Problems
Harold
Problems
Design Dropbox / Google Drive
Problem statement Short description Design a cloud file storage and sync service: users can upload files, download them, sync them automatically across devices, and share them with others. For example, a user edits a document on their laptop; within seconds the updated file appears on their phone and on a
Problems
Design Yelp
Problem statement Short description Design a proximity service like Yelp: given a user's location, return nearby businesses (restaurants, shops, etc.), optionally filtered by category or rating, and let users view business details and read or leave reviews. For example, a user at (37.78, -122.41) searches for
Problems
Design TinyURL
Problem statement Short description Design a URL shortener service, similar to TinyURL or Bitly. Given a long URL, such as https://www.example.com/articles/system-design-interview-guide-for-beginners, the system should return a short URL, such as https://tiny.ly/aB92xKq. When a user opens the short
Before Interview
Strong Hire vs No Hire Signals
Before Interview
Back-of-the-envelope Numbers
Before Interview
Common Interview Phrases
Before Interview
System Design Interview Cheat Sheet
This is the short version of system design interview prep. Use it before a mock interview, before a real interview, or anytime you need to reset your structure quickly. The basic interview flow Most system design interviews can follow this structure: Requirements → APIs / Data Model → High-Level Design → Deep Dives
Patterns
Distributed Sync
Patterns
Large File Processing
Patterns
Fanout (Read vs Write)
Patterns