Quota Management System Design

System DesignSnowflakeLast reported September 2025Low Frequency
Reported
3× across candidate reports
First seen
July 2025
Last reported
September 2025
Reported outcome
mixed

Problem Overview

Design a quota management system shared by multiple upstream services. Classic example: Google Drive and Google Photos each consuming storage from a shared 100GB per-user quota. Each user has a single global quota limit. The system must support: (1) Consuming/reserving quota, (2) Releasing/returning quota, (3) Optionally querying current quota usage.…

  • 6 candidate-reported follow-ups — the exact probes interviewers asked, with the trigger for each
  • The rest of the problem statement — full requirements, constraints, and edge cases
  • Approach and trade-offs — what passing candidates did, and the mistakes that sink people
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Verified Source
Every question is reconstructed from multiple independent candidate reports. Verbatim follow-ups, not invented ones.
Codex Fact-Checked
Technical claims, formulas, and scale numbers are reviewed against primary sources.
Interviewer Follow-ups
The exact follow-ups reported by candidates, with the trigger that prompts each one — plus the mistakes that sink people.
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