plain appsettings on disk.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Update via Azure Portal, Azure CLI, PowerShell, or SDK. Example using SDK: var client = new SecretClient(new Uri(" new DefaultAzureCredential()); client.SetSecret("MySecret", "NewValue");

Example code

Update via Azure Portal, Azure CLI, PowerShell, or SDK. Example using SDK: var client = new SecretClient(new Uri(" new DefaultAzureCredential()); client.SetSecret("MySecret", "NewValue");

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Connection strings and payment keys live in Key Vault—not in source control or plain appsettings on disk.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Store connection strings as secrets in Key Vault. Load them in ASP.NET Core via IConfiguration. Avoid storing secrets in appsettings.json or code.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Connection strings and payment keys live in Key Vault—not in source control or plain appsettings on disk.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Yes, using in-memory caching or Azure App Configuration with Key Vault integration. Improves performance and reduces frequent Key Vault calls.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Connection strings and payment keys live in Key Vault—not in source control or plain appsettings on disk.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Use Managed Identity instead of app credentials. Enable soft-delete and purge protection. Rotate secrets regularly. Restrict access using RBAC or access policies. Enable logging and monitoring for audit purposes.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Connection strings and payment keys live in Key Vault—not in source control or plain appsettings on disk.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Containers are logical groups of blobs within a storage account. Like folders in a file system. Each blob must belong to one container.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Product images upload to Azure Blob Storage; the DB only stores the blob URL.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Use Azure.Storage.Blobs NuGet package. Upload example: var blobServiceClient = new BlobServiceClient(connectionString); var containerClient = blobServiceClient.GetBlobContainerClient("mycontainer"); var blobClient = containerClient.GetBlobClient("file.txt"); using var fileStream = File.OpenRead("localfile.txt"); await blobClient.UploadAsync(fileStream, overwrite: true); Download example: var downloadPath =…

Explain a bit more

"downloaded.txt"; await blobClient.DownloadToAsync(downloadPath);

Example code

Use Azure.Storage.Blobs NuGet package. Upload example: var blobServiceClient = new BlobServiceClient(connectionString);
var containerClient = blobServiceClient.GetBlobContainerClient("mycontainer"); var blobClient = containerClient.GetBlobClient("file.txt");
using var fileStream = File.OpenRead("localfile.txt");
await blobClient.UploadAsync(fileStream, overwrite: true); Download example: var downloadPath = "downloaded.txt";
await blobClient.DownloadToAsync(downloadPath);

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Product images upload to Azure Blob Storage; the DB only stores the blob URL.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Blob tier determines cost and access latency. Can be set during upload or later: await blobClient.SetAccessTierAsync(AccessTier.Cool); Hot: Frequently accessed Cool: Infrequent access Archive: Rarely accessed

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Product images upload to Azure Blob Storage; the DB only stores the blob URL.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Use Azure.Storage.Queues package. Send message: var queueClient = new QueueClient(connectionString, "myqueue"); await queueClient.CreateIfNotExistsAsync(); await queueClient.SendMessageAsync("Hello, Azure Queue!"); Receive message: var message = await queueClient.ReceiveMessageAsync(); Console.WriteLine(message.Value.MessageText); await queueClient.DeleteMessageAsync(message.Value.MessageId,…

Example code

Use Azure.Storage.Queues package. Send message: var queueClient = new QueueClient(connectionString, "myqueue");
await queueClient.CreateIfNotExistsAsync();
await queueClient.SendMessageAsync("Hello, Azure Queue!"); Receive message: var message = await queueClient.ReceiveMessageAsync(); Console.WriteLine(message.Value.MessageText); await queueClient.DeleteMessageAsync(message.Value.MessageId, message.Value.PopReceipt);

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Order-paid events go to Service Bus; an Azure Function sends the confirmation email asynchronously.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Table Storage stores key-value pairs in entities. Use PartitionKey and RowKey for unique identification. Example: var tableClient = new TableClient(connectionString, "MyTable");

Example code

await tableClient.CreateIfNotExistsAsync();
var entity = new TableEntity("partition1", "row1")
{ { "Name", "John" }, { "Age", 30 } }; await tableClient.AddEntityAsync(entity);

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Product images upload to Azure Blob Storage; the DB only stores the blob URL.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.

Short answer: Configure via Azure Portal or Azure CLI. Example CLI: az storage cors add --methods GET POST --origins -services b --account-name mystorage

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Product images upload to Azure Blob Storage; the DB only stores the blob URL.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.