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Beginner 20
01

What is Jenkins and why is it used in DevOps?

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Jenkins is an open-source automation server written in Java that enables continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD). It's widely used in DevOps for automating the software development lifecycle.
Key benefits:

  • Continuous Integration: Automatically builds and tests code changes
  • Continuous Deployment: Automates deployment to various environments
  • Plugin Ecosystem: Over 1,800+ plugins for integration with various tools
  • Multi-platform Support: Runs on various operating systems
  • Distributed Builds: Can coordinate builds across multiple machines
    Jenkins helps teams detect issues early, reduce manual errors, and accelerate software delivery.
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02

What is the difference between Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, and Continuous Deployment?

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  • Continuous Integration (CI): Automatically integrating code changes from multiple developers into a shared repository multiple times per day. Each integration triggers automated builds and tests.
  • Continuous Delivery (CD): Extends CI by ensuring code changes are automatically prepared for production release. Code is always in a deployable state, but deployment to production requires manual approval.
  • Continuous Deployment: Takes Continuous Delivery further by automatically deploying every change that passes the automated pipeline to production without manual intervention.
    Example Pipeline Flow:
Code Commit → CI (Build + Test) → CD (Staging Deploy) → Manual Approval → Production Deploy
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03

How do you install Jenkins?

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Jenkins can be installed through multiple methods:
1. WAR File (Simplest):

# Download Jenkins WAR file
wget https://get.jenkins.io/war-stable/latest/jenkins.war
# Run Jenkins
java -jar jenkins.war --httpPort=8080

2. Package Manager (Ubuntu/Debian):

curl -fsSL https://pkg.jenkins.io/debian/jenkins.io.key | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/jenkins-keyring.asc > /dev/null
echo deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/jenkins-keyring.asc] https://pkg.jenkins.io/debian binary/ | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/jenkins.list > /dev/null
sudo apt update
sudo apt install jenkins

3. Docker:

docker run -p 8080:8080 -p 50000:50000 jenkins/jenkins:lts

After installation, access Jenkins at http://localhost:8080 and complete the setup wizard.

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04

What is a Jenkins job and what are the different types?

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05

What are Jenkins plugins and name some important ones?

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06

What is a Jenkins build?

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07

How do you trigger a Jenkins build?

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08

What is GitHub Actions and how does it differ from traditional CI/CD tools?

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GitHub Actions is a CI/CD platform that allows you to automate your build, test, and deployment pipeline directly within GitHub repositories. Unlike traditional CI/CD tools like Jenkins or TeamCity that require separate infrastructure, GitHub Actions is cloud-native and integrated directly into GitHub.

Key differences:

  • Native Integration: Seamlessly integrated with GitHub repositories, pull requests, and issues
  • Event-driven: Triggers on various GitHub events (push, pull request, release, etc.)
  • Marketplace: Extensive marketplace of pre-built actions
  • YAML Configuration: Uses simple YAML files stored in .github/workflows/
  • No Infrastructure Management: Hosted runners eliminate the need to manage servers
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09

Explain the basic structure of a GitHub Actions workflow file.

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A GitHub Actions workflow is defined in a YAML file within the .github/workflows/ directory. The basic structure includes:

name: CI Pipeline
on: [push, pull_request]
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: '18'
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install
      - name: Run tests
        run: npm test

Key components:

  • name: Optional workflow name
  • on: Events that trigger the workflow
  • jobs: Collection of steps that execute on the same runner
  • runs-on: Specifies the runner environment
  • steps: Individual tasks within a job
  • uses: References pre-built actions
  • run: Executes shell commands
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10

What are the different types of events that can trigger a GitHub Actions workflow?

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GitHub Actions supports various trigger events:

Repository Events:

  • push: Code pushed to repository
  • pull_request: PR opened, synchronized, or closed
  • release: Release published or created
  • create: Branch or tag created
  • delete: Branch or tag deleted

Scheduled Events:

  • schedule: Cron-based scheduling using cron syntax

Manual Events:

  • workflow_dispatch: Manual trigger with optional inputs
  • repository_dispatch: Triggered via API calls

External Events:

  • webhook: Custom webhook events
  • check_run: Check run completed
  • deployment: Deployment event

Example:

on:
  push:
    branches: [main, develop]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 2 * * *'  # Daily at 2 AM
  workflow_dispatch:
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11

What is the difference between a job and a step in GitHub Actions?

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12

How do you use pre-built actions from the GitHub Marketplace?

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13

What are GitHub Actions runners and what types are available?

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14

What is GitLab CI/CD and how does it differ from other CI/CD tools?

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GitLab CI/CD is an integrated continuous integration and continuous deployment platform built into GitLab. It automates the building, testing, and deployment of applications through pipelines defined in YAML files.

Key differentiators:

  • Integrated approach: Built into GitLab, no separate tool needed
  • Configuration as code: Everything defined in .gitlab-ci.yml
  • Built-in container registry: Seamless Docker integration
  • Auto DevOps: Automatic pipeline creation for common frameworks
  • Comprehensive features: Issue tracking, code review, CI/CD, monitoring in one platform

Unlike Jenkins (requires plugins and setup) or GitHub Actions (GitHub-specific), GitLab CI/CD provides a complete DevOps platform out of the box.

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15

Explain the key components of a GitLab CI pipeline.

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A GitLab CI pipeline consists of several key components:

  • Pipeline: The top-level component containing the entire CI/CD process
  • Stages: Logical groupings that run sequentially (e.g., build, test, deploy)
  • Jobs: Individual tasks within stages that can run in parallel
  • Scripts: Commands executed within jobs
  • Runners: Agents that execute the jobs

Example structure:

stages:
  - build
  - test
  - deploy

build-job:
  stage: build
  script:
    - echo "Building application"

test-job:
  stage: test
  script:
    - echo "Running tests"
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16

What is the purpose of the `.gitlab-ci.yml` file and where should it be placed?

