Python Django Interview Preparation Plan

This plan is designed to comprehensively prepare you for backend interviews, covering
essential topics in Python/ Django , Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA), and System
Design. By following this plan, you will be equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary
to excel in backend development interviews, from language fundamentals and framework
expertise to solving algorithmic problems and designing scalable systems.

Day 1: Core Python & Django Fundamentals

● Python Fundamentals:
○ Data types, control flow, functions, and OOP principles (inheritance,
polymorphism).
○ Dive into Python’s class inheritance, encapsulation, and method overloading.
○ Explore Python's dynamic typing and duck typing.
● Django Basics:
○ Django architecture: MVT (Model-View-Template) pattern.
○ Setting up a Django project, creating apps, and understanding Django’s
request-response cycle.
○ Django URLs, views, templates, and static files.
○ Introduction to Django template filters and template inheritance.
● Practice:
○ Build a simple Django project: define URL patterns, create views, render
templates.
○ Write Python classes demonstrating OOP concepts.
● Resources:
○ Python Crash Course by Eric Matthes
○ Django Official Documentation: Getting Started

Day 2: Django ORM, Middleware, Views, & Templates

● Django ORM:
○ Querying with Django ORM: Creating models, CRUD operations.
○ Understanding model relationships: One-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many.
● Middleware:
○ Role of middleware in Django.
○ Creating custom middleware for logging, security, and request modification.
● Views:
○ Function-based views (FBV) vs class-based views (CBV).
○ Using CBVs for CRUD operations.
 ● Templates:
○ Template inheritance, filters, and custom tags.
○ Creating dynamic content and implementing custom template filters.
● Practice:
○ Build a Django app with middleware and ORM queries.
○ Implement both FBVs and CBVs in a project.
● Resources:
○ Two Scoops of Django by Audrey Roy Greenfeld
○ Django Middleware Documentation

Day 3: Advanced Python & Async Programming

● Advanced Python:
○ Understanding decorators, metaclasses, and closures.
○ Exploring Python’s memory management: garbage collection and memory
leaks.
○ Deep dive into Python’s async/await and the asyncio library.
● Concurrency & Multithreading:
○ Python’s GIL (Global Interpreter Lock), threading, and concurrency.
○ Managing asynchronous tasks with concurrent.futures and asyncio.
● Python 3.x Features:
○ F-strings, type hinting, and dataclasses in Python 3.x.
● Practice:
○ Write a Python script to demonstrate decorators and async behavior.
○ Implement a Python decorator that logs function execution times.
● Resources:
○ Fluent Python by Luciano Ramalho
○ Python 3.x Features

Day 4: Advanced Django Features

● Async in Django:
○ Async views and handling concurrency in Django.
○ Global error handling in async environments.
● Django Security:
○ Best practices for securing Django apps: preventing SQL injection, XSS, and
CSRF attacks.
○ Using Django’s built-in security features: CSRF tokens, SQL injection
protection.
● Event-Driven Django:
○ Using Django Channels or Celery for event-driven architectures.
○ Handling long-running background tasks asynchronously.
● Graceful Shutdown:
○ Strategies for safely shutting down long-running Django processes.
 ● Practice:
○ Implement async views and handle global errors.
○ Secure Django endpoints and implement Celery for background tasks.
● Resources:
○ Django Async Views
○ Django Security Best Practices

