C Scenario-Based Questions 2025 - Crack IT Interview

This article concerns real-time and knowledgeable C Scenario-Based Questions 2025. It is drafted with the interview theme in mind to provide maximum support for your interview. Go through these C Scenario-Based Questions 2025 to the end, as all scenarios have their importance and learning potential.

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Disclaimer:
These solutions are based on my experience and best effort. Actual results may vary depending on your setup. Codes may need some tweaking.

1) A service written in C is leaking memory after a feature rollout—how would you stabilize and triage without code changes?

I’d first contain blast radius: reduce traffic, add safe restarts, and isolate the process so the host stays healthy.
I’d turn on lightweight runtime telemetry (RSS trends, allocation counts) to see leak shape over time.
I’d compare pre- and post-release behaviors to narrow the suspect path quickly.
I’d review long-lived objects and caches to check if “add but never free” patterns slipped in.
I’d sample live heap snapshots or logs to find which request types grow memory.
I’d add temporary caps on cache sizes and disable the new path via a kill-switch if available.
I’d plan a rollback if stabilization isn’t holding, then fix the root cause with a small, audited patch.

2) You inherit a C library used by multiple teams; ABI breaks are causing runtime crashes—how do you regain trust?

I’d define a strict versioning policy and promise not to break existing symbols without a major bump.
I’d add symbol visibility rules so only intended APIs are exported.
I’d introduce compatibility shims for the most used older calls.
I’d document struct layouts and padding rules to prevent silent layout drift.
I’d add an ABI check in CI that compares headers and symbol maps before release.
I’d publish a clear migration guide with examples of safe replacements.
I’d stage releases with beta tags so downstreams can validate before we lock.

3) On a 32-bit to 64-bit migration, your C program corrupts data intermittently—what pitfalls do you target first?

I’d look for pointer-to-int casts where width changes break assumptions.
I’d review struct packing and alignment, especially around pointers and size_t fields.
I’d check file offsets and time types for truncation and sign issues.
I’d scan printf/scanf format strings for mismatches with wider types.
I’d examine cross-process protocols where field sizes were “implied” not defined.
I’d test boundary cases with very large indices and buffer sizes.
I’d add static analysis to flag unsafe casts and suspicious arithmetic.

4) Real-time system spikes cause missed deadlines—how do you make a C module more predictable?

I’d map the hot path and remove dynamic allocation in the deadline window.
I’d prefer fixed-size buffers and pre-initialized pools to avoid jitter.
I’d bound loops and avoid unbounded retries or backoffs.
I’d pick algorithms with stable O(1)/O(log n) behavior under load.
I’d reduce syscalls and context switches inside the critical section.
I’d set clear priorities and avoid priority inversion with careful locking.
I’d measure worst-case latency, not averages, before and after changes.

5) Your C service crashes only under heavy concurrency—how do you hunt the race without drowning in logs?

I’d reproduce with a stress profile that amplifies the timing window.
I’d shrink the suspect area by toggling features until the crash pattern changes.
I’d add minimal, timestamped markers around shared data accesses.
I’d check for double-free, use-after-free, and non-atomic reads of shared flags.
I’d simplify locking: one owner, one policy, and clear lock order to avoid cycles.
I’d create a tiny standalone test that mimics the contested access.
I’d keep fixes surgical and write a regression test that hammers the same path.

6) Two teams want static vs dynamic linking for your C SDK—how do you decide?

I’d start from consumer constraints: footprint, update cadence, and platform rules.
Static linking helps with single-file deploys and no external deps.
Dynamic linking helps patch security issues without rebuilding apps.
Static can bloat binaries; dynamic can create “works on my machine” issues.
Licensing and symbol visibility may push one way or the other.
For many clients, I’d ship both plus a stable C API layer and versioned SONAME.
I’d document the trade-offs so teams choose knowingly.

7) Your embedded C code must run with “no malloc” policy—how do you design safely?

