How do you identify and optimize the critical request path in an HLD?

Problem Statement

Explanation

Trace the user’s most frequent action end to end. Count network hops, synchronous dependencies, and cache hits. Anything on the p95 critical path gets caching, denormalized views, or precompute. Remove cross-region calls, use connection pooling, and keep payloads small. Everything else can be async off the path.

Code Solution

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GET /feed -> CDN -> API -> Cache -> Store

Practice Sets

This question appears in the following practice sets:

High-Level Design (HLD) Interview Core

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How do you identify and optimize the critical request path in an HLD?

Problem Statement

Explanation

Code Solution

Practice Sets

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Master Interviews Anywhere, Anytime

How do you identify and optimize the critical request path in an HLD?

Problem Statement

Explanation

Code Solution

Practice Sets

Related Questions

Which statement best describes the Single Responsibility Principle?

Open–Closed Principle encourages what practice when adding features?

High-Level Design (HLD) typically focuses on which artifacts?

Which UML diagram best captures interactions over time between components?

Which pairing describes a healthy design goal?

More from System Design

Master Interviews
Anywhere, Anytime