Design backend APIs for user settings such as timezone, display preferences, privacy options, and feature defaults.

Design user preferences and settings

Designs a settings service with defaults, validation, scoped preferences, caching, and safe rollout of new settings.

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TL;DR

I would store settings as typed fields or validated key-value entries owned by a user or account scope. The API would expose get and update operations, apply defaults for missing values, and validate allowed values on write. Some settings are user-only, while others belong to a tenant or feature. The response can return the effective settings so clients do not have to reimplement defaulting rules.

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Settings modeling, defaults, validation, partial updates, caching, privacy, migration, and client compatibility.

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Why this question matters
Settings look small, but they influence many product flows. A good design keeps preferences typed, validated, scoped, and easy to evolve as the product changes.
I would store settings as typed fields or validated key-value entries owned by a user or account scope. The API would expose get and update operations, apply defaults for missing values, and validate allowed values on write. Some settings are user-only, while others belong to a tenant or feature. The response can return the effective settings so clients do not have to reimplement defaulting rules.
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I would decide which settings deserve schema columns and which can live in a flexible preferences table. Typed fields are better for important settings that need indexing, constraints, or reporting. A flexible table works for UI preferences that change often. Partial updates need concurrency handling so two clients do not accidentally overwrite each other. Settings used in authorization or privacy flows should not rely only on stale client state.

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Details

Storing arbitrary unvalidated JSON for every setting.
Letting clients own defaulting rules.
Overwriting the whole settings object on every small edit.
No plan for renamed or removed settings.

Design backend APIs for user settings such as timezone, display preferences, privacy options, and feature defaults.

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