I’d size all buffers upfront with clear headroom for worst-case inputs.
I’d use ring buffers and object pools for predictable reuse.
I’d validate all indices and lengths before touching memory.
I’d precompute tables and constants at build time where possible.
I’d design state machines with explicit states instead of ad-hoc flags.
I’d add runtime asserts that can be compiled out in production builds.
I’d monitor stack depth to avoid silent overflows.

8) A new feature needs file I/O speedups—what would you try before rewriting in another language?

I’d batch reads/writes to reduce syscall overhead.
I’d use buffered I/O wisely and align to the filesystem block size.
I’d evaluate memory-mapped I/O if access patterns suit it.
I’d avoid tiny syncs; coalesce flushes where durability rules allow.
I’d pre-allocate files to prevent fragmentation during growth.
I’d profile actual I/O wait vs CPU so we fix the real bottleneck.
I’d confirm that the storage and mount options aren’t the hidden culprit.

9) Your team keeps hitting undefined behavior bugs—how do you reduce UB risk in a C codebase?

I’d define a strict subset: no wild pointer casts, no aliasing tricks.
I’d turn on maximum warnings and treat them as errors.
I’d run sanitizers regularly in CI to catch UB early.
I’d replace hand-rolled macros with safer inline functions.
I’d document alignment, lifetime, and ownership rules in headers.
I’d add small unit tests around any code that relies on compilers’ specifics.
I’d conduct targeted code reviews focused on UB hotspots.

10) Logging in C flooded disks during an incident—how do you make observability safer?

I’d set log budgets and rate limits so noise can’t take systems down.
I’d separate user-path logs from debug logs with clear levels.
I’d log structured key facts, not entire payloads.
I’d include correlation IDs to stitch requests across modules.
I’d keep logging non-blocking and drop-tolerant under backpressure.
I’d rotate and compress by size and time with retention policies.
I’d rehearse “incident mode” settings to raise signal without chaos.

11) Your C module must integrate with Python—how do you keep the boundary safe and simple?

I’d keep the C surface area small and stable, just the critical loops.
I’d pass plain C types and lengths; avoid hidden ownership traps.
I’d document who allocates and who frees for every pointer.
I’d validate inputs on the C side even if Python checked earlier.
I’d return clear error codes and map them to Python exceptions.
I’d test with representative data sizes from Python callers.
I’d version the interface so upgrades don’t surprise users.

12) After a rollback, you fear partial state corruption—what’s your C-level recovery plan?

I’d verify on-disk formats match the downgraded version’s expectations.
I’d add sanity checks before trusting persisted counters and lengths.
I’d create repair routines that rebuild indexes from source truth.
I’d gate risky operations until validation passes.
I’d log any auto-repairs for audit and follow-up.
I’d run consistency checks as part of startup, not later.
I’d document a clear forward-only rule if backward migration is unsafe.

13) Security asks for hardened builds—what changes make sense for C services?

I’d compile with defenses like stack protections and control-flow guards where available.
I’d minimize the attack surface by hiding non-API symbols.
I’d drop privileges early and sandbox risky parts if possible.
I’d validate every external input and bound every buffer.
I’d avoid risky string routines in favor of length-aware variants.
I’d keep third-party deps updated and pinned.
I’d add fuzzing on inputs that parse complex formats.

14) Customers report “works on Linux, fails on Windows”—how do you chase portability issues?

I’d review path, newline, and charset assumptions.
I’d check struct packing and calling conventions across compilers.
I’d replace non-portable APIs with standard ones or adapters.
I’d ensure sockets, time, and signals are abstracted behind a thin layer.
I’d use consistent integer widths and explicit endianness handling.
I’d set up cross-platform CI so we never regress.
I’d add small smoke tests for each OS-specific behavior.

15) Your C library uses callbacks heavily; a client blames you for reentrancy crashes—how do you respond?

