Backend Engineering Interview in Action

A comprehensive resource for backend engineering interview preparation, featuring hands-on examples and practical guides in a "learn X in Y minutes" style. This repository focuses on real-world scenarios and production-ready code examples.

🎯 What Makes This Different

Production-Ready Examples: Real code you might encounter in actual work, not just theoretical concepts
Learn-by-Doing: Each topic includes practical exercises and real-world scenarios
Interview-Focused: Content structured around common interview topics with focus on depth
Modern Tech Stack: Examples using current industry tools and best practices

📚 Learning Paths

🌱 Foundation

Git Fundamentals
- Git internals, workflows, and advanced operations
- Real-world scenarios and problem-solving
- Team collaboration patterns
Data Structures
- Skip lists and their Redis implementation
- Practical usage in production systems
- Performance characteristics and tradeoffs

🏗️ System Design

System Design Principles
- Real-world case studies
- Scalability patterns
- Performance optimization
- Production architecture examples
REST API Design
- Best practices and conventions
- Authentication and authorization
- API versioning strategies
- Error handling patterns

💾 Data Storage

Redis Deep Dive
- Caching strategies
- Data structures and their use cases
- Cluster architecture
- Performance optimization
Database Design
- Time-series data handling
- Query optimization
- Indexing strategies
- Scaling patterns

☁️ Infrastructure

Cloud Services
- AWS service comparisons
- Serverless vs containerized
- Cost optimization
- Architecture decisions
Observability
- Monitoring vs observability
- ELK Stack implementation
- OpenTelemetry integration
- Debugging strategies

🛠️ Practical Examples

Python Applications
- FastAPI and Flask examples
- Testing strategies
- Dependency injection
- Performance optimization

🚀 Getting Started

Choose Your Path:
- For interviews: Start with System Design and Data Structures
- For practical skills: Begin with Python Examples and REST
- For architecture: Focus on Cloud and Observability

Setup Development Environment:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/shotgunner/Backend-engineering-interview-in-action.git
cd Backend-engineering-interview-in-action

# Set up Python virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # or `venv\Scripts\activate` on Windows

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

Run Examples:

# Try out the FastAPI example
cd Python\ Examples/fast-api-example
uvicorn app:app --reload

# Run tests
python -m pytest

💡 Best Practices Highlighted

Code Quality:
- Type hints in Python
- Comprehensive error handling
- Proper logging implementation
- Documentation standards
Testing:
- Unit and integration tests
- Performance testing
- Mocking and test doubles
- Test-driven development
Architecture:
- SOLID principles
- Design patterns
- Microservices patterns
- Event-driven architecture

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:

Pick an issue or create one
Fork the repository

Create a feature branch

git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

Make your changes
Add tests if applicable
Submit a pull request

Contribution Guidelines

Follow existing code style
Add tests for new features
Update documentation
Keep commits atomic
Use descriptive commit messages

📈 Project Roadmap

Add microservices architecture examples
Include more language implementations (Go, Java)
Add interactive coding challenges
Expand system design case studies
Add performance testing guides
Include CI/CD examples

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🌟 Support

If you find this repository helpful, please consider:

Giving it a star ⭐
Sharing it with others
Contributing your knowledge

Happy learning and good luck with your interviews! Remember: the best way to learn is by doing.