Day 5: File Handling, Error Handling & Design Patterns

● File Handling:
○ Handling file uploads and downloads in Django using FileField and
ImageField.
○ Managing large file uploads and configuring file storage solutions like Amazon
S3 or Google Cloud Storage via django-storages.
○ Serving static and media files correctly using Django’s built-in static file
handling and media configuration.
● Error Handling:
○ Creating custom error pages for HTTP errors like 404, 500, etc.
○ Handling exceptions using try-except blocks and Django’s built-in
Http404 exception class.
○ Logging errors using Django’s logging configuration and integrating with
external logging tools.
● Global Exception Handling:
○ Using @middleware to implement global exception handling in Django.
○ Creating custom middleware to handle exceptions and return consistent error
responses.
○ Implementing @require_http_methods decorator to restrict views to
specific HTTP methods and handle invalid method errors.
● Design Patterns:
○ Applying common design patterns in Django such as Singleton, Factory, and
Observer.
○ Implementing the Repository Pattern to manage complex database queries
and decouple business logic from data access layers.
○ Leveraging the Service Layer Pattern for business logic separation.
● Practice:
○ Build a Django project that handles file uploads, serves files correctly, and
applies centralized error handling.
○ Implement the Singleton pattern for a database connection or cache service.
○ Write middleware to handle and log errors globally.
● Resources:
○ Django File Uploads Documentation
○ Python Design Patterns by Chetan Giridhar
○ Django Error Handling
Day 6: Databases (SQL/NoSQL) & Django ORM

● SQL vs NoSQL:
○ Differences between SQL (relational) and NoSQL (non-relational) databases.
○ When to use SQL databases like PostgreSQL vs NoSQL databases like
MongoDB.
○ Database indexing and optimization techniques for SQL queries.
○ Indexing: Understanding when and how to use indexes effectively.
○ Optimizing Joins: How to write efficient joins (inner/outer joins) that minimize
performance issues.
○ Subqueries: Writing optimized subqueries and replacing them with joins
when needed.
○ Aggregate Queries: Practice querying aggregate data, filtering based on
conditions, and ensuring efficient GROUP BY, HAVING, and ORDER BY
clauses.
○ Analytical Queries: Understanding window functions such as
ROW_NUMBER(), RANK(), and DENSE_RANK() for ranking and sorting data.
○ Foreign key constraints and ensuring proper usage of relationships to
maintain data integrity.
● Django ORM Advanced:
○ Writing complex queries, joins, and aggregations.
○ Managing pagination and optimization for large datasets.
● Using NoSQL with Django:
○ Integrating Django with MongoDB using djongo or similar libraries.
○ Working with one-to-many relationships in NoSQL.
● Practice:
○ Write queries to solve complex problems using Django ORM.
○ Set up a Django project with MongoDB and handle large datasets.
● Resources:
○ Django for Professionals by William S. Vincent
○ Django ORM Documentation

Day 7: Testing & Deployment in Django

● Testing in Django:
○ Unit testing with Django’s built-in test framework.
○ Writing test cases for views, models, and forms.
○ Using mock objects and unittest.mock for testing external dependencies.
● Continuous Integration (CI):
○ Setting up CI/CD pipelines for Django projects using tools like Jenkins or
GitHub Actions.
○ Automating tests and deployment for continuous delivery.
● Deployment:
○ Deploying Django apps on AWS, Heroku, or DigitalOcean.
 ○ Setting up databases, managing static files, and using Gunicorn for
production.
● Practice:
○ Write unit tests for models and views.
○ Set up a simple CI pipeline and deploy a Django project on Heroku.
● Resources:
○ Test-Driven Development with Python by Harry Percival
○ Django Deployment Documentation

Day 8: REST API Development & Django REST Framework (DRF)

● Django REST Framework:

○ Setting up Django REST Framework (DRF) for building REST APIs.
○ Serializers, views, and routers in DRF.
● API Authentication:
○ Implementing token-based authentication and permission classes in DRF.
○ Using JWT (JSON Web Token) for secure API access.
● Versioning & Pagination:
○ Handling API versioning and customizing pagination strategies in DRF.
● Practice:
○ Build a REST API with DRF and JWT-based authentication.
○ Implement custom serializers and viewsets.
● Resources:
○ Django REST Framework Official Documentation

With a solid understanding of Python/Django fundamentals, we now shift our focus

to Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA). Mastering DSA is crucial for solving
complex problems efficiently, which is a key part of backend development interviews.
The next phase of the plan will help you sharpen your problem-solving skills through
algorithmic challenges and data structure manipulation.