I’d document whether callbacks can reenter and what’s allowed inside them.
I’d ensure we never call user callbacks while holding internal locks.
I’d snapshot callback pointers under a lock, then invoke without locks.
I’d provide a “defer” mode for clients who want callbacks on a safe thread.
I’d clarify ownership of user data passed to callbacks.
I’d add tests that simulate reentrancy and cancellation.
I’d offer sample wrappers showing recommended patterns.

16) A hot loop in C is CPU-bound—how do you get a safe speedup without micro-obsessing?

I’d measure first to confirm where time actually goes.
I’d pick simpler data layouts that are cache-friendly.
I’d remove unnecessary branches or move them out of the loop.
I’d hoist invariant computations and precompute tables.
I’d try chunked processing to leverage modern CPUs better.
I’d keep correctness tests close while iterating.
I’d stop once the gain is meaningful and stable under real loads.

17) Your socket code drops messages during bursts—what do you adjust in design?

I’d accept that bursts happen and add bounded queues with backpressure.
I’d batch sends/receives where protocol allows.
I’d avoid blocking the main loop with slow handlers.
I’d separate control and data paths to keep control responsive.
I’d add lightweight drop metrics to see when buffers overflow.
I’d tune timeouts thoughtfully rather than “just increase”.
I’d document throughput vs latency trade-offs for the team.

18) A third-party C dependency is abandonware—how do you de-risk?

I’d fork or wrap it behind a narrow interface we control.
I’d audit the code for obvious security and portability issues.
I’d add tests that lock in our expected behaviors.
I’d pin versions and vendor the code for build determinism.
I’d plan a migration path to a maintained alternative.
I’d watch for CVE chatter and triage quickly if one lands.
I’d keep stakeholders informed on the exit timeline.

19) Team debates “one big header” vs modular headers—how do you set a direction?

I’d prefer small, focused headers with clear ownership.
I’d reduce include chains to prevent slow and fragile builds.
I’d ensure each public header is self-contained and guarded.
I’d split internal vs public headers to avoid leaking details.
I’d make naming predictable so discoverability is easy.
I’d add an include-what-you-use check in CI.
I’d document stable API and mark internal parts clearly.

20) Error handling is inconsistent across modules—how do you standardize?

I’d agree on a return-code model and reserve ranges per module.
I’d pair codes with short, human-readable messages.
I’d ensure functions never mix “return code” and “errno” ambiguously.
I’d avoid silent retries and always log at the decision point.
I’d create helpers to map errors to consistent logs and metrics.
I’d write a one-pager so new code follows the same style.
I’d add tests that simulate failures to verify handling paths.

21) Your build is flaky across compilers—what policy keeps you safe?

I’d define the compilers and versions we support on each platform.
I’d require warnings-as-errors and a shared warning baseline.
I’d run CI on at least two compilers to catch differences.
I’d freeze toolchains for releases and update deliberately.
I’d track feature usage and avoid compiler-specific extensions by default.
I’d document exact flags so local builds match CI.
I’d keep reproducible builds to help debugging.

22) The team wants to add threads to a formerly single-threaded C app—how do you phase it in safely?

I’d start with read-mostly parts that benefit from parallelism.
I’d define ownership so each thread has clear responsibilities.
I’d pick simple synchronization primitives first, then evolve.
I’d avoid sharing complex structures; pass messages instead.
I’d add thread-aware tests that run under load.
I’d keep tracing lightweight to observe contention early.
I’d stop if complexity outgrows the actual gains.

23) Customers ask for a plugin system—what does a safe C plugin contract look like?

I’d define a versioned, C-only ABI with strict types.
I’d specify lifecycle hooks: init, run, shutdown, and error semantics.
I’d keep the host owning all memory unless explicitly delegated.
I’d require plugins to declare capabilities at load time.
I’d sandbox or restrict plugins to protect the host.
I’d log plugin boundaries and failures distinctly.
I’d ship a reference plugin as the golden example.

