Monday, February 2, 2026
Database Query Optimization Under Load
Optimize the latency of a database query system handling heavy read traffic.
00The Situation
The interview is designed for a senior to principal engineer level, focusing on identifying and alleviating performance bottlenecks in a high-read environment.
Take 10-15 minutes to think through how you would approach this before continuing.
Clarify Requirements
5-10 min
Let's start by clarifying the requirements and constraints of this system.
Think about this first
Consider what specific performance metrics and constraints might guide your optimization strategy.
Estimate Scale
5 min
Estimate the scale of the system and calculate necessary resources.
Think about this first
Think about the data size, QPS, and resource requirements.
Define High-Level Architecture
10 min
Design the architecture to support optimized query performance.
Think about this first
Consider components like caching, databases, and network optimizations.
Address Failures & Bottlenecks
5-7 min
Identify and mitigate potential failures and performance bottlenecks.
Think about this first
Think about how failures could propagate and impact performance.