Day 9: Arrays and Strings

Topics to Cover:

● Arrays:
○ Basic operations (traversal, insertion, deletion).
○ Common algorithms (sorting, searching).
○ Techniques: two-pointer approach, sliding window.
● Strings:
○ String manipulation and common operations.
○ Algorithms: substring search, pattern matching.
Practice:

● Implement common array algorithms (e.g., finding duplicates, rotating arrays).

● Solve string problems like reversing a string, finding the longest substring without
repeating characters.

Resources:

● LeetCode - Arrays Problems

● GeeksforGeeks - Arrays
● GeeksforGeeks - Strings

Day 10: Linked Lists

Topics to Cover:

● Singly Linked List:

○ Basic operations (insertion, deletion, traversal).
○ Techniques: reversing a linked list, detecting cycles.
● Doubly Linked List:
○ Operations and differences from singly linked lists.
● Circular Linked List:
○ Understanding circular linked lists and their applications.

Practice:

● Implement a singly linked list with basic operations.

● Solve problems like merging two sorted linked lists and detecting cycles in a linked
list.

Resources:

● LeetCode - Linked Lists Problems

● GeeksforGeeks - Linked Lists
● YouTube - Linked List Tutorial

Day 11: Stacks and Queues

Topics to Cover:

● Stacks:
○ Operations (push, pop, peek).
○ Applications: expression evaluation, backtracking.
● Queues:
○ Operations (enqueue, dequeue).
○ Variants: circular queue, priority queue.
Practice:

● Implement stack and queue data structures.

● Solve problems like evaluating postfix expressions and implementing a queue using
stacks.

Resources:

● LeetCode - Stack Problems

● LeetCode - Queue Problems
● GeeksforGeeks - Stack and Queue Data Structure

Day 12: Trees and Graphs

Topics to Cover:

● Binary Trees:
○ Basic operations (traversal: in-order, pre-order, post-order).
○ Special types: binary search trees, AVL trees.
● Graphs:
○ Representations (adjacency matrix, adjacency list).
○ Algorithms: BFS, DFS, shortest path (Dijkstra’s, Bellman-Ford).

Practice:

● Implement binary trees and graph algorithms.

● Solve problems like finding the height of a binary tree and shortest path in a graph.

Resources:

● LeetCode - Tree Problems

● LeetCode - Graph Problems
● GeeksforGeeks - Tree Data Structure and Graph Data Structure

Day 13: Hashing and Heaps

Topics to Cover:

● Hashing:
○ Hash tables, collision resolution techniques.
○ Applications: hash maps, hash sets.
● Heaps:
○ Min-heap and max-heap.
○ Operations (insertion, deletion, heapify).
○ Applications: priority queues, heap sort.
Practice:

● Implement hash maps and heaps.

● Solve problems like finding duplicates using hash maps and implementing heap
operations.

Resources:

● LeetCode - Hashing Problems

● LeetCode - Heap Problems
● GeeksforGeeks - Hashing and Heap Data Structure

Day 14: Dynamic Programming

Topics to Cover:

● Dynamic Programming Basics:

○ Understand the principles of dynamic programming (overlapping
subproblems, optimal substructure).
○ Common problems: Fibonacci series, knapsack problem.
● Advanced Topics:
○ Longest common subsequence, matrix chain multiplication.

Practice:

● Solve classic dynamic programming problems.

● Implement solutions for problems like the 0/1 knapsack problem and longest
common subsequence.

Resources:

● LeetCode - Dynamic Programming Problems

● GeeksforGeeks - Dynamic Programming
● YouTube - Dynamic Programming Tutorial

Now that you've built a strong foundation in Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA),
it's time to shift focus to System Design. This section will prepare you to design
scalable, efficient, and maintainable systems, a crucial skill for backend interviews.
You'll cover key aspects like high-level and low-level design, optimization, and
real-world case studies.
Day 15: Introduction to System Design

Topics to Cover:

● System Design Basics:

○ Understand the purpose of system design, the key concepts such as
scalability, availability, reliability, and maintainability.
● Design Process:
○ Learn the steps in the system design process—requirements gathering,
high-level design, detailed design, and trade-offs.
● Functional vs Non-Functional Requirements:
○ Clarify and emphasize non-functional requirements during design, including
scale, traffic handling, and capacity planning.