24) Intermittent checksum mismatches appear in your C storage layer—where do you look first?

I’d ensure all I/O is using the intended endianness consistently.
I’d check uninitialized padding in structs being written to disk.
I’d verify partial write handling and crash-safe sequencing.
I’d compare checksum code across read/write paths for symmetry.
I’d test with power-loss style interruptions to expose ordering bugs.
I’d confirm no background scrubber “fixes” good data incorrectly.
I’d add a repair tool for small, contained corruption cases.

25) A critical C process sometimes hangs during shutdown—how do you make exits clean?

I’d define a clear shutdown sequence and responsibilities.
I’d make signal handlers minimal and just set flags.
I’d join threads with timeouts and report which one blocks.
I’d ensure all queues stop accepting new work early.
I’d close external resources in a known order.
I’d keep shutdown idempotent so it tolerates retries.
I’d test shutdown under load, not only when idle.

26) You must expose metrics from a C service—how do you avoid performance and accuracy traps?

I’d pick a small set of counters that actually guide decisions.
I’d keep collection lock-free where possible or use per-thread buffers.
I’d expose rates and latencies with clear units and percentiles.
I’d sample sparingly on hot paths to avoid overhead.
I’d validate metrics against logs during incidents.
I’d document each metric’s meaning so alerts are sane.
I’d keep scraping resilient to brief pauses or hiccups.

27) A library uses global state heavily—how do you reduce surprises?

I’d encapsulate globals behind accessor functions.
I’d allow explicit init and teardown so users control lifetime.
I’d avoid hidden singletons in favor of passed contexts.
I’d make state thread-safe or clearly single-threaded.
I’d add tests that run multiple independent instances.
I’d document what is and isn’t shared across calls.
I’d plan a gradual de-globalization in new versions.

28) Your C parser crashes on malformed inputs from the field—how do you harden it?

I’d validate lengths and bounds before reading any field.
I’d reject unreasonable sizes early with clear errors.
I’d cap recursion or nesting depth to avoid stack issues.
I’d fuzz with real-world corpora plus random mutations.
I’d separate parse and execute phases to limit damage.
I’d keep parsing state explicit to simplify recovery.
I’d log minimal context for later reproduction.

29) The team wants to switch from makefiles to a new build system—what do you insist on?

I’d require fast, incremental builds that scale to the repo.
I’d want first-class support for multiple compilers and platforms.
I’d need reproducible outputs for releases and debugging.
I’d insist on simple dependency declarations and visibility rules.
I’d want easy integration with testing and static analysis.
I’d plan a staged migration with a clear fallback.
I’d document the developer workflow so productivity doesn’t dip.

30) Your binary size is too large for your target—how do you slim it down sensibly?

I’d strip symbols from release binaries while keeping separate debug files.
I’d remove unused features via build-time flags.
I’d prefer smaller data structures and avoid duplicate tables.
I’d share common code across modules rather than copy-paste.
I’d review inlining decisions that balloon code size.
I’d compress assets and consider lazy loading where acceptable.
I’d track size in CI to catch regressions early.

31) A partner requests synchronous APIs, but you prefer async—how do you offer both without confusion?

I’d implement one core async engine and wrap a sync layer on top.
I’d make timeouts explicit so sync calls don’t hang forever.
I’d document threading expectations and reentrancy clearly.
I’d ensure both paths share the same validation and error codes.
I’d test equivalence: same input, same outcome across styles.
I’d advise partners on where sync is fine vs risky.
I’d mark any performance caveats in the sync layer.

32) Your team struggles with pointer ownership—how do you make it obvious?

I’d standardize “create/retain/release” naming that signals ownership.
I’d return const pointers when callers must not free.
I’d add API docs with one-line ownership rules per function.
I’d avoid transferring ownership mid-function unexpectedly.
I’d add lightweight lifetime checks in debug builds.
I’d wrap raw pointers in small handles where helpful.
I’d review any function that returns borrowed memory.

