Is a system design interview the same as a coding interview?

System Design Interviews

Definition: Evaluate a candidate's ability to architect scalable, reliable systems by designing architectures, data models, and system components.

Focus: Assess problem-solving skills, architectural design abilities, and comprehension of system scalability, reliability, and performance.

Skills Tested:

• Architectural Design
• Scalability Planning
• Data Modeling
• System Trade-offs

Example Question: "Design a scalable online messaging system like WhatsApp, capable of handling millions of concurrent users."

Coding Interviews

Definition: Gauge a candidate's capacity to solve algorithmic and data structure problems efficiently by writing clean, optimized code.

Focus: Evaluate algorithmic problem-solving skills, coding proficiency, and the ability to write clean, efficient code.

Skills Tested:

• Algorithmic Problem Solving
• Data Structure Manipulation
• Coding Proficiency
• Optimization Techniques

Example Question: "Implement a function to find the shortest path in a maze using breadth-first search."

Key Differences

Focus Area:

• System design interviews focus on designing scalable and reliable systems.
• Coding interviews focus on solving algorithmic and data structure problems.

Evaluation Criteria:

• System design interviews assess candidates' ability to design architectures and make system trade-offs.
• Coding interviews assess candidates' ability to solve algorithmic problems and write clean, optimized code.

Preparation Approach:

• System design interviews require understanding system architectures, scalability principles, and real-world system design patterns.
• Coding interviews require mastering algorithms, data structures, and coding techniques.