You’ve probably memorized networking definitions like “What is DNS?” or “What is a subnet?” for interviews. But real interviews often go a step further and ask troubleshooting questions to see how you’d solve problems on a live system. That’s exactly what these questions are designed to help you prepare for.
Most people walk into a networking interview after memorizing definitions, but that’s usually not enough. Interviewers often move beyond questions like, “What is DNS?” and ask practical ones such as, “A user says the website is down, but you can ping the server’s IP address. What would you check next?” The first tests what you remember, while the second shows whether you know how to troubleshoot a real problem.
I’ve put together 20 networking interview questions that are commonly asked for Linux System Administrator, DevOps, and technical support roles. The answers are written in a simple, natural way, just as you’d explain them in an interview. They’re short enough to answer in under a minute, while still giving you enough detail to confidently handle follow-up questions.