33) Load tests show long tail latencies—how do you shave the tail in C?

I’d find contention points and reduce shared state.
I’d isolate slow operations on separate threads or queues.
I’d cache hot computations with clear eviction rules.
I’d pre-warm critical paths before traffic arrives.
I’d add timeouts and fallbacks so outliers don’t poison the pool.
I’d monitor p95/p99 separately and set goals for each.
I’d re-test with realistic burst patterns, not just steady load.

34) Your CLI tool in C confuses users—how do you improve UX without heavy frameworks?

I’d provide short and long flags with clear help output.
I’d support config files and environment overrides predictably.
I’d return non-zero codes with friendly messages on errors.
I’d add dry-run mode to show what would happen.
I’d keep output stable so scripts don’t break silently.
I’d include examples for common tasks users actually face.
I’d version the CLI behavior and note breaking changes.

35) You must expose a stable file format—how do you future-proof it?

I’d define endian and alignment explicitly in the spec.
I’d include a version field and reserved space for growth.
I’d validate checksums and lengths on read.
I’d avoid encoding pointers or implicit sizes.
I’d publish sample files and a conformance test.
I’d keep the writer strict and the reader tolerant.
I’d document upgrade paths between versions.

36) A watchdog keeps restarting your C daemon—what do you check first?

I’d confirm if exits are crashes, asserts, or clean exits misread as failures.
I’d review startup time; maybe the watchdog times out too early.
I’d scan for blocking operations in the main loop.
I’d check resource limits like file descriptors and memory.
I’d ensure signals are handled and not terminating the process.
I’d inspect logs just before exit for the real culprit.
I’d add minimal health checks the watchdog can trust.

37) Your team proposes heavy macro magic—where do you draw the line?

I’d allow small, safe macros for constants and guards.
I’d prefer inline functions for type safety and debugging.
I’d ban macros that alter control flow in surprising ways.
I’d keep error-handling macros simple and readable.
I’d require macro names to shout their intent clearly.
I’d document any macro that touches user arguments twice.
I’d measure compile-time and debug impact before adopting.

38) A critical path uses variable-length arrays—what risks do you consider?

I’d worry about stack overflows with large inputs.
I’d consider portability since not all compilers handle them equally.
I’d prefer fixed bounds or heap with checks for big sizes.
I’d validate sizes before allocation to avoid wraparounds.
I’d test with extreme values to see failure modes.
I’d document limits so callers don’t exceed them.
I’d keep alternatives ready for constrained targets.

39) You need to load configuration safely at runtime—what principles guide you?

I’d parse defensively and reject unknown or conflicting options.
I’d prefer atomic reloads so half-applied configs don’t leak in.
I’d validate ranges and dependencies before accepting changes.
I’d log exactly what changed and why it was accepted or rejected.
I’d keep defaults sane so missing fields don’t break startup.
I’d separate user syntax from internal representation.
I’d provide a “check-only” mode for operators.

40) A vendor asks for “zero-copy” integration—how do you set safe expectations?

I’d clarify alignment, lifetime, and mutability of the shared buffers.
I’d guard against aliasing surprises by documenting access rules.
I’d ensure we can fall back to a copy if conditions aren’t met.
I’d verify error paths don’t leak or double-free shared memory.
I’d add canary checks around the shared region.
I’d benchmark to prove the gain is real under load.
I’d refuse zero-copy where correctness becomes fragile.

41) Your C service must run inside containers—what do you watch out for?

I’d confirm resource limits and ensure we handle throttling.
I’d write to stdout/stderr for logs and let the platform collect them.
I’d avoid relying on host paths or device specifics unless mounted.
I’d keep time, locale, and DNS assumptions explicit.
I’d expose health endpoints for liveness and readiness.
I’d ensure graceful shutdown on container stop signals.
I’d test cold starts and rolling updates realistically.

