14 AWS Developer Interview Questions and Answers

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What is AWS in your own words?

Your talent should know that AWS is the abbreviation for Amazon Web Services. Amazon provides these AWS services, and they use a specifically distributed IT infrastructure to provide on-demand IT resources.

What type of cloud services is AWS? 

The developer should know that AWS is a mixture of three different types of cloud service providers. In their answer, look for the following responses and ask for a few examples of each cloud service to confirm this deeper understanding: 

  • Software as a Service (SaaS), example includes Microsoft Office365 
  • Platform as a Service (PaaS), example includes AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Amazon S3 or Redshift 
  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), example includes AWS EC2 Instance

Why would you use SnowBall?

A skilled AWS programmer should know how to use SnowBall to transfer terabytes of data inside and outside the AWS environment. Understanding how to use this function indicates that the programmer can navigate management controls and set up and provide the functionality to route data inside and outside the application environment.

Describe Regions and Availability Zones in AWS.

Understanding this concept helps when launching different types of programs depending on the region. For example, your coder may want to launch instances in North America to be closer to the North American customers or to meet specific legal requirements within the area. The developer should understand that regions are geographical areas that consist of two or more availability zones, while availability zones are the data centers that can be within the country or the city. 

What are AWS edge locations used for?

Make sure that the developer knows that AWS edge locations are not the same as regions or availability zones. Edge locations are AWS data centers designed to deliver services with the lowest latency possible. Your talent should know that these locations are more typically found in major cities for quick responses and load times. 

Why would you use CloudWatch?

A contractor should understand CloudWatch and how it helps monitor AWS environments like EC2, RDS Instances, and CPU utilization. Familiarity with CloudWatch shows that the developer knows how to set up alarms that trigger depending on the instance type and various metrics.

How would you set up a system to monitor website metrics within real-time AWS?

While there can be a few answers to this question, a skilled contractor should be using Amazon CloudWatch and AWS Cloudtrail to monitor the status of various services. Look for some of these specific metrics that can be monitored within real-time AWS:

  • Amazon EC2 changes
  • Auto-scaling lifecycle events
  • Scheduled and automation events
  • Console authentication sign-in events
  • API calls

Why is there a cap on elastic IPs?

A skilled AWS programmer should know the max elastic IP number, because if you need more, you must submit a request for additional Elastic IPs to Amazon. In AWS, the max elastic load you can have per AWS account is five.

What is a load balancer?

Your talent should be able to describe the functionality of a load balancer as a virtual machine that balances your web application load. This internet gateway balances multiple servers so that no operating systems or servers get overwhelmed. Understanding this concept shows that the developer understands how to keep systems functioning properly and safely. 

Explain how the elastic block store works 

Understanding elastic volume and elastic block store (Amazon EBS) are two features that provide a block storage volume for EC2 instances in the AWS cloud. A contractor who understands how this storage works can tune performance metrics, increase storage, and change volume types without any hiccups within the workload. In addition, working within the elastic block offers elastic IP addresses with high durability and low-latency performance required to run workloads. 

What are the real-time benefits of using AWS services?

A skilled contractor should be able to extrapolate how AWS offers multiple types of scalable storage opportunities allowing businesses to make their own decisions. A well-formed answer should include that AWS provides a simple storage service with email services for large amounts of archiving and data storage within a virtual private cloud. 

Is AWS open source and free to use?

Since its inception, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been a place for customers to create tutorials and build open-source management consoles within the cloud. Your talent should be able to define AWS’s past and also lay out the pricing structure. While some AWS services are free of charge to specified limits, they offer pricing for various tiers of Amazon s3, security groups, computing services, and Amazon CloudFront content delivery. A skilled coder has typically used every free and paid feature of the AWS platform. 

What is auto scaling?

A suitable contractor should be able to understand auto-scaling and how it is a feature in AWS that automatically scales the amount of data to a steady level. They should be able to describe that when you use the Amazon EC2 auto-scaling group, you can also create a template to scale additional resources built for AWS services.

Do you need to have coding experience for AWS cloud computing?

While AWS developers should be familiar with Java and Python, knowing how to operate within a data warehouse is not required for proficiency with AWS resources. However, understanding the fundamentals of DevOps and the basics of key pairs, SQL, and storage classes will help the user better understand AWS functionality.

