System Design (basics) interview questions

Master System Design (basics) interview questions with 10+ curated problems, answer outlines, and placement-focused preparation.

Preview Questions

  1. What is difference between API Gateway and Load Balancer?

    An API Gateway and a Load Balancer may sound similar because both handle incoming requests, but they serve different purposes in a system’s architecture. 1. API Gateway An API Gateway acts as a single entry point for...

  2. What is difference between Reverse Proxy and Forward Proxy?

    A Forward Proxy and a Reverse Proxy both act as intermediaries between clients and servers, but they serve different purposes and sit on opposite sides of the connection. 1. Forward Proxy A Forward Proxy is placed in...

  3. What is difference between Microservices and Monolithic architecture?

    Microservices and Monolithic architectures are two different approaches to designing and building applications. 1. Monolithic Architecture In a Monolithic architecture, the entire application is built as a single,...

  4. What is Rate Limiter? How does it work?

    A Rate Limiter is a technique used to control how many requests a user or system can make to a server or API within a specific time period. It helps prevent abuse, protects servers from overload, and ensures fair usage...

  5. How does Single Sign On (SSO) works?

    Single Sign-On (SSO) is an authentication process that allows users to log in once and gain access to multiple applications or services without logging in again for each one. It simplifies the user experience and...

  6. What is difference between Horizontal scaling and vertical scaling?

    Horizontal scaling and vertical scaling are two different methods of increasing the capacity and performance of a system to handle more load. 1. Vertical Scaling Vertical scaling means increasing the capacity of a...

  7. Differnece between Kafka, ActiveMQ, and RabbitMQ?

    Kafka, ActiveMQ, and RabbitMQ are all message brokers used for communication between different parts of a system, but they differ in architecture, performance, and use cases. 1. Kafka Kafka is a distributed event...

  8. Difference between JWT, OAuth, and SAML?

    JWT, OAuth, and SAML are all used for authentication and authorization, but they work in different ways and serve different purposes. 1. JWT (JSON Web Token) JWT is a token-based authentication standard used to securely...