42) A junior dev proposes “just add a mutex everywhere”—how do you mentor them?

I’d show how coarse locks can serialize the whole app.
I’d start with data ownership and reduce sharing first.
I’d choose appropriate lock granularity where sharing remains.
I’d teach lock ordering to avoid deadlocks.
I’d introduce read-write locks when reads dominate.
I’d suggest message passing if it simplifies the model.
I’d measure contention to guide improvements.

43) Your CRC check sometimes passes bad data—what might be wrong?

I’d check the polynomial and initial values match on both ends.
I’d confirm byte order and reflection settings are consistent.
I’d verify we’re checksumming the same fields and lengths.
I’d ensure no padding or uninitialized memory sneaks into the CRC.
I’d test known vectors from a reference implementation.
I’d log the intermediate state for mismatched cases.
I’d lock the configuration once verified to prevent drift.

44) You must support graceful feature flags in a C service—what’s your approach?

I’d separate flag evaluation from business logic.
I’d keep flags typed and validated at load.
I’d default to safe behavior if a flag is missing.
I’d avoid flag checks in hot inner loops when possible.
I’d log flag states at startup and on change.
I’d test both flag on/off paths in CI.
I’d prune old flags so code stays clean.

45) A legacy C tool has grown huge—how do you break it into maintainable parts?

I’d identify natural seams: I/O, parsing, compute, output.
I’d define clear C interfaces between modules with minimal types.
I’d extract one module at a time with tests.
I’d keep the main program as a thin orchestrator.
I’d remove global state as modules are split.
I’d document each module’s contract and limits.
I’d stop once complexity is under control.

46) Your allocator usage spikes memory fragmentation—what mitigations help?

I’d group similar-lifetime objects to free in batches.
I’d use pools or arenas for short-lived allocations.
I’d align allocations for the platform to reduce waste.
I’d avoid frequent resize patterns that churn memory.
I’d measure fragmentation with targeted tests.
I’d consider custom allocators only if general ones fail.
I’d cap caches so they don’t hoard memory.

47) A critical library must be dual-licensed internally—how do you keep it simple?

I’d keep one codebase with a clear, documented license switch.
I’d separate any optional components that trigger different terms.
I’d add headers that state licensing per file.
I’d automate license checks in CI to avoid mistakes.
I’d publish a consumer guide explaining what’s allowed.
I’d avoid dependencies that complicate the licensing story.
I’d review legal text with stakeholders before release.

48) Your C program must be scriptable by users—what embedding strategy feels safe?

I’d expose a small, stable C API that bindings can call.
I’d isolate the scripting engine so crashes don’t kill the host.
I’d validate user inputs at the boundary, not deep inside.
I’d offer time and memory limits for user scripts.
I’d keep the host authoritative on resources and state.
I’d document safe examples users can start from.
I’d log script errors clearly for support.

49) You need to guarantee order of durable writes—how do you reason about it?

I’d define the durability contract precisely for users.
I’d sequence writes and metadata updates in a proven order.
I’d avoid partial updates by using temporary files or journals.
I’d bound the window where data is vulnerable to power loss.
I’d test with crash injection to validate recovery.
I’d keep the code path short and well-reviewed.
I’d document failure modes and repair steps.

50) The team wants faster startup—what are your first levers in C?

I’d profile startup to see where time is truly spent.
I’d lazy-init heavy subsystems after serving the first request.
I’d reduce disk I/O by bundling or caching metadata.
I’d cut dynamic linking bloat if it’s causing delays.
I’d precompute configs and avoid expensive parsing.
I’d parallelize independent init tasks where safe.
I’d measure cold vs warm start to show progress.

51) Your service must run in low-memory environments—what patterns help?

