Design a generic key-value store

Q: Design a generic key-value store

This is a System Design interview question from Databricks for Software Engineer roles. View the full question and solution on PracHub.

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Question

Design a Generic, Type-Safe Key-Value Store API

Context

You're asked to design a reusable key-value store with a generic, user-friendly API suitable for local in-memory use and evolvable to persistent storage. Assume Java for the typed API, but design decisions should be language-agnostic where possible.

Requirements

Define the data model and core operations:
- put, get, delete, exists, batch
Expose generics in the interface (e.g., Java), while maintaining type safety.
Design for reusability and layering (e.g., pluggable serialization and storage engines).
Describe error handling strategy.
Discuss versioning and TTL options (optimistic concurrency control, expirations).
Outline how to evolve an in-memory prototype into a persistent implementation.

Design a generic key-value store

Design a Generic, Type-Safe Key-Value Store API

Context

Requirements

Solution (Locked)

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