55 Questions
What is the primary purpose of distributed file systems?
Granting access to files across multiple servers
What is the main function of a notification system?
Sending notifications or alerts to users
What data structure is utilized for rapid and effective full-text search?
Inverted index
What is the primary purpose of distributed coordination services?
Regulate and synchronize the actions of distributed applications
What is the purpose of distributed coordination services in a large-scale or intricate system?
Maintaining consistency, addressing distributed synchronization, and overseeing the configuration and state of diverse components
Which of the following is an example of a distributed coordination service?
Apache ZooKeeper
What is the purpose of heartbeating in a distributed environment?
To detect server failures and enable corrective actions
How does heartbeating work in a decentralized system?
Servers randomly choose a set of servers and send them heartbeat messages
What is the purpose of calculating a checksum in a distributed system?
Ensuring data integrity during data transmission
Which cryptographic hash function can be used to calculate a checksum for data integrity?
SHA-256
"Heartbeating" is primarily used for:
Detecting failures in a distributed system
What are some examples of distributed coordination services?
etcd and Consul
What happens if no heartbeat message is received from a server within the configured timeout period?
The system suspects that the server might have crashed.
What role does heartbeating play in decentralized systems?
Facilitating failure detection without reliance on a central server
How does heartbeating contribute to maintaining system reliability?
By enabling timely detection of server failure and corrective actions
What is a key concept essential for excelling in system design, as mentioned in the text?
Load Balancing
What is the primary purpose of the system design master template mentioned in the text?
To guide in answering any system design interview question
What is identified as a key principle for software engineers aiming to excel in system design interviews?
Understanding the intricacies of API gateway
What is mentioned as essential for a comprehensive understanding of system design concepts?
Appreciating the role of caching in modern distributed systems
Which of the following cryptographic hash functions can be used to calculate a checksum for data integrity?
MD5
What is the purpose of calculating a checksum in a distributed system?
To ensure data integrity
In a distributed system, what does the client do if the data it received from the server does not match the stored checksum?
Opt to retrieve the data from another replica
What role does heartbeating play in decentralized systems?
Detecting node failures and network partitions
What is the primary purpose of distributed coordination services in a large-scale or intricate system?
Managing communication and cooperation between distributed components
What happens if no heartbeat message is received from a server within the configured timeout period?
The server may be considered unreachable or failed
What is the main function of a notification system in a distributed environment?
Facilitate communication and event dissemination across distributed components
Which NoSQL database is designed for complex relationships and interconnected structures, like social networks or recommendation systems?
Neo4j
Which type of NoSQL database is efficient for simple read and write operations, and can be partitioned and scaled horizontally?
Key-value
Which database index enhances query performance but requires additional storage space and may impact write operations?
B-tree
What is the primary purpose of distributed file systems?
Granting access to files across multiple servers
'Elastic Search' is an example of a system that utilizes which feature for efficient searching?
$full$-$text$ search
What role do notification systems primarily play in distributed applications?
Sending notifications or alerts to users
Which type of NoSQL database is efficient for querying data with known row and column keys?
Column-family
What is the main function of distributed coordination services in a dependable and fault-tolerant way?
Regulating and synchronizing the actions of distributed applications
What is the purpose of heartbeat mechanisms in distributed environments?
Detecting failures in servers
'Checksums' are used in distributed systems to achieve which purpose?
Preventing corrupted data during movement between components
What is the primary purpose of full-text search in an application or website?
Allowing users to search for specific words or phrases rapidly and effectively
'Heartbeating' is primarily used for:
Detecting failures in servers
Which component of the internet infrastructure translates domain names into corresponding IP addresses?
Recursive resolver
What is the primary function of a forward proxy or 'proxy server'?
Act as an intermediary between client machines and the internet
What role does a reverse proxy serve in a system design?
Acts as an intermediary between web servers and the internet
Which component facilitates efficient traffic distribution, security, and content delivery in system design?
Load balancers
What is the purpose of an API Gateway in system design?
Providing request routing, authentication, rate limiting, caching, and request and response transformation
What is the main function of a Content Delivery Network (CDN) in system design?
Storing and delivering content to users from locations closer to them
How do CDNs operate to improve performance and reliability of content delivery?
Directing user requests to the nearest CDN server (edge server), serving the content directly if cached.
What is a fundamental task of CDNs to ensure up-to-date content delivery?
Periodically checking the origin server for changes and updating their cache accordingly.
What is a primary function of a reverse proxy in system design?
Acting as an intermediary between web servers and the internet.
What role do system design concepts play in contemporary architectures?
Streamline communication processes and offer a single entry point for clients to access various services.
What is a key aspect of system design concepts for managing server workloads during sudden traffic surges?
Scaling applications during sudden traffic surges or uneven distribution of requests among servers.
What is the primary purpose of a reverse proxy in a system design?
To forward client requests to web servers and return their responses to the client
Where does caching occur in a distributed system?
Client, DNS, CDN, load balancer, API gateway, server, and database
What is the primary purpose of data partitioning in a distributed system?
To distribute load and enhance query performance by horizontally or vertically partitioning database tables
What is the purpose of database replication in a distributed system?
To maintain multiple copies of the same database across servers to improve availability, redundancy, and fault tolerance
What is a key characteristic of microservices architecture?
Organizing applications as small, loosely-coupled, and autonomously deployable services communicating via well-defined APIs
What is a primary characteristic of NoSQL databases?
Storing unstructured or semi-structured data and handling large volumes of data with flexibility and scalability
Study Notes
System Design Fundamentals
- Reverse proxy forwards client requests to web servers and returns their responses to the client.
- Cache is a high-speed storage layer between the application and data source, reducing the need to access the original source for data.
- Caching occurs at multiple locations in a distributed system, such as client, DNS, CDN, load balancer, API gateway, server, and database.
- Data partitioning involves horizontal (sharding) and vertical partitioning of database tables to distribute load and enhance query performance.
- Database replication maintains multiple copies of the same database across servers to improve availability, redundancy, and fault tolerance.
- Replicated database configuration involves a primary (master) database and replicas (slaves) for synchronized data and advantages in performance, availability, protection, and load balancing.
- Distributed messaging systems enable reliable, scalable, and fault-tolerant message exchange between geographically-dispersed applications or components.
- Microservices organize applications as small, loosely-coupled, and autonomously deployable services, communicating via well-defined APIs.
- Microservices adhere to the Single Responsibility Principle, offer independence, decentralization, lightweight communication, and fault tolerance.
- NoSQL databases store unstructured or semi-structured data and are popular for their flexibility, scalability, and ability to handle large volumes of data.
- NoSQL databases can be categorized into document-based, key-value stores, wide-column stores, and graph databases.
- NoSQL databases are well-suited for modern applications, big data processing, and real-time analytics due to their ability to handle diverse and large datasets.
Test your knowledge of storage systems designed to manage and grant access to files and directories across multiple servers or machines distributed across a network.
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