10 .NET Azure Interview Questions and Answers

.NET Azure is a powerful combination for building, deploying, and managing applications through Microsoft’s cloud platform. Leveraging the robust .NET framework with Azure’s scalable cloud services, developers can create highly efficient and secure applications. This integration supports a wide range of programming languages and tools, making it a versatile choice for various development needs.

This article offers a curated selection of interview questions designed to test your knowledge and proficiency in .NET Azure. By reviewing these questions and their detailed answers, you will be better prepared to demonstrate your expertise and problem-solving abilities in a technical interview setting.

.NET Azure Interview Questions and Answers

1. Describe how you would integrate Azure Blob Storage with a .NET application.

To integrate Azure Blob Storage with a .NET application, follow these steps:

1. Set up an Azure Storage Account to obtain the connection string.
2. Use the Azure.Storage.Blobs NuGet package to interact with Blob Storage.
3. Implement code to manage blobs.

First, create an Azure Storage Account through the Azure portal. Then, install the Azure.Storage.Blobs NuGet package in your .NET project:

dotnet add package Azure.Storage.Blobs

Here’s an example of uploading a file to Azure Blob Storage:

using Azure.Storage.Blobs;
using System.IO;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

public class BlobStorageService
{
    private readonly string _connectionString;
    private readonly string _containerName;

    public BlobStorageService(string connectionString, string containerName)
    {
        _connectionString = connectionString;
        _containerName = containerName;
    }

    public async Task UploadFileAsync(string filePath)
    {
        BlobServiceClient blobServiceClient = new BlobServiceClient(_connectionString);
        BlobContainerClient containerClient = blobServiceClient.GetBlobContainerClient(_containerName);
        BlobClient blobClient = containerClient.GetBlobClient(Path.GetFileName(filePath));

        using FileStream uploadFileStream = File.OpenRead(filePath);
        await blobClient.UploadAsync(uploadFileStream, true);
        uploadFileStream.Close();
    }
}

2. Write a code snippet to upload a file to Azure Blob Storage using .NET.

To upload a file to Azure Blob Storage using .NET:

1. Set up the Blob service client.
2. Create a container if it doesn’t exist.
3. Upload the file.

Here’s a concise code snippet:

using Azure.Storage.Blobs;
using System.IO;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

public class BlobStorageUploader
{
    private readonly string connectionString = "YourAzureStorageConnectionString";
    private readonly string containerName = "your-container-name";

    public async Task UploadFileAsync(string filePath)
    {
        BlobServiceClient blobServiceClient = new BlobServiceClient(connectionString);
        BlobContainerClient containerClient = await blobServiceClient.CreateBlobContainerAsync(containerName);
        BlobClient blobClient = containerClient.GetBlobClient(Path.GetFileName(filePath));

        using FileStream uploadFileStream = File.OpenRead(filePath);
        await blobClient.UploadAsync(uploadFileStream, true);
        uploadFileStream.Close();
    }
}

3. Explain the process of deploying a .NET application to Azure App Services.

Deploying a .NET application to Azure App Services involves:

1. Preparing the application by building and resolving dependencies.
2. Creating an Azure App Service through the Azure portal.
3. Configuring deployment settings via the portal, CLI, or Visual Studio.
4. Deploying the application using your chosen method.
5. Monitoring the application with Azure’s tools.

4. How would you set up a CI/CD pipeline for a .NET application using Azure DevOps?

Setting up a CI/CD pipeline for a .NET application using Azure DevOps involves:

1. Creating a project in Azure DevOps.
2. Setting up repositories with Azure Repos.
3. Configuring a build pipeline in Azure Pipelines.
4. Setting up a release pipeline for deployment.
5. Integrating with Azure services for connections and monitoring.
6. Automating triggers for continuous integration and deployment.
7. Monitoring and maintaining the pipeline.

