Popular cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) in Intro to Computing - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Which cloud provider offers the service called 'Lambda'?

Among AWS, Azure, and GCP, which provider offers the serverless computing service named 'Lambda'?

A None of the above

B Azure

C GCP

D AWS

💡 Hint

Think about which provider popularized serverless functions with the name 'Lambda'.

AWS offers 'Lambda' as its serverless compute service. Azure calls its similar service 'Functions', and GCP calls it 'Cloud Functions'.

❓ Architecture

intermediate

Which cloud provider uses 'Virtual Machines' as a core compute service?

AWS, Azure, and GCP all offer virtual machines. Which provider calls its virtual machine service 'Compute Engine'?

A AWS

B Azure

C GCP

D All of them

💡 Hint

Look for the provider that uses the term 'Compute Engine' for virtual machines.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) calls its virtual machine service 'Compute Engine'. AWS calls it 'EC2', and Azure calls it 'Virtual Machines'.

❓ security

advanced

Which cloud provider offers 'Azure Active Directory' for identity management?

Which cloud provider offers 'Azure Active Directory' as its identity and access management service?

A AWS

B Azure

C GCP

D None of the above

💡 Hint

The service name includes the provider's name.

Azure Active Directory is Microsoft's cloud-based identity and access management service, part of Azure.

✅ Best Practice

advanced

Which cloud provider recommends using 'IAM Roles' to grant permissions securely?

AWS, Azure, and GCP all have identity management. Which provider specifically uses 'IAM Roles' to assign permissions to resources securely?

A AWS

B Azure

C GCP

D All of them

💡 Hint

IAM Roles are a key part of this provider's security best practices.

AWS uses IAM Roles to securely assign permissions to services and users without sharing long-term credentials.

❓ service_behavior

expert

What happens if you delete a Google Cloud Storage bucket that contains objects?

In Google Cloud Platform, if you delete a Cloud Storage bucket that still has objects inside, what is the result?

A The bucket and all its objects are deleted immediately.

B The bucket deletion fails until all objects are deleted manually.

C The bucket is deleted but objects remain and become inaccessible.

D The bucket is archived and objects are moved to cold storage automatically.

💡 Hint

Think about how cloud storage handles bucket deletion and its contents.

Google Cloud Storage deletes the bucket and all its objects immediately when the bucket is deleted.

Practice

1. Which of the following is NOT one of the top three popular cloud providers?

easy

A. GCP

B. AWS

C. DigitalOcean

D. Azure

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the top cloud providers

   The top three popular cloud providers are AWS, Azure, and GCP.

2. Step 2: Identify the option not in the top three

   DigitalOcean is a cloud provider but not among the top three popular ones.

3. Final Answer:

   DigitalOcean -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Top providers = AWS, Azure, GCP [OK]

Hint: Remember AWS, Azure, GCP are top three [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing smaller providers as top three
• Mixing up cloud providers with hosting services

2. Which of the following is the correct way to refer to Amazon Web Services in short?

easy

A. AWS

B. AMZ

C. AWZ

D. AWE

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the abbreviation for Amazon Web Services

   The correct abbreviation is AWS, standing for Amazon Web Services.

2. Step 2: Check the options for the correct abbreviation

   Only AWS matches the correct abbreviation AWS.

3. Final Answer:

   AWS -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Amazon Web Services = AWS [OK]

Hint: AWS is the official short form for Amazon Web Services [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using incorrect abbreviations like AWZ or AMZ
• Confusing AWS with Amazon's marketplace

3. You want to store files in the cloud and access them from anywhere. Which service corresponds to this in AWS, Azure, and GCP respectively?

medium

A. EC2, Virtual Machines, Compute Engine

B. S3, Blob Storage, Cloud Storage

C. Lambda, Functions, Cloud Functions

D. RDS, SQL Database, Cloud SQL

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify storage services in each cloud provider

   AWS uses S3, Azure uses Blob Storage, and GCP uses Cloud Storage for file storage.

2. Step 2: Match the options with storage services

   S3, Blob Storage, Cloud Storage correctly lists the storage services for AWS, Azure, and GCP respectively.

3. Final Answer:

   S3, Blob Storage, Cloud Storage -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Storage services = S3, Blob Storage, Cloud Storage [OK]

Hint: Storage services: S3 (AWS), Blob (Azure), Cloud Storage (GCP) [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing compute services with storage
• Mixing up function services with storage

4. A developer tries to launch a virtual machine on Azure but uses the AWS command aws ec2 run-instances. What is the main issue?

medium

A. The command should be run in GCP console

B. The command syntax is incorrect for AWS

C. Azure does not support virtual machines

D. The command is for AWS, not Azure

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the command context

   The command aws ec2 run-instances is specific to AWS for launching virtual machines.

2. Step 2: Identify the mismatch with Azure

   Azure uses different commands and tools; AWS commands won't work on Azure.

3. Final Answer:

   The command is for AWS, not Azure -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Command context must match cloud provider [OK]

Hint: Use provider-specific commands for each cloud [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming AWS commands work on Azure
• Thinking Azure lacks virtual machine support

5. You want to design a multi-cloud app that uses AWS for computing, Azure for database, and GCP for machine learning. Which approach best supports this?

hard

A. Use each cloud's native services and connect via APIs

B. Deploy the entire app only on AWS to avoid complexity

C. Use only one cloud provider to reduce costs

D. Manually copy data between clouds without automation

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand multi-cloud design

   Multi-cloud means using different providers' services together for best features.

2. Step 2: Identify best practice for integration

   Using native services and connecting them via APIs allows smooth communication and scalability.

3. Step 3: Evaluate other options

   Deploying only on one cloud or manual data copying reduces benefits or adds errors.

4. Final Answer:

   Use each cloud's native services and connect via APIs -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Multi-cloud = native services + API integration [OK]

Hint: Connect cloud services via APIs for multi-cloud apps [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to avoid multi-cloud complexity by using one provider
• Ignoring automation in data transfer
• Assuming manual copying is efficient