System Design · interview question
In a system design interview, you're asked about CAP theorem. Which two properties can a distributed database guarantee simultaneously?
Multiple choiceHardchapter-20-curatedpremiumsystem-designdefending-tradeoffs
Answer and explanation
Correct answer
D. Availability and Partition tolerance.
Why
According to the CAP theorem, a distributed system can guarantee only two of the three properties: Consistency, Availability, and Partition tolerance. Most systems choose Availability and Partition tolerance due to their practical importance in distributed environments.
Test yourself on System Design
A free test with instant, explained results. No account needed.
More System Design questions
- If an interviewer says inventory accuracy is critical during checkout, which design statement is strongest?
- You are reviewing a codebase and spot a potential security issue. Which practice is most effective for mitigating SQL…
- Which approach is the strongest way to start a senior system-design answer?
- When discussing SQL databases, what does ACID stand for, and why is it important?
- During a code review, you spot a potential race condition. What is one effective way to address this in Java?
- In a live coding interview, why is it beneficial to explain your approach aloud while coding?