Recall & Review
beginner
What is a single point of failure (SPOF) in system design?
A single point of failure is a part of a system that, if it fails, causes the entire system to stop working.
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beginner
Why is identifying SPOFs important in system design?
Identifying SPOFs helps prevent total system outages by allowing designers to add redundancy or failover mechanisms.
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beginner
Name a common example of a single point of failure in a web application.
A single database server without replication is a common SPOF because if it fails, the app cannot access data.
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intermediate
What is a simple method to identify SPOFs in a system?
Trace the request flow and find components that have no backup or alternative path if they fail.
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intermediate
How can redundancy help in eliminating SPOFs?
Redundancy adds duplicate components so if one fails, another can take over, keeping the system running.
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What happens if a single point of failure fails in a system?
✗ Incorrect
A single point of failure causes the whole system to fail if it breaks.
Which of these is a way to reduce single points of failure?
✗ Incorrect
Adding redundancy means having backups to avoid SPOFs.
A database without replication is an example of:
✗ Incorrect
Without replication, the database is a SPOF.
What is the first step to identify SPOFs in a system?
✗ Incorrect
Tracing request flow helps find components with no backup.
Which component is least likely to be a SPOF?
✗ Incorrect
Load balancers distributing traffic to multiple servers reduce SPOFs.
Explain what a single point of failure is and why it matters in system design.
Think about what happens if one part breaks and the whole system stops.
You got /3 concepts.
Describe how you would find single points of failure in a simple web application architecture.
Follow the path a user request takes and look for weak spots.
You got /3 concepts.