GitHub Software Engineer Interview Questions

I would optimize for speed, relevance, and freshness because users expect suggestions almost immediately. That usually means precomputed indexes, caching, and ranking signals based on usage and query intent. The hard part is keeping suggestions useful without making them stale.

I would define a clear conflict strategy, such as optimistic locking, version checks, or merge support depending on the data model. Then I would make sure users understand when a conflict happens and how to recover. The goal is to avoid silent overwrites and data loss.

I would look at the query plan, indexes, cardinality, and whether the access pattern matches the schema. Then I would decide whether to add an index, rewrite the query, cache results, or redesign the data path. Good optimization starts with understanding why the database is doing extra work.

I would record who changed what, when it changed, and what the previous value was. Then I would protect the history from tampering and make it searchable for debugging or compliance. A strong audit trail is both a product feature and a trust feature.

I would make sure backups are automated, tested, and restorable within a realistic recovery target. Then I would verify that the restore process is actually usable, because a backup that cannot be restored is not much help. Good recovery planning is about business continuity, not just storage.