Canonical Interview Questions and Answer

What kinds of software projects have you worked on before? Which operating systems, development environments, languages, databases?

Software Projects

Company Name	Products
SurgeryPlanet	Medical
Accenture	Telecom
MindTree	Antivirus and Airlines
Ness Tech	Airlines
IBM	Supply Chain Management
Adobe	Multimedia
Intuit	Finance
Servicenow	PAAS

Operating Systems

• Microsoft Windows
• MacOS
• Linux – RHEL, Centos, Ubuntu
• Android

Development Environments

1. Microsoft Visual Studio
2. Eclipse
3. PyCharm
4. Visual Code Studio

Languages

• Python
• Java
• PHP

Database

• MySql
• PostgreSQL
• MongoDB
• InfluxDB
• Loki
• Elasticsearch
• Graphite

What is your proudest success as an engineer?

My proudest success as a DevOps engineer was when I successfully led a complex and high-impact infrastructure migration project for our company. The project involved moving our entire application stack from on-premises servers to a cloud-based infrastructure to improve scalability, reliability, and cost-efficiency.

I implemented a CI/CD pipeline that reduced the time it takes to deploy new features by 50%.

What is your proudest success as manager?

One of my proudest successes as a DevOps Architect and Manager was orchestrating a comprehensive DevOps transformation within our organization. When I assumed this role, we faced several challenges, including slow release cycles, high error rates in production, and a lack of collaboration between development and operations teams.

Deployment Frequency: We significantly increased our deployment frequency from a few times a month to multiple times a day, allowing us to release new features and updates faster.

Lead Time to Deployment: We reduced our lead time from code commit to production deployment by over 70%, enabling us to respond to market demands more rapidly.

Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR): Our MTTR improved by 60%, thanks to better incident response processes and automation.

Error Rate: We reduced the error rate in production by 50%, resulting in fewer customer-facing issues and improved service reliability.

Would you describe yourself as a strong engineer? Why?

Here are some specific reasons why I believe that I have the potential to be a strong DevOps engineer:

• I have a strong understanding of the principles and practices of DevOps. I have read many books and articles on DevOps, and I have attended several DevOps conferences. I am also familiar with the DevOps Roadmap, which is a framework for implementing DevOps in organizations.
• I am skilled in a variety of DevOps tools and technologies. I have experience with a variety of CI/CD tools, such as Jenkins and CircleCI. I also have experience with cloud computing platforms, such as AWS and Azure.
• I am a quick learner and I am always eager to learn new things. I am constantly reading and learning about new DevOps tools and technologies. I am also interested in learning about new DevOps practices and methodologies.

Would you describe yourself as a strong manager? Why?

• I am skilled in a variety of SRE/DevOps tools and technologies. I have experience with a variety of monitoring and logging tools, such as Prometheus and Grafana. I also have experience with incident response tools, such as PagerDuty and OnCall Health.
• I am a strong leader and communicator. I am able to set clear goals and expectations, and I am able to provide feedback and coaching to team members. I am also able to communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• I am able to build and motivate teams. I am able to create a positive and supportive work environment, and I am able to motivate team members to achieve their goals.
• Deployment Frequency: As a DevOps Architect, We significantly increased our deployment frequency from a few times a month to multiple times a day, allowing us to release new features and updates faster.
• Lead Time to Deployment: As a DevOps Architect, We reduced our lead time from code commit to production deployment by over 70%, enabling us to respond to market demands more rapidly.
• Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR): As a DevOps Manager, Our MTTR improved by 60%, thanks to better incident response processes and automation.
• Error Rate: As a DevOps Architect, We reduced the error rate in production by 50%, resulting in fewer customer-facing issues and improved service reliability.

Describe your experience building large systems with many services – web front ends, REST APIs, data stores, event processing and other kinds of integration between components. What are the key things to think about in regard to architecture, maintainability, and reliability in these large systems?

• Software Architecture – I have experience with SOA model and as well Microservices
• API Design – RESTful
• data stores – relational databases, NoSQL, etc
• event processing – Kafka
• Monitoring and Logging – Prometheus, Grafana
• Error Handling and Resilience – NewRelic, Datadog

Describe your experience with Go. Outline the applications that you have worked on in Go and your takeaways from that experience.

Beginner Level

Describe your experience with Python. Outline the applications that you have worked on in Python and your takeaways from that experience.

My experience with Python as a System Programmer for DevOps has been both extensive and rewarding. I’ve used Python in various capacities to automate tasks, manage infrastructure, and enhance the efficiency of development and operations processes which includes Infrastructure Automation, Task Automation, CI/CD, Cloud Automation, Config management.

Describe your experience with Salesforce. Outline the solutions that you have worked on, the business domains, and your takeaways from that experience.

