I went straight for the basic operations and got those working fine, but then the serialization part tripped me up more than I expected.
Start by clarifying requirements and constraints, then propose a serialization format (e.g., JSON) with a clear schema, and implement the key-value store with put, get, and delete operations. Emphasize round-trip correctness through testing and discuss trade-offs of your choices.
Pro tip: Mention that you would version the serialized format to handle schema evolution, and use a library like JSON Schema for validation to ensure data integrity.
Ask about expected data types, size limits, concurrency needs, and persistence requirements to scope the solution appropriately.
Select a format like JSON or MessagePack, justifying based on readability, performance, and compatibility with structured objects.
Define put(key, value), get(key), delete(key) methods, and decide on an in-memory map or external store, ensuring serialization on write and deserialization on read.
Implement serialization and deserialization functions, and write tests to verify that objects survive the round-trip without data loss.
Talk about performance, error handling, schema evolution, and potential optimizations like caching or compression.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.