### Basic Linux Interview Questions & Answers

1. **What is Linux? How is it different from Unix?**

* Linux is an open-source, Unix-like operating system based on the Linux kernel.

Unlike Unix, Linux is free, community-developed, and can run on a wide variety of
hardware.

2. **What are the basic components of Linux?**

* Kernel, Shell, File System, System Libraries, and Utilities.

3. **What is the Linux file system hierarchy?**

* It starts with root `/`. Key directories include `/bin`, `/etc`, `/home`,
`/var`, `/usr`, and `/tmp`.

4. **What is the difference between absolute and relative paths in Linux?**

* Absolute paths start from the root (`/`), while relative paths start from the
current directory.

5. **What are some commonly used Linux commands?**

* `ls`, `cd`, `pwd`, `mkdir`, `rm`, `cp`, `mv`, `cat`, `touch`, `chmod`, `chown`

6. **How do you view the contents of a file in Linux?**

* Using `cat`, `less`, `more`, `head`, or `tail` commands.

7. **What is the use of `ls`, `cd`, `pwd`, `mkdir`, and `rmdir`?**

* `ls`: list files

* `cd`: change directory
* `pwd`: print working directory
* `mkdir`: create directory
* `rmdir`: remove empty directory

8. **What is a shell in Linux?**

* A shell is a command-line interpreter that allows users to interact with the

system.

9. **What is the difference between `sh`, `bash`, and `zsh`?**

* `sh`: Bourne shell (original)

* `bash`: Bourne Again SHell (default in many systems)
* `zsh`: Z shell with more features

10. **What is the `chmod`, `chown`, and `chgrp` command used for?**

* `chmod`: change file permissions

* `chown`: change file owner
* `chgrp`: change group ownership

11. **How do file permissions work in Linux?**

* Three types: read (r), write (w), execute (x) for user, group, others.
Permissions can be changed using symbolic or numeric mode.
12. **What are hidden files and how to list them?**

* Files starting with `.` are hidden. Use `ls -a` to view them.

13. **What is the difference between `>` and `>>` in Linux?**

* `>`: overwrites file content

* `>>`: appends to the file

14. **How do you check the current disk usage and free space?**

* `df -h` (disk free), `du -sh *` (directory size)

15. **What is a symbolic link vs hard link?**

* Symbolic link is like a shortcut. Hard link points directly to the inode.

---

### Intermediate Linux Interview Questions & Answers

1. **What is a process in Linux? How do you manage processes?**

* A process is a running instance of a program. Managed using `ps`, `top`,

`kill`, `nice`, `renice`, etc.

2. **How to find the process ID (PID) of a running program?**

* Use `ps aux | grep program_name` or `pidof program_name`

3. **What is the difference between a process and a thread?**

* A process is independent; a thread is a subset of a process sharing memory.

4. **What is `cron` and how does it work?**

* `cron` is a time-based job scheduler. It runs jobs from `crontab` files.

5. **How do you schedule a job in Linux using `crontab`?**

* Use `crontab -e` and define in format: `* * * * * /path/to/script`

6. **Explain the boot process of a Linux system.**

* BIOS -> Bootloader (GRUB) -> Kernel -> `init`/`systemd` -> Login

7. **What is `init` vs `systemd`?**

* `init` is the traditional system initializer. `systemd` is the newer, faster

alternative.

8. **What is the use of `/etc/fstab`?**

* It defines how disk partitions, filesystems, and devices are mounted at boot.

9. **How do you mount and unmount a filesystem?**

* `mount /dev/sdX /mnt`, `umount /mnt`

10. **What are runlevels in Linux?**

* Predefined states of the system (e.g., 0 = halt, 3 = multi-user, 5 = GUI).

Replaced by `targets` in systemd.

11. **How do you check logs in Linux?**

* Use `journalctl`, `dmesg`, or view files in `/var/log/`

12. **How do you check open ports and listening services?**

* Use `netstat -tulpn`, `ss -tuln`, or `lsof -i`

13. **What is `iptables` and how is it used for firewall configuration?**

* `iptables` manages network packet filtering and firewall rules.

