Start by clarifying requirements and constraints, then design a class with a tree-based directory structure and a map for file metadata. Implement core operations (add, delete, list, search) first, then extend to per-user quotas, copy, and compression. Discuss trade-offs and potential optimizations.
Pro tip: Demonstrate awareness of concurrency and scalability by mentioning thread-safety and sharding, even if not explicitly asked. This shows you think beyond basic functionality.
Ask about expected scale, file size limits, user count, and whether operations need to be thread-safe. Clarify if compression is per-file or per-directory, and if search is by name or content.
Propose a tree structure for directories and files, with nodes storing metadata (name, size, owner, compressed flag). Use a map for quick file lookup by path and a separate map for user quotas.
Outline methods for adding, deleting, listing, and searching files. For search, consider BFS/DFS or maintaining an index. Ensure operations update user storage usage.
Explain how to implement copy (deep copy of file data and metadata) and compression/decompression (using algorithms like gzip, updating size and quota accordingly).
Talk about time/space complexity, potential bottlenecks (e.g., search), and optimizations like caching, lazy deletion, or concurrent data structures.
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