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The Pipeline · D5

Meet the SLA with the fewest servers.

Arrival 343/s · latency SLA ≤ 225ms. Bigger batches amortise per-batch setup so you need fewer consumers — but a batch too big blows the latency SLA.
Practice — no rating pressure. Get as close to the optimum as you can; each play teaches the pattern.
Cost
200
✓ SLA met
Throughput 1270/sneed 343/s
Latency 86msSLA 225ms
Consumers
10
Batch size
About this puzzle

The Pipeline — practice the decision, scored against the optimum

What does the The Pipeline puzzle teach?

Batching trades latency for throughput-per-server — meet the SLA with the fewest consumers, not the smallest batch.

Why do interviews ask about this?

Throughput vs batch size is the data-pipeline interview — find the batch that maximizes throughput without blowing the latency budget.

How is it scored?

The engine computes the provably-optimal answer for the exact instance you played (dynamic programming, shortest-path, or exhaustive search — never a heuristic) and scores your attempt as a percentage of it. No login needed to see your score.