• None

How comprehensive would you say your knowledge of a Linux distribution is? How have you gained this knowledge?

I have been working on Linux from last 18+ years in almost every project.

Outline your thoughts on quality in software development. What practices do you find the most effective to drive improvements in quality?

Quality in software development is a cornerstone of delivering value to customers while ensuring system reliability and maintainability. DevOps plays a pivotal role in achieving and maintaining high-quality software by fostering collaboration between development and operations teams. The most effective practices to drive improvements in quality within a DevOps context include continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), which automate testing and deployments, thereby reducing the likelihood of introducing defects. Automated testing, code reviews, and comprehensive monitoring are also critical components, enabling teams to catch and address issues proactively throughout the software development lifecycle. These practices collectively promote a culture of quality, where collaboration, automation, and continuous improvement are central tenets, resulting in more reliable, efficient, and customer-focused software products.

Outline your thoughts on documentation in large software projects. What practices should teams follow? What are great examples of open source docs?

Documentation is a cornerstone of success in large software projects, ensuring clarity, usability, and the ability for users and contributors to engage effectively. Teams should follow practices such as providing comprehensive and structured documentation, which covers installation, configuration, usage, and troubleshooting. Regular updates are crucial to keep documentation aligned with the evolving software. Examples, use cases, and interactive elements enhance user understanding. Kubernetes serves as an exemplary model with its extensive documentation.

Outline your thoughts on performance in software engineering. How do you ensure that your product is fast? Can you describe hard learned lessons in this regard?

Performance in software engineering is a critical aspect, directly impacting user experience and overall system efficiency. Ensuring that a product is fast involves several key practices. First, thorough profiling and benchmarking are essential to identify performance bottlenecks. Hard-learned lessons have taught me the importance of early performance testing, as addressing performance issues later in the development cycle can be costly and complex.

Observability plays a crucial role in this process. Advanced Performance Monitoring (APM) tools like NewRelic, Datadog, Dynatrace, and AppDynamics provide real-time insights into application performance. They help in identifying issues, understanding the root causes, and optimizing performance. These tools offer features like detailed performance metrics, error tracking, and transaction tracing, enabling teams to proactively address performance bottlenecks and deliver a faster and more reliable product. Leveraging such APM tools is a proactive approach to ensure that software performs optimally, avoiding potential performance pitfalls down the road.

Outline your thoughts on security in software engineering. How do you ensure that your product is secure? How do you improve your security awareness?

Security in software engineering is paramount to protect against potential threats and vulnerabilities. Here are some thoughts on ensuring product security and improving security awareness, along with relevant tools and practices:

Ensuring Product Security:

• Threat Modeling: Utilize threat modeling frameworks like STRIDE, PASTA, and VAST to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities in the software design and architecture.
• Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST): Employ tools like OWASP ZAP, Skipfish, Nmap, OpenVAS, and Fortify WebInspect to assess your application’s security by actively testing it for vulnerabilities.
• Software Composition Analysis (SCA): Use OWASP Dependency Check and JFrog Xray to scan third-party libraries and components for known vulnerabilities.
• Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP): Implement RASP solutions like Falco to monitor runtime behavior and detect and respond to security threats.
• Web Application Firewall (WAF): Leverage cloud-based WAF solutions such as AWS WAF, Azure Web Application Firewall, or Cloudflare WAF to protect web applications from common attacks like SQL injection and XSS.
• Securing Credentials: Employ solutions like HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, AWS KMS, and Kubernetes Secrets to securely manage and store sensitive credentials.
• Policy-Based Control: Implement policy-based control for cloud-native environments using tools like Open Policy Agent (OPA) to define and enforce security policies.
• Cloud Security: Follow best practices and utilize cloud security services provided by AWS and Azure to secure cloud-native applications.
• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM): Implement SIEM solutions like Splunk to monitor and analyze security-related events and incidents.

Outline your thoughts on open source software development. What is important to get right in open source projects? What open source projects have you worked on? Have you been an open source maintainer? If so, can you point to those projects?

Open source software development is a dynamic and collaborative ecosystem that thrives on transparency, community engagement, and the spirit of shared innovation. Getting open source projects right involves several key principles. It begins with a clear purpose, well-documented code, and licensing that aligns with open source principles. Building an inclusive and respectful community, guided by a code of conduct, fosters diversity and creativity.

Active maintenance and regular updates are essential to keep projects relevant and secure. As for my own experience, I have contributed to several open source projects, primarily in the fields of AI, natural language processing, and web development. While I have not been a maintainer, I’ve enjoyed collaborating with open source communities to create valuable software that benefits users worldwide.

How did you fare in high school mathematics, physical sciences and computing? Which were your strengths and which were the most enjoyable? How did you rank, competitively, in these subjects?

