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Design a crypto trading web frontend

CoinbaseSoftware Engineer · Onsite
HardSoftware EngineerOnsiteSystem Design

Last updated

This question evaluates frontend system architecture skills for real-time trading applications, covering framework and tooling choices, state and data layers, WebSocket-driven real-time updates, responsive and accessible UI design, performance optimization, testing, and security; it is in the System Design (frontend) domain.

Design the front-end architecture for a retail cryptocurrency trading web app (like a spot exchange).

Assume the product needs these core screens and behaviors:

  • Market page: price chart, real-time order book, recent trades, and a place order form (limit/market).
  • Portfolio / orders: balances, open orders, order history.
  • Auth: login, session management, optional 2FA prompts.
  • Real-time updates: order book/trades via WebSocket (or similar).
  • Must be responsive, accessible, and handle poor networks gracefully.

Discuss and justify:

  1. The technology stack (framework, language, build tool, styling, charting, state management).
  2. The overall frontend system design (routing, page composition, state/data layers, WebSocket layer, caching, error handling).
  3. The key reusable components you would build (design system + trading-specific components) and how you would implement them.
  4. How you would ensure performance (rendering, large lists like order book), testability (unit/integration/e2e), and security (XSS/CSRF/token handling).