Media sharing in messages in HLD - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ Architecture

intermediate

Design components for media sharing in messaging

Which component is most essential to handle media file uploads in a scalable messaging system?

A A media storage service that stores files and provides URLs

B A message queue to deliver text messages only

C A notification service that sends alerts without storing media

D A user authentication module without media handling

💡 Hint

Think about where the media files themselves are kept and accessed.

The media storage service is critical to store and serve media files efficiently. Other components support messaging but do not handle media storage.

❓ scaling

intermediate

Scaling media delivery in messaging apps

What is the best approach to efficiently deliver large media files to many users in a messaging app?

A Send media files directly from the sender's device to each recipient

B Store media files only on the messaging server without caching

C Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to cache and serve media files globally

D Compress media files on the client side and send as text messages

💡 Hint

Consider how to reduce latency and server load when many users access the same media.

A CDN caches media files close to users, reducing latency and server load. Direct sending or no caching causes delays and high load.

❓ tradeoff

advanced

Tradeoffs in media storage formats

Which storage format tradeoff is most important when designing media sharing for messages?

A Choosing between SQL and NoSQL for user profile data

B Choosing between storing media as blobs in a database or as files in object storage

C Choosing between synchronous and asynchronous message delivery

D Choosing between storing user passwords as plain text or hashed

💡 Hint

Focus on how media files are stored and accessed efficiently.

Storing media as blobs in databases can cause performance issues; object storage is optimized for large files and scalability.

🧠 Conceptual

advanced

Handling media metadata in messaging systems

What is the primary reason to store metadata (like file type, size, thumbnail) separately from media files?

A To allow users to edit media files directly in the database

B To reduce the total storage space used by media files

C To encrypt media files separately from metadata

D To enable quick access and filtering without loading large media files

💡 Hint

Think about how apps show previews or lists of media without downloading full files.

Metadata allows the system to quickly show information and previews without loading large files, improving performance and user experience.

❓ estimation

expert

Estimating storage needs for media sharing

A messaging app expects 1 million users sharing an average of 5 media files per day. Each file averages 3 MB. What is the approximate monthly storage requirement in terabytes (TB)?

A 450 TB

B 15 TB

C 900 TB

D 150 TB

💡 Hint

Calculate total daily data, then multiply by 30 days, convert MB to TB (1 TB = 1,000,000 MB).

Daily data = 1,000,000 users * 5 files * 3 MB = 15,000,000 MB = 15 TB/day. Monthly = 15 TB * 30 = 450 TB (option A).