**Why TCP in Data Pipelines:** Reliable, ordered delivery—critical for DB connections, Kafka (uses TCP), file transfer. Guarantees: no loss, no duplicates, ordered. **Mechanics:** 3-way handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK); flow control (sliding window); congestion control;...
This hard-level Python/Coding question appears frequently in data engineering interviews at companies like ZS Associates. While less common, it tests deeper understanding that distinguishes strong candidates. Mastering the underlying concepts (window) will help you answer variations of this question confidently.
This is a senior-level question that tests architectural thinking. Lead with the high-level design, then drill into specifics. Discuss trade-offs explicitly - there is rarely one correct answer. Show awareness of scale, fault tolerance, and operational complexity.
Why TCP in Data Pipelines: Reliable, ordered delivery—critical for DB connections, Kafka (uses TCP), file transfer. Guarantees: no loss, no duplicates, ordered.
Mechanics: 3-way handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK); flow control (sliding window); congestion control; retransmission on loss. Overhead: ~40B header, RTT for handshake.
Trade-offs: UDP = lower latency, no guarantee—use for metrics, streaming where loss acceptable. TCP = reliability. For DB connections: connection pooling reduces handshake overhead (reuse connections).
Cost: Each new TCP connection = 1 RTT. Pool of 10 connections = 10x fewer handshakes for 1000 requests.
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Analyze My Answer — FreeAccording to DataEngPrep.tech, this is one of the most frequently asked Python/Coding interview questions, reported at 1 company. DataEngPrep.tech maintains a curated database of 1,863+ real data engineering interview questions across 7 categories, verified by industry professionals.