SaaS SaaS Architecture and Infrastructure

Question 1

What is microservices architecture in the context of SaaS platforms?

Accepted Answer

An approach where an application is composed of small, independently deployable services that communicate via APIs

Answer

A design where all application functionality is deployed as a single, unified codebase

Answer

A method of compressing software to minimize server storage requirements

Answer

An architecture specifically designed for mobile SaaS applications

Question 2

What is horizontal scaling and why is it preferred for SaaS applications?

Accepted Answer

Adding more server instances to distribute load, enabling near-linear capacity growth

Answer

Upgrading a single server to have more CPU and RAM

Answer

Expanding a SaaS product to serve more industries

Answer

Scaling the engineering team to build features faster

Question 3

What is a Content Delivery Network (CDN) and why do SaaS companies use it?

Accepted Answer

A network of geographically distributed servers that cache and deliver static assets closer to users, reducing latency

Answer

A system for managing and distributing software licenses globally

Answer

A database replication strategy for global SaaS deployments

Answer

A security layer that filters malicious traffic before it reaches the application

Question 4

What is an API gateway in SaaS architecture?

Accepted Answer

A single entry point that routes, authenticates, rate-limits, and transforms API requests before forwarding them to backend services

Answer

A physical network device that connects different cloud providers

Answer

A tool for documenting and testing REST APIs

Answer

A billing component that meters API usage for pay-as-you-go pricing

Question 5

What is a SaaS multi-region deployment strategy designed to achieve?

Accepted Answer

Reducing latency for global users and ensuring business continuity if one geographic region experiences an outage

Answer

Offering different product features to customers in different countries

Answer

Complying with import and export regulations for software

Answer

Managing time zone differences in scheduled jobs and cron tasks

Question 6

What is the purpose of a message queue (e.g., SQS, RabbitMQ) in SaaS architecture?

Accepted Answer

To decouple services by buffering asynchronous messages so producers and consumers can operate independently

Answer

To store and deliver marketing emails to customers

Answer

To synchronize database schemas across microservices

Answer

To cache API responses and reduce database queries