How do I approach System Design interview questions?

System Design questions require understanding of core concepts and practice. PracHub provides solutions with explanations to help you master system design interviews.

What difficulty level is this interview question?

This is a hard difficulty System Design question, commonly asked during Onsite rounds at OpenAI.

What role is this question designed for?

This question is commonly asked for Software Engineer candidates at OpenAI during technical interviews.

Design a URL shortening service

Last updated: Mar 29, 2026

Quick Overview

This question evaluates a candidate's ability to design scalable, highly available backend services, testing competencies in API design, data modeling, distributed systems, caching, partitioning, and operational trade-offs within the System Design domain of backend engineering.

|Home/System Design/OpenAI

Design a URL shortening service

OpenAI

Dec 8, 2025, 8:32 PM

hardSoftware EngineerOnsiteSystem Design

Submit Your Answer to Earn 20XP

Loading comments...

Browse More Questions

More System Design•More OpenAI•More Software Engineer•OpenAI Software Engineer•OpenAI System Design•Software Engineer System Design

Your design canvas — auto-saved

Design a URL shortening service

Last updated: Mar 29, 2026

Quick Overview

|Home/System Design/OpenAI

Design a URL shortening service

OpenAI

Dec 8, 2025, 8:32 PM

hardSoftware EngineerOnsiteSystem Design

Submit Your Answer to Earn 20XP

Loading comments...

Browse More Questions

More System Design•More OpenAI•More Software Engineer•OpenAI Software Engineer•OpenAI System Design•Software Engineer System Design

Your design canvas — auto-saved