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The .gitlab-ci.yml file is the configuration file that defines your CI/CD pipeline. It must be placed in the root directory of your repository.

Purpose:

  • Defines pipeline structure (stages, jobs, scripts)
  • Specifies when and how jobs should run
  • Configures deployment environments
  • Sets up variables, artifacts, and dependencies

GitLab automatically detects this file when code is pushed and triggers the pipeline accordingly. The YAML format makes it version-controlled and easily readable.

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17

Explain the difference between `before_script`, `script`, and `after_script`.

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These are execution phases within GitLab CI jobs:

  • before_script: Runs before the main script, used for setup tasks
  • script: Main commands to execute (required)
  • after_script: Runs after script completion, regardless of job success/failure

Example:

job-example:
  before_script:
    - echo "Setting up environment"
    - apt-get update
  script:
    - echo "Running main commands"
    - npm test
  after_script:
    - echo "Cleaning up"
    - rm -rf temp/

Important: after_script always runs, making it ideal for cleanup tasks, while before_script failure will fail the entire job.

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18

What are pipeline stages and how do they work?

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19

What are predefined variables in GitLab CI and give examples of commonly used ones?

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20

What is the GitLab Container Registry and how do you use it?

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Intermediate 34
21

What is Jenkins Pipeline and what are the types?

Part of Pro
22

What is a Jenkinsfile and where should it be stored?

Part of Pro
23

Explain Jenkins Master-Slave architecture.

Part of Pro
24

What are environment variables in Jenkins and how are they used?

Part of Pro
25

How do you handle secrets and credentials in Jenkins?

Part of Pro
26

What is Blue Ocean and what are its advantages?

Part of Pro
27

How do you implement parallel execution in Jenkins Pipeline?

Part of Pro
28

What are Jenkins shared libraries and how are they used?

Part of Pro
29

How do you manage secrets and environment variables in GitHub Actions?

Part of Pro
30

Explain matrix builds and provide an example of when you would use them.

Part of Pro
31

How do you implement conditional execution in GitHub Actions workflows?

Part of Pro
32

What are artifacts in GitHub Actions and how do you use them?

Part of Pro
33

How do you implement caching in GitHub Actions to improve performance?

Part of Pro
34

How do you create dependencies between jobs in a workflow?

Part of Pro
35

What are composite actions and when would you create one?

Part of Pro
36

What are GitLab Runners and what types are available?

Part of Pro
37

How do you control when jobs run using `rules` vs `only`/`except`?

Part of Pro
38

How do you implement conditional job execution based on file changes?

Part of Pro
39

How do you configure a custom Docker image for your CI jobs?

Part of Pro
40

What are GitLab CI services and how are they used?

Part of Pro
41

How do you handle job dependencies and parallelization?

Part of Pro
42

Explain the different types of variables in GitLab CI and their precedence.

Part of Pro
43

How do you manage sensitive data like API keys and passwords?

Part of Pro
44

What's the difference between artifacts and cache in GitLab CI?

Part of Pro
45

How do you implement effective caching strategies?

Part of Pro
46

How do you configure job artifacts for different purposes?

Part of Pro
47

How do you build and push Docker images in GitLab CI?

Part of Pro
48

What are GitLab environments and how do they work?

Part of Pro
49

How do you implement approval workflows for deployments?

Part of Pro
50

How do you implement security scanning in GitLab CI pipelines?

Part of Pro
51

What are GitLab CI include templates and how do you use them?

Part of Pro
52

How do you debug failing GitLab CI jobs?

Part of Pro
53

What are some GitLab CI best practices for performance and maintainability?

Part of Pro
54

How do you handle GitLab CI pipeline failures and notifications?

Part of Pro
Expert 25
55

How do you implement Jenkins as Code using Configuration as Code (JCasC)?

Part of Pro
56

How do you optimize Jenkins performance for large-scale operations?

Part of Pro
57

How do you implement security best practices in Jenkins?

Part of Pro
58

How do you implement disaster recovery and backup strategies for Jenkins?

Part of Pro
59

How do you integrate Jenkins with Kubernetes for cloud-native CI/CD?

Part of Pro
60

How do you troubleshoot common Jenkins issues?

Part of Pro
61

How do you implement GitOps workflows with Jenkins?

Part of Pro
62

How do you implement custom Jenkins plugins?

Part of Pro
63

How do you implement Jenkins pipeline testing strategies?

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64

How do you implement Jenkins monitoring and observability?

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65

How do you implement advanced security practices in GitHub Actions workflows?

Part of Pro
66

How do you debug complex GitHub Actions workflows and troubleshoot failures?

Part of Pro
67

How do you implement custom runners and when would you choose them over GitHub-hosted runners?

Part of Pro
68

How do you implement workflow security scanning and compliance checks?

Part of Pro
69

How do you implement advanced deployment strategies using GitHub Actions?

Part of Pro
70

How do you optimize GitHub Actions workflows for performance and cost?

Part of Pro
71

How do you implement GitOps patterns with GitHub Actions?

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72

How do you implement multi-environment promotion pipelines with approval gates?

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73

How do you handle secrets rotation and management at scale in GitHub Actions?

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74

How do you implement cross-repository workflows and coordinate complex multi-service deployments?

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75

How do you implement different deployment strategies (blue-green, rolling, canary)?

Part of Pro
76

How do you manage secrets and secure variables across different environments?

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77

How do you implement parallel matrix builds?

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78

What are GitLab CI compliance pipelines and how do they work?

Part of Pro
79

How do you optimize GitLab CI pipeline execution time?

Part of Pro

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