Practice:

● Analyze a simple system, identify key components, and discuss non-functional

requirements.

Resources:

● Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann

● System Design Primer GitHub Repository
● High Scalability Blog

Day 16: High-Level Design (Architecture)

Topics to Cover:

● Architectural Patterns:
○ Study common architectural patterns such as microservices, monolithic, and
serverless architectures.
● Scalability and Load Balancing:
○ Understand how to design systems that scale horizontally and vertically.
○ Learn about load balancing techniques and strategies for distributing traffic.

Practice:

● Design a high-level architecture for a common application, such as an e-commerce

site or social media platform.
● Draw diagrams of different architectural patterns and their components.

Resources:

● Microservices Patterns by Chris Richardson

● AWS Well-Architected Framework
● System Design Interview – An insider's guide
Day 17: Low-Level Design (Component Design)

Topics to Cover:

● Component Design Principles:

○ Learn about the SOLID principles (Single Responsibility, Open/Closed, Liskov
Substitution, Interface Segregation, Dependency Inversion).
● Data Models and Storage:
○ Understand different types of databases (SQL vs NoSQL) and their use
cases.
○ Study how to design data schemas and models.
● Handling Long-Running Jobs:
○ Focus on job queues, worker nodes, and task tracking.
○ Learn to design APIs for long-running tasks and asynchronous responses.

Practice:

● Design components for a system and API endpoints for long-running tasks (e.g.,
scraping services or job dispatch systems).

Resources:

● Clean Architecture by Robert C. Martin

● SQL vs NoSQL Guide
● Database System Concepts by Silberschatz, Korth, and Sudarshan

Day 18: High-Level System Design Case Study

Topics to Cover:

● Case Studies:
○ Study detailed case studies of real-world systems like Google Search, Netflix,
or Twitter.
● Trade-Offs and Decisions:
○ Learn how to evaluate trade-offs, especially between consistency, availability,
and partition tolerance.
● Edge Cases:
○ Consider pagination, infinite scrolling, domain redirection, and robots.txt
restrictions in system design.

Practice:

● Review and analyze a case study. Identify design decisions and trade-offs made.
● Create a similar high-level design for a system of your choice, justifying your design
choices.
Resources:

● Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann

● Netflix Technology Blog

Day 19: Low-Level System Design Case Study

Topics to Cover:

● Detailed Component Design:

○ Learn about class diagrams, sequence diagrams, and component
interactions.
● Handling Concurrency:
○ Study techniques for concurrency and parallelism in system design.
● Job Queues and Worker Systems:
○ Focus on retry mechanisms, message queues, and handling failures in
worker nodes.

Practice:

● Design detailed components, focusing on concurrency and worker-node systems.

● Implement a component that demonstrates task distribution using job queues.

Resources:

● Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Gamma, Helm,

Johnson, and Vlissides
● Java Concurrency in Practice by Brian Goetz

Day 20: Performance and Optimization

Topics to Cover:

● Performance Metrics:
○ Understand how to measure performance, including latency, throughput, and
resource utilization.
● Optimization Techniques:
○ Learn techniques for optimizing performance, including caching, indexing,
and database optimization.
● Cache Management and Expiry:
○ Understand cache invalidation policies, eventual consistency, and high
availability strategies.

Practice:

● Analyze performance bottlenecks in the system designed on Day 2.

 ● Implement optimization techniques to improve performance.

Resources:

● High Performance Browser Networking by Ilya Grigorik

● System Design Interview – An insider's guide
● Google Cloud Platform Performance Optimization Guide

After mastering System Design, the next step is to dive into AWS Services. This section
will help you understand key AWS services and concepts which are essential for managing
scalable and efficient cloud-based backend systems.

Day 21: Core AWS Services

EC2
Topics to Cover:

● Understand when to use EC2 Spot Instances versus On-Demand or Reserved

Instances.
● Learn how to secure data at rest using encryption options like EBS encryption and
third-party solutions.