AWS Developers you can meet on Upwork

  • $55 hourly
    Austin F.
    • 5.0
    • (7 jobs)
    Brandon, MS
    Featured Skill Amazon Web Services
    QA Automation
    GPT API
    Data Visualization
    Unit Testing
    Data Analytics
    Rust
    ML Automation
    PyTorch
    pandas
    Machine Learning
    Data Science
    Python
    I have seven years experience solving complex data problems by quickly mastering the right tools for each project. My business philosophy is to provide solutions that generate value for the client long after I deliver them. I'm constantly undergoing rigorous study to better understand and integrate evolving technologies to offer more comprehensive support to my clients. I can help implement: - various types of automation, including quality assurance automation - certain cloud solutions with GCP, AWS, and Microsoft AzureML - data transformations - machine learning models - dashboards - command-line interfaces - financial analyses - spreadsheet solutions (Google Sheets and Excel) - various types of interactive visualizations - software modules (in particular, I'm currently learning to build Python modules in Rust for faster performance) I have formal training as an engineer up to the Master's level. I also have training from past full-time roles as research engineer and data analyst. I attribute much of my current skills to ongoing self-study using online resources such as Packt and O'Reilly technology and business training. As a research engineer, I developed experimental machine learning models with Python and wrote corresponding technical reports. These efforts were also the subject of my graduate work. As a data analyst, I collected and analyzed data from solar energy infrastructure projects and conducted external market research to determine future project viability in different regions. Since joining Upwork, I have assisted clients with various ML and data engineering tasks. As mentioned earlier, I am currently training to be a full-stack solutions architect with both coding and strategic planning offerings.
  • $99 hourly
    Lana Y.
    • 5.0
    • (25 jobs)
    San Jose, CA
    Featured Skill Amazon Web Services
    Product Listings
    Search Engine Optimization
    Amazon Private Label
    Amazon Marketing
    Amazon Listing
    Amazon SEO
    Amazon Advertising Console
    Advertising Management
    Amazon PPC
    Amazon Seller Central
    Amazon Listing Optimization
    Amazon Webstore
    Amazon FBA
    Amazon
    Experienced Amazon Marketing and Sales Strategist with over 10 years of e-commerce expertise and more than 6 years of proven success in generating sales on Amazon. I specialize in growing Amazon businesses on both Amazon Seller Central and Vendor Central platforms using Customer Funnel Optimization Tactics and Return User Techniques. Having reached the $30+ million threshold in Amazon sales for various brands, I excel in introducing brands to the Amazon Marketplace and scaling their sales from $0 to $10M+. Additionally, I own an Amazon brand in the Art, Office, and School Supplies category, bringing a broad spectrum of effective strategies that drive success on Amazon. 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐈 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔: 1. I offer one-time or regular consultations to address weak spots in your Amazon business, including problem-solving, identifying best strategies, and discovering growth opportunities. Through these consultations, we’ll implement best practices, and you’ll learn how your business can achieve more in less time. 2. I create a custom, step-by-step plan for your entire Amazon business. This plan allows us to develop a winning strategy for profit and sales, avoiding the cycle of constantly tweaking Amazon ads while losing organic ranking and sales. We schedule bi-weekly or monthly meetings to track progress and address any challenges along the way. AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Product Positioning and Sales Points: Professional product photoshoots, AI-powered content copywriting, 3D product model design, hero and lifestyle image design, Enhanced Brand Content (A+ Content) design. Brand Creation and Growth on Amazon: Focus on building a loyal customer base through Amazon Brand Store creation, Amazon advertising, and improving organic ranking to generate more organic sales over paid sales. Problem Solving and Listing Issues: Assistance with Amazon support cases, resolving missing categories or attributes, retrieving missing BSR, and addressing brand violations. Conversion Rate Improvement: Variation creation, listing updates, attribute adjustments, customer engagement programs, and backend data management. Promotions Management Strategy: Expert guidance on coupons and deals, as well as best practices for Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. Consultations can be scheduled through Upwork, with varying available times.
  • $100 hourly
    Amar K.
    • 5.0
    • (32 jobs)
    Bengaluru, KA
    Featured Skill Amazon Web Services
    Java
    LangChain
    Django
    Retrieval Augmented Generation
    RESTful API
    Large Language Model
    AI Chatbot
    OpenAI API
    Claude
    Docker
    Google Cloud Platform
    Apache Airflow
    React
    Chatbot
    Python
    I help startups and enterprises build AI-powered products, modern data platforms, and scalable cloud solutions. I’ve delivered 30+ successful projects with a 100% Job Success score and $100K+ in earnings. 🎖️ 10+ Years Experience | 30+ Projects — All 5-star Rated 🏆 | Expert-Vetted | 100% Job Success I’ve spent over a decade building full-stack applications, data pipelines, and AI integrations for teams that need both solid engineering and clear communication. What I bring to your project I focus on delivery: clear scope, on-time execution, and code that’s maintainable and scalable. My work spans frontend (React, TypeScript, Angular), backend (Java/Spring Boot, Python/Django/Flask, Node.js), and cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure). I’ve designed and built microservices, real-time analytics, and ETL pipelines that handle high volume with Spark, Kafka, and Airflow, and I integrate LLMs and RAG (LangChain, LlamaIndex, vector DBs) when the product needs AI. Why clients keep coming back I’ve delivered 30+ projects with a 100% job success rate and top ratings. Clients get a single point of contact who can own the full stack—UI, API, data, and deployment—so you spend less time coordinating and more time shipping. Enterprise and regulated environments I’ve worked with Fortune 500 and regulated industries (e.g. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, KPMG, Oracle Cerner) on portfolio platforms, trading infrastructure, data governance, and healthcare analytics. I’m comfortable with requirements, compliance, and working in large, structured teams. If you need a full-stack or data engineer who can own the technical side and communicate clearly, I’d be glad to discuss your project and how I can help.
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