Availability checking in LLD - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to check if a service is available by pinging it.

LLD

def is_service_available(url):
    response = ping(url)
    return response.status_code == [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A500

B404

C302

D200

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 404 which means not found

Using 500 which means server error

The HTTP status code 200 means the service is available and responded successfully.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to retry checking availability if the first ping fails.

LLD

def check_with_retry(url, retries):
    for _ in range(retries):
        if is_service_available(url):
            return True
    return [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ANone

BTrue

CFalse

DException

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Returning True even if service is down

Returning None which is ambiguous

If all retries fail, the function should return False indicating the service is not available.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to handle timeout exceptions during availability check.

LLD

def safe_check(url):
    try:
        return is_service_available(url)
    except [1]:
        return False

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ATimeoutError

BValueError

CKeyError

DIndexError

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Catching ValueError which is unrelated

Catching KeyError which is for dicts

TimeoutError is the correct exception to catch when a ping times out.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to implement exponential backoff in retry logic.

LLD

def retry_with_backoff(url, retries):
    delay = 1
    for _ in range(retries):
        if is_service_available(url):
            return True
        time.sleep([1])
        delay = delay [2] 2
    return False

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Adelay

Bdelay + 2

C*

D+

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Adding 2 instead of multiplying

Using a fixed delay without change

We sleep for the current delay, then multiply delay by 2 to double it each retry.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a dictionary comprehension that maps service names to their availability status.

LLD

services_status = [1]: safe_check([2]) for [3] in services_list}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A{service

Bservice

Cservice_name

Dservice}

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Missing curly brace

Using wrong variable names

The dictionary comprehension uses service_name as the loop variable, service as the key, and calls safe_check on service.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of availability checking in system design?

easy

A. To create backups of system data

B. To increase the speed of data processing

C. To encrypt user data for security

D. To determine if a resource is free or ready to use

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of availability checking

   Availability checking is about verifying if a resource like a room, item, or slot is free to be used or booked.

2. Step 2: Identify the main goal

   The main goal is to know if the resource is ready or free, not about speed, security, or backups.

3. Final Answer:

   To determine if a resource is free or ready to use -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Availability checking = resource readiness [OK]

Hint: Availability checking means resource is free or not [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing availability with performance optimization
• Mixing availability with security features
• Thinking availability means data backup

2. Which of the following code snippets correctly checks if a room is available given a list of booked rooms booked_rooms = [101, 102, 103] and a requested room requested_room = 104?

easy

A. if requested_room in booked_rooms:
print('Available')

B. if requested_room == booked_rooms:
print('Available')

C. if requested_room not in booked_rooms:
print('Available')

D. if requested_room > booked_rooms:
print('Available')

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the list and requested room

   booked_rooms contains rooms already taken: 101, 102, 103. requested_room is 104.

2. Step 2: Check correct condition for availability

   Room is available if requested_room is NOT in booked_rooms. So, 'if requested_room not in booked_rooms' is correct.

3. Final Answer:

   if requested_room not in booked_rooms: print('Available') -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Not in booked_rooms means available [OK]

Hint: Check 'not in' to confirm availability [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'in' instead of 'not in' to check availability
• Comparing equality of a number to a list
• Using greater than operator on list

3. Given the following code, what will be the output?

booked_slots = {"9AM": True, "10AM": False}
requested_slot = "10AM"
if not booked_slots.get(requested_slot, False):
    print("Slot Available")
else:
    print("Slot Booked")

medium

A. Slot Available

B. Slot Booked

C. KeyError

D. No output

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the dictionary and requested slot

   booked_slots maps times to True (booked) or False (free). "10AM" is False, meaning free.

2. Step 2: Evaluate the condition

   booked_slots.get("10AM", False) returns False. 'not False' is True, so it prints "Slot Available".

3. Final Answer:

   Slot Available -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   False means free, so output is Slot Available [OK]

Hint: False means free slot, so print available [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming True means available instead of booked
• Expecting KeyError when key exists
• Ignoring default value in get()

4. Identify the bug in the following availability check code:

def is_available(stock, requested):
    if requested > stock:
        return True
    else:
        return False

print(is_available(5, 10))

medium

A. The function should return False when requested is greater than stock

B. The function is correct and returns True

C. The condition should be 'requested <= stock' to return True

D. The function should compare 'stock > requested' instead

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the condition logic

   Current code returns True if requested > stock, meaning more requested than available stock.

2. Step 2: Correct logic for availability

   Availability means stock should be enough or more than requested. So, if requested > stock, return False.

3. Final Answer:

   The function should return False when requested is greater than stock -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Requested > stock means not available [OK]

Hint: Availability means stock >= requested, else False [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Returning True when requested exceeds stock
• Confusing greater than with less than
• Not testing with example values

5. You are designing an availability checking system for a hotel booking platform. Which approach best ensures high availability and scalability when checking room availability in real-time?

hard

A. Use a centralized database with locking to check and update availability synchronously

B. Cache availability data in memory with periodic sync to the database and use optimistic concurrency

C. Check availability by scanning all booking records on every request without caching

D. Allow double booking and resolve conflicts manually later

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand requirements for high availability and scalability

   System must respond quickly and handle many requests without blocking.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options for real-time availability checking

   Cache availability data in memory with periodic sync to the database and use optimistic concurrency uses caching and optimistic concurrency, reducing database load and avoiding locks, improving scalability and availability.

3. Final Answer:

   Cache availability data in memory with periodic sync to the database and use optimistic concurrency -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Caching + optimistic concurrency = scalable availability [OK]

Hint: Cache data and use optimistic concurrency for scalable availability [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using locking causing bottlenecks
• Scanning all records causing slow response
• Allowing double booking causing user issues