5. Explain how you would use Azure Active Directory to authenticate users in a .NET application.

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is used for authenticating users in a .NET application by integrating with the Microsoft Identity platform. Steps include:

1. Registering the application in the Azure portal to obtain credentials.
2. Configuring the .NET application with these credentials.
3. Implementing authentication logic using the Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL).

Example:

public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
    services.AddAuthentication(OpenIdConnectDefaults.AuthenticationScheme)
        .AddMicrosoftIdentityWebApp(Configuration.GetSection("AzureAd"));
}

public void Configure(IApplicationBuilder app, IHostingEnvironment env)
{
    app.UseAuthentication();
    app.UseAuthorization();

    app.UseEndpoints(endpoints =>
    {
        endpoints.MapControllers();
    });
}

6. How would you configure Application Insights to monitor a .NET application hosted on Azure?

To configure Application Insights for a .NET application on Azure:

1. Create an Application Insights resource in the Azure Portal.
2. Install the Application Insights SDK via NuGet:

   Install-Package Microsoft.ApplicationInsights.AspNetCore

3. Add the Instrumentation Key to your configuration file.
4. Initialize Application Insights in Startup.cs:

   public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
   {
       services.AddApplicationInsightsTelemetry(Configuration["ApplicationInsights:InstrumentationKey"]);
   }

5. Deploy your application to Azure.
6. Monitor your application through the Azure portal.

7. Write a code snippet to connect to Azure Cosmos DB and perform a basic CRUD operation using .NET.

To connect to Azure Cosmos DB and perform a basic CRUD operation using .NET:

using Microsoft.Azure.Cosmos;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

public class CosmosDbExample
{
    private static readonly string EndpointUri = "your-endpoint-uri";
    private static readonly string PrimaryKey = "your-primary-key";
    private CosmosClient cosmosClient;
    private Database database;
    private Container container;

    public async Task InitializeAsync()
    {
        this.cosmosClient = new CosmosClient(EndpointUri, PrimaryKey);
        this.database = await this.cosmosClient.CreateDatabaseIfNotExistsAsync("ExampleDatabase");
        this.container = await this.database.CreateContainerIfNotExistsAsync("ExampleContainer", "/id");
    }

    public async Task CreateItemAsync<T>(T item)
    {
        await this.container.CreateItemAsync(item, new PartitionKey(item.GetType().GetProperty("id").GetValue(item, null).ToString()));
    }

    public static async Task Main(string[] args)
    {
        CosmosDbExample example = new CosmosDbExample();
        await example.InitializeAsync();

        var newItem = new { id = "1", Name = "Sample Item" };
        await example.CreateItemAsync(newItem);

        Console.WriteLine("Item created successfully.");
    }
}

8. Explain how you would use Azure API Management to secure and manage APIs in a .NET application.

Azure API Management (APIM) helps secure and manage APIs in a .NET application by offering:

– Authentication and authorization through OAuth 2.0, JWT validation, and Azure AD.
– Rate limiting and throttling to control API usage.
– IP whitelisting for trusted access.

APIM also provides:

– API versioning for managing multiple versions.
– Transformation and enrichment of requests and responses.
– Monitoring and analytics through Azure Monitor and Application Insights.

9. Describe the steps to deploy a .NET application to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).

Deploying a .NET application to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) involves:

1. Containerizing the application with a Dockerfile.
2. Pushing the Docker image to a container registry.
3. Creating an AKS cluster if needed.
4. Deploying the application using Kubernetes deployment and service YAML files.
5. Monitoring the deployment with Azure tools.

10. Discuss the best practices for securing a .NET application on Azure.

Securing a .NET application on Azure involves:

– Using Azure AD for authentication and RBAC for access control.
– Encrypting data at rest and in transit, using Azure Key Vault for key management.
– Implementing network security with Azure Virtual Network, NSGs, and Azure Firewall.
– Enabling Azure Monitor and Application Insights for monitoring.
– Following secure development practices and ensuring compliance with standards.