Questions to ask in System design interview

Sridhar Narayanasamy
2 min readApr 14, 2023

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System design interviews are a critical part of the technical interview process, particularly for candidates applying for software engineering or technical roles. The goal of these interviews is to evaluate the candidate's ability to design a system or architecture that meets specific requirements. In this blog post, we will discuss the questions that you need to ask in a system design interview.

  • What are the requirements?
    The first question that you should ask in a system design interview is about the requirements of the system that you are designing. You need to understand the user's needs and the constraints that you have to work with. You should ask the interviewer to provide you with a clear picture of the use cases, load capacity, data storage, and security requirements.
  • What are the key components of the system?
    Once you understand the requirements, the next question is to ask about the key components of the system. You should ask the interviewer about the different modules and services that make up the system. You need to understand how these components interact with each other and the data flow between them.
  • What technologies should be used?
    The next question that you should ask is about the technology stack that should be used to build the system. You should ask the interviewer about the programming languages, databases, and frameworks that are preferred or required for the project. You should also ask about the integration of third-party services and APIs.
  • What is the expected load on the system?
    Another critical question to ask is about the expected load on the system. You should ask the interviewer about the anticipated traffic, the number of concurrent users, and the peak load that the system needs to handle. Understanding the load requirements will help you design a scalable and robust system.
  • How will data be stored?
    The next question that you should ask is about the data storage requirements of the system. You should ask the interviewer about the data volume, the data retention policies, and the data access patterns. Understanding the data storage requirements will help you design an efficient and scalable data storage architecture.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, a system design interview can be challenging, but it's essential to ask the right questions to demonstrate your design skills and problem-solving abilities. By asking questions about the requirements, key components, technology stack, load expectations, and data storage, you can design a system that meets the user's needs and is scalable, efficient, and secure. Remember to communicate your thought process to the interviewer and provide clear and concise solutions.

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