• I was good at Math and Science. I was enjoying most at History and Geography,.

What sort of high school student were you? Outside of required work, what were your interests and hobbies? What would your high school peers remember you for, if we asked them?

After school, I was playing cricket and spending time with friends. Involved in cultural activity through out year. We have so many festivals in India and childhood days is filled with lots of festivals.

In languages and the arts at high school, what were your strongest subjects and how did you rank in those among your school peers?

I was good at drawing, Hindi essay writing etc. I was ok.

Please outline some high school achievements considered exceptional by peers and staff members.

Achieving consistently high grades with securing top 5 positions in school. Serving as a school captain. Involved in many Community Service. Excelling in sports, music, dance, or other extracurricular activities at school level.Winning and representing the school in inter-school level.

Which degree and university did you choose and why?

• M. Tech in Software Systems, BITS, Pilani, India
• Master in Science (Information Technology), Annamalai University, India
• Bachelor of Information Technology, IGNOU, India
• Higher National Diploma in Computing & Multimedia, Edexcel Foundation (UK)

Which university courses did you perform the best at? How did you rank in your degree?

In All these programs, I am counted top 10 students of the class.

• M. Tech in Software Systems, BITS, Pilani, India
• Master in Science (Information Technology), Annamalai University, India
• Bachelor of Information Technology, IGNOU, India
• Higher National Diploma in Computing & Multimedia, Edexcel Foundation (UK)

Describe the daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly habits you expect a well-run software engineering team to have, both as a team and individually.

Daily Habits:

• Daily Standup Meetings: Conduct daily standup meetings where team members discuss their progress, challenges, and plans for the day. This fosters communication and alignment.
• Code Reviews: Perform code reviews for ongoing development work, addressing issues promptly to maintain code quality.
• Monitoring: Regularly monitor the health and performance of production systems, addressing any anomalies or incidents immediately.
• Task Tracking: Use task tracking tools (e.g., Jira, Trello) to update and manage work items, ensuring that tasks are moving forward.
• Collaboration: Encourage collaboration within and across teams by using communication tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams.

Weekly Habits:

• Sprint Planning: Hold sprint planning meetings to set goals, prioritize work, and define tasks for the upcoming week.
• Retrospectives: Conduct sprint retrospectives to reflect on what went well and what needs improvement, facilitating continuous process enhancement.
• Test Automation: Focus on test automation by creating and maintaining automated test suites to ensure software quality.
• Documentation Updates: Review and update documentation as needed to keep itcurrent with the evolving codebase.

Monthly Habits:

• Performance Review: Conduct monthly performance reviews to assess the team’s progress toward goals and identify areas for improvement.
• Security Scans: Run security scans and vulnerability assessments on the codebase and infrastructure, addressing any vulnerabilities promptly.
• Infrastructure Optimization: Review and optimize cloud infrastructure costs and configurations to ensure cost-effectiveness.
• Capacity Planning: Analyze usage trends and perform capacity planning to ensure resources are allocated efficiently.

Quarterly Habits:

• Technology Stack Assessment: Review the technology stack and evaluate whether any updates or changes are needed to stay current.
• Training and Skill Development: Identify skill gaps within the team and plan for training or upskilling activities.
• Roadmap Evaluation: Revisit the project roadmap, assess progress, and adjust priorities or timelines as necessary.
• Disaster Recovery Testing: Conduct quarterly disaster recovery tests to ensure data and system resilience.
• Security Audits: Perform security audits and penetration testing to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.
• Long-Term Planning: Develop long-term strategies and goals for the team, aligning with the organization’s objectives.

Describe your experience of development methodologies, and your preferred approach – if that would vary based on circumstances, please describe with respect to the circumstances.

I have extensive experience with various software development methodologies, and my preferred approach can vary based on project circumstances. Here’s an overview of my experience with different methodologies and how I adapt them to specific situations:

1. Waterfall Methodology: In the early stages of my career, I worked on projects following the Waterfall methodology. This sequential approach involves clear, well-defined phases such as requirements, design, development, testing, and deployment. It is suitable for projects with stable and well-understood requirements. However, I’ve learned that its rigid structure may not be ideal for rapidly changing or innovative projects.
2. Agile Methodology: Agile methodologies, including Scrum and Kanban, have become my preferred approach for most projects. I appreciate Agile’s iterative and collaborative nature, which allows for flexibility in responding to changing requirements. Scrum, with its defined roles, ceremonies, and sprints, has been effective for cross-functional teams. Kanban, with its continuous flow, is suitable for maintenance and support tasks.
3. DevOps: DevOps is an integral part of modern software development. It emphasizes collaboration between development and operations teams, automation, and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD). DevOps principles are crucial for ensuring smooth and efficient software delivery.
4. Hybrid Approaches: In some cases, a hybrid approach combining elements of Waterfall and Agile can be effective. For instance, using Agile for the development phase and Waterfall for regulatory compliance or documentation-heavy phases can strike a balance between flexibility and structure.
5. Scaled Agile (SAFe): In large enterprises, I’ve implemented the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) to coordinate multiple Agile teams working on a single product. SAFe provides a structured approach to aligning teams, managing dependencies, and delivering value at scale.
6. Extreme Programming (XP): In situations where code quality and continuous improvement are paramount, I’ve incorporated Extreme Programming practices such as test-driven development (TDD), pair programming, and continuous integration.

