Adobe system design interview questions

Sample questions with short answers

Tap a question to reveal the short answer and key points.

1. 1Design a cloud asset library that syncs large design files across devices.HardAdobe-specificShow short answer

   Short answer

   Upload files in chunks with content hashes so unchanged chunks are deduplicated; store blobs in object storage and metadata (versions, permissions) in a database. Generate previews asynchronously via a worker queue. Handle conflicts with versioning, support resumable uploads, and use a CDN for downloads. Discuss very large files and bandwidth-aware sync.

   Interviewers listen for

   • chunked, deduplicated uploads
   • generate previews asynchronously
   • versioning and CDN delivery
2. 2How would you design a service that renders image effects at scale?MediumAdobe-specificShow short answer

   Short answer

   Accept jobs through an API into a queue, process them on autoscaled GPU/CPU workers, and store outputs in object storage with a CDN. Cache results keyed by input hash plus parameters so repeated requests are free. Prioritise interactive requests over batch, enforce per-tenant quotas, and expose job status for long renders.

   Interviewers listen for

   • queue with autoscaled workers
   • cache by input hash and parameters
   • prioritise interactive requests and per-tenant quotas
3. 3Design a URL shortener. Walk through the key decisions.MediumAsked everywhereShow short answer

   Short answer

   Clarify scale (e.g. 100M new URLs/month, 10:1 read:write) and features (custom aliases, expiry, analytics). Generate short keys with base-62 encoding of a counter or a hash with collision checks. Store the mapping in a key-value store, put a cache in front for hot links, and make redirects 301/302 depending on whether you need click analytics. Discuss sharding by key and rate-limiting abuse.

   Interviewers listen for

   • clarify scale and read/write ratio
   • base-62 key generation
   • cache for hot redirects
   • sharding the key-value store
4. 4What is the CAP theorem and how does it shape real system choices?MediumAsked everywhereShow short answer

   Short answer

   During a network partition a distributed system must choose between consistency (every read sees the latest write) and availability (every request gets a response). Banking ledgers lean CP; social feeds and shopping carts lean AP with eventual consistency. In interviews, name the partition scenario explicitly and justify which side the product can tolerate.

   Interviewers listen for

   • partition forces consistency vs availability
   • banking leans CP, feeds lean AP
   • justify choice from product tolerance
5. 5How would you design a rate limiter for an API gateway?HardAsked everywhereShow short answer

   Short answer

   Choose an algorithm — token bucket is the usual default (allows bursts, simple to reason about); sliding window log is exact but memory-heavy. Keep counters in Redis keyed by client and window, using atomic INCR/EXPIRE or a Lua script to avoid races. For multiple gateway nodes, centralise counters or accept slight over-admission with local buckets. Return 429 with Retry-After headers.

   Interviewers listen for

   • token bucket or sliding window
   • Redis counters with atomic operations
   • distributed nodes and 429 responses