High-Level Design
Design Dropbox · Part 2
Problem context
Design a file-sync service like Dropbox: a folder of files lives on many devices, and when a user edits a file on one device, the change appears on every other device within seconds.
In scope: syncing changes across devices, uploading and downloading files efficiently, transferring only what changed, and resolving conflicting edits. Real-time character-by-character collaborative editing, full-text search over file contents, and sharing permissions are out of scope.
What a strong answer sounds like
State the decision, connect it to a requirement, and name the tradeoff. Keep the design focused on the workload in the prompt.
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