Coding Interview Prep: Designing Social Media API Features

Preparing for technical interviews at top-tier technology companies requires more than just memorizing syntax; you need to understand the architectural and algorithmic patterns behind real-world systems. This course uses the core features of social media APIs, such as feed generation and user interactions, as a framework to teach you essential problem-solving strategies. You will learn how to break down complex feature requests into clean, efficient code that interviewers look for. By reading through structured explanations and analyzing code implementations, you will develop a systematic approach to technical interviews, moving from brute-force attempts to optimized, production-ready solutions. What you'll learn: - Understand the core concepts of API design and data flow in high-scale applications - Apply graph algorithms and data structures to model user connections and follower networks - Solve algorithmic problems related to timeline generation and content ranking algorithms - Implement efficient rate-limiting strategies and pagination patterns for large datasets - Optimize data retrieval using caching strategies and modern database query patterns - Practice translating abstract system requirements into clear, functional code snippets We begin with foundational definitions, exploring how API endpoints handle requests and structure payloads. From there, you will walk through common interview problems modeled after real social media features, exploring multiple optimization paths for each challenge. The course concludes with modern practices for handling real-time data streams and high-concurrency scenarios. This course is designed for beginner to intermediate software engineers preparing for technical interviews, with no prior system design experience required. Read, analyze, and elevate your coding interview readiness today.