Amazon Route 53 Interview Questions and Answers
Q: What Is Amazon Route 53?
Answer: Amazon Route 53 is a highly scalable and reliable Domain Name System (DNS) provided by AWS. Route 53 is commonly used for domain registration, DNS management, traffic routing, and load balancing in various scenarios, including websites, web applications, APIs, and other internet-facing services. It routes the incoming internet traffic to the appropriate resources the based on the domain names entered by users.
Q: How does Amazon Route 53 work?
Answer: Amazon Route 53 service that works by translating human-readable domain names into IP addresses that computers use to communicate with each other. It manages the routing of internet traffic to the appropriate resources based on the domain names entered by users.
An overview of Amazon Route 53 working –
Domain Registration
: Route 53 allows you to register new domain names or transfer existing ones to manage them within the service.DNS Record Configuration
: After registering a domain, you need to configure the DNS records to map domain names to specific resources. Route 53 supports various record types such as –A Records
: Maps a domain to an IPv4 address.AAAA Records
: Maps a domain to an IPv6 address.CNAME Records
: Maps a domain to another domain or subdomain.MX Records
: Specifies the mail server responsible for handling email for the domain.
DNS Resolution
: When a user makes a request to access a resource, their device sends a DNS query to their configured DNS resolver (usually provided by their internet service provider). The resolver sends the query to the appropriate Route 53 name server.Traffic Routing
: Route 53 provides advanced traffic routing capabilities. It allows you to define routing policies to distribute incoming traffic based on various factors:Latency-Based Routing
: Routes traffic to the endpoint with the lowest latency for the user.Geolocation-Based Routing
: Routes traffic based on the geographic location of the user.Weighted Routing
: Distributes traffic across multiple endpoints based on specified weights.Failover Routing
: Automatically routes traffic to a standby endpoint in case of a failure.
Health Checks
: Route 53 can perform health checks on resources. It periodically sends requests to these resources and verifies their availability.DNS Query Logging
: This feature allows you to analyze traffic patterns, troubleshoot DNS issues, and monitor DNS activity for security and compliance purposes.
Q: What are Name servers?
Answer: Name servers, also known as domain name servers or DNS servers, are a fundamental part of the Domain Name System (DNS) infrastructure. They are responsible for translating human-readable domain names (such as www.example.com) into their corresponding IP addresses that computers use to communicate with each other over the internet.
Q: What is a DNS name or alias?
Answer: A DNS name or alias, also known as a CNAME (Canonical Name) record, is a type of DNS record used to create an alternative name or alias for an existing domain or subdomain. It allows you to associate one domain name with another domain name, providing a level of indirection in DNS resolution.
Q: What’s the difference between a public hosted zone and a private hosted zone in Amazon Route 53?
Answer: Main differences between public and private hosted zones:
Visibility
: Public hosted zones are visible to the entire internet, while private hosted zones are limited to specific VPCs or connected networks.
Access Control
: Public hosted zones allow access and resolution by any client on the internet, while private hosted zones restrict access to resources within the specified VPC(s) or connected networks.
Resource Accessibility
: Public hosted zones enable access to resources from anywhere on the internet, whereas private hosted zones are primarily used for resolving domain names for internal resources within a private network.
Q: Is it possible to route traffic based on user location using Amazon Route 53?
Answer: Yes, it is possible to route traffic based on user location using Amazon Route 53. Route 53 provides a routing policy called “Geolocation Routing” that allows you to direct traffic to different endpoints based on the geographic location of the DNS resolver or the end user.
Q: Are there any limits to the number of queries we can send through Amazon Route 53?
Answer: Yes, Amazon Route 53 has certain limits in place to ensure fair usage and maintain service performance. The limits imposed by Route 53 can vary depending on the specific features and functions being utilized.
For example, Route 53 Resolver has limit of 10,000 queries per second per IP address on an endpoint. It’s better to review the AWS documentation or contact AWS Support for the most up-to-date information on Route 53 limits.
Q: How do users view content stored in S3 buckets when they use Amazon Route 53?
Answer: Amazon Route 53 is primarily a domain name system (DNS) service and does not directly handle content delivery. Amazon Route 53 uses an alias record that maps the domain to the S3 bucket to connect a user-friendly domain name (like www.example.com). So, users can simply type the domain name in their web browser, and Route 53 will direct them to the correct S3 bucket, allowing them to view the content without any hassle.