Technology Selection & Deep Technical Knowledge Questions
Deep understanding of specific technologies relevant to complex system design. Master databases (PostgreSQL, Cassandra, DynamoDB, Elasticsearch), message queues (Kafka, RabbitMQ), caching systems (Redis), search engines, and frameworks. Understand their strengths, weaknesses, trade-offs, operational characteristics, scaling patterns, and common pitfalls. Be able to justify technology choices based on specific system requirements.
EasyTechnical
43 practiced
What is TTL (time-to-live) in a database or cache? Provide use cases (session expiry, ephemeral analytics) and explain implications on storage, compaction, and consistency in systems like Cassandra and Redis.
MediumTechnical
44 practiced
Implement in Python a consistent hashing ring with methods add_node(node_id), remove_node(node_id), and get_node(key). Ensure the implementation minimizes key movement on node changes and supports virtual nodes. Provide clear code and complexity analysis.
HardTechnical
43 practiced
Explain strategies for cross-region Kafka replication preserving ordering and minimizing data loss. Discuss MirrorMaker 2, Confluent Replicator, and tiered storage approaches. Include how producers, partitioning, and consumer failover affect design choices.
EasyTechnical
42 practiced
List the main backup and recovery strategies for databases: logical vs physical backup, snapshots, WAL (write-ahead log) archiving, PITR (point-in-time recovery). For each describe recovery speed, storage costs, and a use case where it is recommended.
MediumTechnical
53 practiced
You observe very slow joins across tables with 100M rows in Postgres. Describe a step-by-step diagnostic and optimization plan: EXPLAIN ANALYZE, indexing choices, partitioning, materialized views, denormalization, and server configuration tuning that could address the issue.
Unlock Full Question Bank
Get access to hundreds of Technology Selection & Deep Technical Knowledge interview questions and detailed answers.
Sign in to ContinueJoin thousands of developers preparing for their dream job.