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Problem Statement 1 - Real-Time Collaborative Document Editing System

The document outlines the design and implementation requirements for a real-time collaborative document editing system with a microservices architecture. Key features include operational transformation for real-time synchronization, scalable backend services, efficient document storage, NLP integration, and a modern UI. The evaluation criteria focus on architecture, collaboration effectiveness, data optimization, security, and code quality.

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Yash Mathuria
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58 views3 pages

Problem Statement 1 - Real-Time Collaborative Document Editing System

The document outlines the design and implementation requirements for a real-time collaborative document editing system with a microservices architecture. Key features include operational transformation for real-time synchronization, scalable backend services, efficient document storage, NLP integration, and a modern UI. The evaluation criteria focus on architecture, collaboration effectiveness, data optimization, security, and code quality.

Uploaded by

Yash Mathuria
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Problem Statement 1: Real-time Collaborative Document Editing System

You are tasked with designing and implementing a real-time collaborative document editing
platform similar to Google Docs or Notion (Block based) but with a scalable microservices
architecture. The system must support operational transformation (OT) and conflict
resolution, ensuring that multiple users can edit the same document simultaneously with
minimal latency.

Key Challenges & Features:

1.​ Operational Transformation (OT) & Real-time Synchronization:


○​ Implement OT for handling concurrent changes from multiple users.
○​ Ensure real-time collaboration using WebSockets or WebRTC.
○​ Support undo/redo operations efficiently. (Optional-- in case of global
undo/redo)
2.​ Scalable Microservices Backend:
○​ Design a production-ready microservices architecture with modular services
such as Auth, Documents, Collaboration, Notifications, AI Suggestions, etc.
○​ Ensure that the backend is built using a mix of SQL, NoSQL
(MongoDB/PostgreSQL) and a graph database (Neo4j) for linking documents
(On the basis of the contextual information of documents; Labels can be used
as well; Find an efficient, reliable way of breaking info of docs into graph
based document for contextual retrieval using NLP and ElasticSearch) and
users.
○​ Implement RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) for document access and
modifications.
○​ Use Kafka (or any other event-driven architecture) for asynchronous updates.
(Optional)
○​ Optional: Monitoring, Alerting system (ELT Stack), Distributed tracing in case
of microservices architecture!
3.​ Efficient Document Storage & Versioning:
○​ Store document history (Operations) efficiently to allow users to revert
changes and track modifications over time.
○​ Optimize storage of document diffs instead of storing the full document
repeatedly.

Implement a version control system for efficient retrieval and rollback. (Optional: A
strategy to reduce frequently recorded operations after the confirmation of merging them
into the document

○​ (reducing multiple closely occurred operations into one operation))


4.​ NLP, GenAI, and Graph-based DB Integration:
○​ Use NLP/GenAI to enhance collaborative writing with AI-based suggestions,
grammar corrections, and auto-summarization.
○​ Implement Graph DB (Neo4j or ArangoDB) to represent user relationships,
document links, and collaborative patterns for smart recommendations.
5.​ Frontend (Minimalistic, Modern UI/UX):
○​ Design a sleek, responsive (optional), and soft-themed UI for document
editing. (Just the editor and not any labels, or not sorting, just basic list/grid
of display for docs, and basic search for title) (Focus more on rich text
editing (formatting), creating complex visual forms of data like table, charts,
are not needed)
○​ Implement an intuitive UI for collaboration (cursor tracking -- for displaying
selection toolbar, comments, edit history, etc.).
○​ Ensure smooth DOM updates for real-time text changes.
6.​ Authentication & Authorization:
○​ Implement OAuth2, JWT-based authentication, and RBAC-based
authorization (basic sharing type of access; group access functionality is not
necessarily required).

Deliverables:

●​ Backend APIs (Node.js/Express with MongoDB/PostgreSQL/GraphDB).


●​ Real-time collaboration with WebSockets & OT.
●​ Frontend with an interactive document editor UI.
●​ RBAC & authentication with JWT.
●​ Graph-based DB usage for user relationships & recommendations.
●​ Scalability considerations (capacity estimations & architecture documentation).

Evaluation criteria:

1.​ Architecture & Scalability – How well is the microservices-based system structured?
2.​ Real-time Collaboration – Effective use of WebSockets, OT, or CRDT.
3.​ Data Storage & Optimization – Efficient document versioning and retrieval.
4.​ Security & Access Control – Proper implementation of authentication (OAuth2/JWT)
and RBAC.
5.​ Graph DB & AI Integration – Use of Neo4j for document/user relationships and
AI-based enhancements.
6.​ Code Quality & Documentation – Clean, modular, and well-documented code.

Remarks:

This is a challenging but exciting problem that touches on some of the most advanced
concepts in real-time collaboration, microservices, and AI-driven document management.
Successfully implementing even a portion of this will showcase strong problem-solving
abilities, system design skills, and practical engineering knowledge.

We understand that 48-60 hours is a limited time frame, so the focus is not just on the
completeness of the solution but also on your overall approach, architectural decisions,
and how you tackle key challenges. Even if certain aspects remain incomplete, a
well-structured design, clear thought process, and strong understanding of trade-offs will
be highly valued.

If you have time, we encourage you to explore microservices design patterns, as they will
help in designing scalable and maintainable systems.

🚀
This is a great opportunity to demonstrate your expertise—best of luck! We’re excited to see
your solution!

Some resources for you to follow to understand microservices and distributed database
patterns:

1.​ Microservices.io
2.​ Microservices Design Patterns
3.​ What Is A Distributed Database? | MongoDB

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