BrowserStack Tele Round Interview
Summary
My interview at BrowserStack began with a detailed discussion of my projects, focusing on system architecture, scaling, and real-world performance issues. This was followed by questions on computer fundamentals and networking, covering browser internals, CDNs, and protocol differences. The final segment presented a unique algorithmic design problem involving adding large numbers with a strict 2-digit value constraint.
Full Experience
1. Introduction & Project Discussion The interview began with a quick round of introductions, followed by a deep dive into my most recent project. I was asked to:
Design the system architecture of the project using draw.io. Explain how the system scales and handles concurrent users. Talk about real-world scaling issues I faced and how I addressed them — especially in terms of performance optimization and distributed systems.
Next, I was asked about the hardest technical problem I’ve solved recently. I shared a scenario that involved a challenging bug or architectural issue and explained:
2. Computer Fundamentals & Networking Concepts
How a browser works internally – what happens when a URL is entered into the address bar.
About CDN (Content Delivery Network) TCP vs HTTP WebSockets vs HTTP
3. System Thinking Question (No Code) Finally, I was given an interesting constraint-based algorithm design problem:
We have developed a new programming language with a constraint: Numbers with more than 2 digits are not supported (both input and output). Using this, add two 4-digit numbers like 8908 + 9980. The result should be computed such that each intermediate and final value never exceeds 2 digits.
I was only asked to explain the approach, not implement the solution.
My solution:- Break both numbers into individual digits from right to left.Perform unit-place addition with carry propagation.
Interview :- Since the system can handle numbers up to 2 digits, why are you limiting yourself to 1-digit chunks?
My next solution :- I divided the input numbers into 2-digit chunks from right to left.Performed base-100 addition
Interviewer:- when you did 89 + 99 = 188, that violates the constraint. The language cannot store or even compute numbers > 99, not even temporarily.
I wasn't able to think past this, as he also ruled out any binary based solution.
In the end he answered to store each digit in an array type solution.
Interview Questions (7)
Design Project Architecture & Scaling
Design the system architecture of the project using draw.io. Explain how the system scales and handles concurrent users. Talk about real-world scaling issues I faced and how I addressed them — especially in terms of performance optimization and distributed systems.
Hardest Technical Problem Solved Recently
Describe the hardest technical problem you’ve solved recently. This should involve a challenging bug or architectural issue.
How a Browser Works Internally
Explain how a browser works internally – what happens when a URL is entered into the address bar.
Content Delivery Network (CDN)
Discuss Content Delivery Networks (CDN).
TCP vs HTTP
Explain the differences between TCP and HTTP.
WebSockets vs HTTP
Explain the differences between WebSockets and HTTP.
Add Two 4-Digit Numbers with 2-Digit Constraint
We have developed a new programming language with a constraint: Numbers with more than 2 digits are not supported (both input and output). Using this, add two 4-digit numbers like 8908 + 9980. The result should be computed such that each intermediate and final value never exceeds 2 digits. (No code implementation, just approach explanation).