Google DevOps Engineer Interview Questions (2026)

Landing a DevOps Engineer role at Google requires targeted preparation. Google interviews typically consist of four to five rounds including phone screens, coding interviews, system design rounds, and behavioral interviews focused on Googleyness and leadership. Expect whiteboard-style coding problems, scalability questions, and scenarios testing your ability to work in ambiguous situations. This guide covers the most frequently asked questions and insider tips to help you succeed in your Google DevOps Engineer interview.

About the Google Interview Process

Google is known for its rigorous interview process that evaluates problem-solving ability, coding skills, and cultural fit through multiple rounds.

Google interviews typically consist of four to five rounds including phone screens, coding interviews, system design rounds, and behavioral interviews focused on Googleyness and leadership. Expect whiteboard-style coding problems, scalability questions, and scenarios testing your ability to work in ambiguous situations.

Why Google DevOps Engineer Interviews Are Different

Google DevOps Engineer interviews differ from standard DevOps Engineer interviews in several key ways. The company has a unique interview culture, specific evaluation criteria, and expects candidates to demonstrate alignment with their values and mission. Understanding these differences gives you a significant advantage over other candidates.

Top 10 DevOps Engineer Interview Questions at Google

1. At Google, you might be asked: Explain the CI/CD pipeline you would set up for a new project.
2. Google interviewers often ask: What is Infrastructure as Code and what tools have you used?
3. Google interviewers often ask: How do you monitor and alert on production systems?
4. A common Google interview question: Describe the difference between Docker and Kubernetes.
5. Expect this at Google: How would you handle a zero-downtime deployment?
6. A common Google interview question: What is your approach to secret management?
7. At Google, you might be asked: Explain blue-green deployments vs canary deployments.
8. Google candidates should prepare for: How do you manage infrastructure costs in the cloud?
9. Google interviewers often ask: Describe a time you resolved a major production incident.
10. Google candidates should prepare for: What logging and observability tools do you prefer?

Google-Specific Preparation Tips for DevOps Engineer Candidates

• Practice coding on a whiteboard or shared document without IDE assistance
• Study system design patterns for large-scale distributed systems
• Prepare examples demonstrating leadership without authority
• Focus on data structures and algorithms, especially graphs, trees, and dynamic programming
• Research Google's core values and prepare stories aligned with Googleyness criteria

General DevOps Engineer Interview Tips

• Have hands-on experience with at least one major cloud provider
• Understand containerization and orchestration concepts
• Be ready to discuss incident management processes
• Know how to write infrastructure automation scripts

Preparation Timeline for Google DevOps Engineer Interviews

• 4 weeks before: Research Google culture, recent news, and the specific team you are applying to.
• 2-3 weeks before: Practice technical questions daily and prepare behavioral stories using the STAR method.
• 1 week before: Do full mock interviews with HireFlow AI simulating Google interview style.
• Day before: Review your notes, prepare questions for the interviewer, and get a good night of rest.

Practice Google DevOps Engineer Interview with HireFlow AI — our AI adapts to Google's interview style and gives real-time feedback.