SDET - real-time interview questions for Continuous integration in DevOps

- In a CI pipeline with multiple environments (e.g., development, testing, staging, production), how would you manage environment-specific variables and ensure that changes are deployed to each environment in the correct sequence?

- Describe how you would handle sensitive data (like API keys, tokens, etc.) in a CI pipeline without risking exposure. What best practices would you employ to ensure secure management and access control?

- How can parallelization be effectively used in CI pipelines, particularly in a project with a vast array of test suites? Provide an example of how you would set up parallel jobs for quicker feedback without compromising test reliability.

- What key metrics would you monitor to assess the performance of a CI pipeline, and how would you use these metrics to optimise pipeline speed and reliability over time?

- Describe how you would set up a real-time feedback loop for CI pipeline failures, where team members get notified immediately for prompt issue resolution. Which integrations (like Slack, email, or other tools) would you use, and how would you configure them for maximum efficiency?

- How would you handle scaling a CI/CD pipeline in a cloud environment to accommodate increasing build and test demands? Discuss any specific cloud-native tools or features you would utilise.

- In a distributed team setting, where different time zones impact real-time feedback, how would you set up the CI pipeline to accommodate asynchronous contributions and ensure smooth integration?

- How would you implement an automated rollback mechanism in your CI/CD pipeline to revert to the previous stable version if a deployment fails in production? Describe how you could set this up in both Jenkins and GitLab CI/CD.