14. **What is the use of `top`, `htop`, `vmstat`, `free`, and `iostat`?**

* Monitoring tools for processes, memory, CPU, and disk I/O.

15. **How do you set environment variables in Linux?**

* Temporarily: `export VAR=value`

* Permanently: Add to `.bashrc`, `.profile`, or `/etc/environment`

---

### Advanced Linux Interview Questions & Answers

1. **What is the difference between `fork()` and `exec()`?**

* `fork()` creates a child process. `exec()` replaces the process image with a
new one.

2. **What is a zombie process and how do you kill it?**

* A zombie process is dead but still in the process table. Kill the parent
process to clean it.

3. **What is SELinux and how does it work?**

* Security-Enhanced Linux provides access control policies for system security.

4. **Explain how Linux handles memory management.**

* Uses paging, swapping, virtual memory, and caching.

5. **What is the use of the `lsof` command?**

* Lists open files and the processes using them.

6. **What is the difference between soft and hard mounts in NFS?**

* Soft: returns an error if server not reachable; Hard: keeps retrying until
server responds.

7. **Explain `strace` and when you would use it.**

 * Traces system calls and signals. Used for debugging or understanding program
behavior.

8. **What is inodes in Linux and how are they used?**

* Inodes store metadata about files (permissions, size, etc.)

9. **What are sticky bits, SUID, and SGID?**

* Sticky bit: only owner can delete file in dir.

* SUID: runs file with owner's privileges.
* SGID: new files inherit group.

10. **How do you troubleshoot performance issues on a Linux system?**

* Use `top`, `iotop`, `vmstat`, `dstat`, `sar`, `journalctl`

11. **How do you monitor file changes in real-time?**

* Use `inotify`, `watch`, or `auditd`

12. **What is `grep`, `awk`, and `sed` used for? Provide examples.**

* `grep`: search text (`grep 'pattern' file`)

* `awk`: pattern scanning (`awk '{print $1}' file`)
* `sed`: stream editor (`sed 's/old/new/' file`)

13. **How does Linux handle I/O scheduling?**

* With I/O schedulers like CFQ, Deadline, and NOOP, tunable via `/sys` or
`ionice`

14. **What is a kernel panic and how do you troubleshoot it?**

* A fatal error in the kernel. Check `/var/log/kern.log`, dmesg, or hardware

issues.

15. **Explain the concept of cgroups and namespaces in Linux containers.**

* Cgroups: control resource usage (CPU, memory)

* Namespaces: isolate processes (PID, net, mount)

---

### Linux Scripting & DevOps-Related

1. **Write a Bash script to find the largest file in a directory.**

```bash
find . -type f -exec du -h {} + | sort -rh | head -n 1
```

2. **How do you write a script to monitor disk space and send alerts?**

```bash
#!/bin/bash
THRESHOLD=80
USAGE=$(df / | grep / | awk '{ print $5 }' | sed 's/%//g')
if [ $USAGE -gt $THRESHOLD ]; then
echo "Disk space alert: Usage is at $USAGE%" | mail -s "Disk Alert"
[email protected]
fi
```

3. **What is the difference between `#!/bin/sh` and `#!/bin/bash`?**

* `sh` is POSIX compliant shell, `bash` includes extended features (arrays,

brace expansion, etc.)

4. **Explain the use of `set -e`, `set -x`, and `set -u` in Bash.**

* `-e`: exit on error

* `-x`: print commands as executed
* `-u`: error on undefined variables

5. **How do you pass arguments to a shell script?**

* `$1`, `$2`, ..., `$@`, `$#` are used to access arguments.

6. **What is the purpose of `.bashrc`, `.bash_profile`, and `.profile`?**

* `.bashrc`: executed for interactive non-login shells

* `.bash_profile`: login shell setup
* `.profile`: generic POSIX equivalent

7. **What is the difference between a script and a command alias?**

* Script: file containing commands

* Alias: shortcut defined in shell (`alias ll='ls -la'`)