What skills are most important to develop in people reporting to you?

• Technical skills: Your team members need to have a strong understanding of the principles and practices of DevOps, as well as the tools and technologies that are used in DevOps. This includes knowledge of CI/CD, cloud computing, infrastructure automation, monitoring, and logging.
• Soft skills: Engineering is all about collaboration and communication. Your team members need to be able to work effectively with each other, as well as with other teams in the organization. They also need to be able to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Problem-solving skills: Engineering is about solving problems quickly and efficiently. Your team members need to be able to identify and troubleshoot problems, and they need to be able to develop and implement solutions.
• Learning skills: The Engineering field is constantly evolving, so it is important for your team members to be able to learn new things quickly. They need to be able to read and understand technical documentation, and they need to be able to attend and participate in training courses and conferences.

Outline your thoughts on leadership in the context of software development. What helps teams align around a particular mission, approach, or practice?

Leadership in software development is about guiding and inspiring a team to achieve its goals. It involves setting clear goals and expectations, providing feedback and coaching, and creating a positive and supportive work environment.

Here are some thoughts on leadership in the context of software development:

• Be a servant leader: A servant leader is someone who puts the needs of their team first. They are focused on helping their team members to succeed, and they are always looking for ways to improve the team’s performance.
• Be a visionary: A visionary leader is someone who has a clear vision for the future of the team. They are able to articulate this vision to their team members and inspire them to work towards it.
• Be a communicator: A good communicator is able to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences. They are able to explain complex technical concepts in a clear and concise way.
• Be a decision-maker: A good leader is able to make timely and sound decisions. They are not afraid to make difficult decisions, and they are able to stand behind their decisions.
• Be a role model: A good leader is a role model for their team members. They set a good example by working hard, being positive, and being respectful of others.
• Communicate the vision and mission clearly: Leaders need to communicate the team’s vision and mission to team members in a clear and concise way. They need to explain why the vision and mission are important, and how team members can contribute to achieving them.
• Set clear goals and expectations: Leaders need to set clear goals and expectations for team members. These goals and expectations should be aligned with the team’s vision and mission.
• Provide regular feedback and coaching: Leaders need to provide regular feedback and coaching to team members. This feedback should be constructive and focused on helping team members to improve their performance.
• Create a positive and supportive work environment: Leaders need to create a positive and supportive work environment where team members feel valued and respected. This environment should encourage collaboration and creativity.

Outline your thoughts on the mission of Canonical. What is it about the company’s purpose and goals which is most appealing to you? What do you see as risky or unappealing?

Canonical’s mission is to accelerate the delivery of open source software to the global community in a more secure and cost-effective manner than any other company. This mission resonates deeply with my own values, as I share the belief that open source software represents the most reliable, secure, and cost-efficient approach to software development and distribution.

Moreover, open source software has the potential to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, including poverty, hunger, and disease.

I admire Canonical’s dedication to democratizing access to open source software, regardless of users’ technical expertise. Canonical’s wide range of products and services makes it accessible to everyone, contributing to the broader adoption of open source solutions.

Why do you most want to work for Canonical?

I am particularly eager to work for Canonical due to its unwavering commitment to advancing open source technology. Canonical’s mission to deliver open source software to the world in a faster, more secure, and cost-effective manner deeply resonates with my own beliefs and values. I see Canonical as a driving force in the open source community, and I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to contribute to their impactful mission. Additionally, the chance to work on projects like Ubuntu, one of the world’s most widely used open source operating systems, is incredibly appealing. Canonical’s reputation for technical excellence and its global reach make it an ideal place for me to contribute my skills and passion for open source technology.

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What gets you most excited about this role?

What excites me most about this role is the opportunity to play a pivotal part in advancing open source technology and contributing to Canonical’s mission. Working with a team that is dedicated to making open source software more accessible and secure aligns perfectly with my own enthusiasm for this field. The chance to work on projects like Ubuntu, which have a global impact and are trusted by millions, is incredibly motivating. I look forward to collaborating with talented professionals, leveraging my skills, and pushing the boundaries of what open source technology can achieve in this role.