I’d choose compact data structures and reuse buffers.
I’d avoid large on-heap graphs in favor of flat arrays.
I’d stream data instead of loading everything at once.
I’d shrink logs and disable verbose tracing by default.
I’d cap caches and back them by disk when acceptable.
I’d provide “light mode” build options for features.
I’d constantly watch peak RSS, not just averages.

52) An ops team requests “self-diagnostics” in your C app—what do you include?

I’d add a status endpoint or CLI flag that reports health.
I’d include recent errors, queue depths, and resource usage.
I’d show config version and build info for quick support.
I’d expose last successful external checks (like disk or network).
I’d make it safe to call during load without heavy work.
I’d redact secrets and keep output stable.
I’d document how to read it during incidents.

53) Your C code must handle time zones and daylight changes—how do you stay sane?

I’d store and compute in UTC internally.
I’d convert to local time only at the edges for display.
I’d avoid assuming fixed offsets due to daylight shifts.
I’d treat timestamps as 64-bit and check for overflow.
I’d keep libraries updated for time zone rules.
I’d test around daylight transitions specifically.
I’d log in UTC to simplify analysis.

54) A customer wants binary plugins from different compilers—how do you make that realistic?

I’d define a C ABI that avoids compiler-specific features.
I’d use simple calling conventions and plain structs.
I’d freeze alignment and packing to known rules.
I’d publish a conformance test that plugin builds must pass.
I’d ship headers that avoid variadic or complex macros.
I’d document supported compiler and OS combinations.
I’d provide a reference build as a template.

55) Your config grows complex—how do you prevent “yaml engineering” in C products?

I’d prefer small, composable options over giant nested blocks.
I’d add schema validation so bad configs fail fast.
I’d keep defaults sensible and visible.
I’d deprecate old options with warnings before removal.
I’d log effective config at startup for transparency.
I’d provide examples for common real setups.
I’d cut features that add confusion without value.

56) You must expose a streaming API—what guarantees do you commit to?

I’d define order, delivery guarantees, and backpressure behavior.
I’d document chunk sizes and heartbeat policies.
I’d keep reconnection rules predictable with resume options.
I’d make limits explicit so users design for them.
I’d include metrics that reflect stream health.
I’d write tests for slow consumers and flaky links.
I’d keep error codes distinct for retry decisions.

57) A kernel-adjacent C component sees sporadic stalls—how do you reason about it?

I’d check if we’re blocking on I/O or locks unintentionally.
I’d measure scheduler delays and priority settings.
I’d minimize cross-CPU chatter and cache-line ping-pong.
I’d avoid heavy allocations in sensitive paths.
I’d batch work to reduce syscall frequency.
I’d test under real interrupt patterns, not synthetic ones.
I’d capture timing traces that show precise wait points.

58) Your library needs international text support—how do you avoid surprises?

I’d treat text as bytes plus explicit encoding, not raw char*.
I’d validate input encoding and reject invalid sequences.
I’d be careful with length vs byte count math.
I’d avoid assuming case-folding or collation rules.
I’d document exactly which encodings we support.
I’d keep error messages clear when decoding fails.
I’d test with mixed-language datasets.

59) You’re asked to add caching—how do you keep it from hiding bugs?

I’d define cache keys and TTLs based on real access patterns.
I’d verify correctness without cache first, then enable.
I’d add metrics for hit/miss, evictions, and staleness.
I’d avoid caching errors or partial results by mistake.
I’d size the cache to avoid memory shocks.
I’d make cache easy to disable for debugging.
I’d test consistency across multiple processes.

60) The release process for your C project is chaotic—how do you calm it down?

I’d set a predictable cadence and criteria for cutting releases.
I’d require green CI, changelogs, and version bumps.
I’d tag builds and publish artifacts reproducibly.
I’d ship release notes that focus on impact and risks.
I’d run a short stabilization window with targeted fixes only.
I’d keep a rollback plan and practice it once.
I’d gather post-release feedback to improve the next one.

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