OpenAI System Design Interview Questions
Master your tech interview with our curated database of real questions from top companies.
Design GPU credit allocator
System Design: GPU Credits Allocation and Fair Usage Context You are designing a multi-tenant platform that provides access to GPU compute across many...
Design in-memory database API
In-Memory Database: Insert, Query, and Indexing Context You are to design a minimal, single-process, in-memory database to be embedded in a service. T...
Design a CI/CD system with live log streaming
System Design Prompt: CI/CD Platform (shell-script jobs) Design a CI/CD system that can: 1. Allow users to define pipelines consisting of multiple job...
Design a search query autocomplete system
Question Design a search autocomplete system that suggests completions as the user types. Requirements - Sub-100ms latency per keystroke. - Suggestion...
Design a regional surge pricing strategy
Scenario You operate a ride-hailing platform. You need to design a system that sets surge multipliers (dynamic pricing) for a given region. Task Desig...
Design a payment processing system
Scenario Design a backend payment system for an online product that supports: - One-time charges and refunds. - Idempotent payment APIs (clients may r...
Design a CI/CD system with stuck-job handling
Scenario Design a CI/CD platform similar to GitHub Actions/Jenkins that: - Triggers pipelines on events (e.g., push/PR/merge). - Runs pipelines as a D...
Design a URL shortening service
Design a scalable backend service for shortening URLs (similar to popular URL shortener products). Describe a system that supports at least the follow...
Design reliable high-volume chatbot system
You are designing the backend for a chatbot / AI assistant service (similar to a support bot or meeting assistant). Many users may send messages at th...
Design Slack-like multi-tenant global messaging system
Design a team messaging platform similar to Slack that supports multiple organizations (multi-tenancy) and is deployed globally. Functional requiremen...
Design a distributed crossword solving service
You are asked to design a backend service that can solve crossword puzzles at scale. A single puzzle instance consists of: - A crossword board (grid) ...
Design a CI/CD pipeline
Design a CI/CD Pipeline for a Microservices Platform Context You are designing a CI/CD system for a containerized microservices platform deployed to c...
Design a GPT chat UI with snapshots and sharing
System Design: End-to-End Web App for Interacting with a GPT-like Model Context You are designing a multi-tenant, browser-based SaaS application that ...
Design a minimal ChatGPT with presets
System Design: Minimal ChatGPT-like Service With Reusable Presets Context Design a multi-tenant conversational AI service that supports reusable prese...
Design credit balance with vector-clock expirations
Credit Balance Service with Vector-Clock Expiries You are designing a backend service that maintains per-user promotional credits. Credits are granted...
Design a multi-tenant Slack-like messenger
System Design: Multi‑Tenant B2B Team Messaging (Slack‑like) Design a multi‑tenant, enterprise‑grade team messaging platform similar to Slack. Function...
Design a CI/CD pipeline
System Design: Scalable CI/CD for Dozens of Microservices Context You are designing a CI/CD platform to support dozens of polyglot microservices (e.g....
Design multi-tenant CI/CD platform
System Design: Multi‑Tenant CI/CD Platform Context Design a cloud-native, multi-tenant CI/CD platform that integrates with popular source control prov...
Design an online ads serving system
System Design: Low-Latency Targeted Ad Serving (≤100 ms E2E) You are designing an online advertising serving system for web/app inventory with a stric...
Design a CI/CD pipeline with scheduler
System Design: Production‑Grade CI/CD for a Large Microservices Monorepo Context You’re designing a scalable, secure CI/CD platform for a large monore...