High Availability and Failover for a Primary-Replica Database

Company: Amazon

Role: Software Engineer

Category: System Design

Difficulty: medium

Interview Round: Onsite

Quick Answer: This question evaluates a candidate's understanding of database high-availability design, including replication semantics, failure detection, and failover orchestration. It tests practical application of concepts like RTO, RPO, and split-brain avoidance in a primary-replica architecture, commonly asked to assess system design and reliability engineering skills.