Practice:

● Review different EC2 pricing models and calculate potential cost savings using Spot
Instances.
● Set up an EC2 instance with encrypted EBS volumes to understand the security
configurations.

S3
Topics to Cover:

● Learn strategies to optimize S3 for high request rates, such as partitioning and object
naming conventions.
● Understand best practices for securing S3 buckets, including bucket policies, IAM
roles, and encryption.

Practice:

● Implement an S3 bucket with encryption and secure it using bucket policies and IAM
roles.
● Create and configure S3 lifecycle policies to manage object lifecycle based on
specific criteria.

API Gateway
Topics to Cover:
 ● Learn how to configure throttling to manage traffic and protect backend services.
● Explore security options for securing APIs, including API keys, IAM roles, and
authorizers.
● Understand how to integrate API Gateway with AWS Lambda, handling different
HTTP methods.

Practice:

● Set up a simple API in API Gateway with throttling and security settings.
● Integrate the API with a Lambda function and test various HTTP methods.

Lambda
Topics to Cover:

● Understand common pitfalls in production environments, such as timeout issues and

limits on execution.
● Learn how to handle dependencies and package deployment using tools like AWS
Lambda Layers.
● Explore the cold start issue in AWS Lambda and strategies to mitigate it, such as
provisioned concurrency.

Practice:

● Deploy a Lambda function with dependencies, using Lambda Layers for better
management.
● Experiment with cold start mitigation strategies, like warming up Lambda functions.

Day 22: Networking, VPC, and Load Balancers

VPC
Topics to Cover:

● Understand the differences between public and private subnets, and their use cases.
● Learn about VPC Peering and its benefits in multi-VPC architectures.
● Explore NAT Gateway configuration and typical use cases.

Practice:

● Create a VPC with both public and private subnets, and configure a NAT Gateway.
● Set up VPC Peering between two VPCs and test communication between them.

Networking
Topics to Cover:

● Learn the differences between security groups and network ACLs, including when to
use each.
● Understand how to set up a VPN connection between an on-premises network and
an AWS VPC.
 ● Explore the process of creating and configuring custom route tables in a VPC.

Practice:

● Configure security groups and network ACLs in a VPC, testing different access
control scenarios.
● Set up a VPN connection to simulate a hybrid cloud environment.

Load Balancers
Topics to Cover:

● Understand the differences between ALB, NLB, and Classic Load Balancer, and
when to use each.
● Learn how to integrate ELB with EC2 Auto Scaling for dynamic traffic management.
● Explore strategies for ensuring high availability and fault tolerance with ELB.

Practice:

● Set up an Application Load Balancer with EC2 Auto Scaling and test its response to
varying traffic levels.
● Configure health checks and other settings to ensure high availability.

Day 23: Advanced AWS Services and Final Review

CloudFormation
Topics to Cover:

● Learn how to create and manage stacks using AWS CloudFormation, following best
practices.
● Understand how to handle stack updates without causing service interruptions.
● Explore the automation of multi-tier application deployment using CloudFormation
templates.

Practice:

● Create a CloudFormation template to deploy a simple web application, and practice

updating the stack with minimal downtime.
● Automate the deployment of a multi-tier application using CloudFormation.

SQS
Topics to Cover:

● Learn how to integrate SQS with AWS Lambda for message processing.
● Understand best practices for ensuring message processing reliability, such as Dead
Letter Queues (DLQs) and visibility timeouts.

Practice:
 ● Set up an SQS queue with a Lambda function that processes messages, and
implement a Dead Letter Queue for error handling.

RDS
Topics to Cover:

● Explore scenarios where RDS optimization is necessary, such as tuning database

parameters, using read replicas, or optimizing queries.

Practice:

● Optimize an RDS instance by adjusting performance-related settings and configuring

read replicas for high availability.

Day 24: Challenge Day

Take The Proven Club challenge to get your Skill Assessment index!

By taking The Proven Club Challenge you will assess your skills and measure your
readiness. This will provide valuable insights into your strengths and areas for improvement
as you prepare to ace your backend interviews.