Deep Clone and Pitfalls | Dataford Interview Questions

The Twitch Creator Dashboard may need an independent copy of nested editor state before applying speculative updates. Implement deep_clone(obj) to clone a supported object graph without sharing mutable containers with the original.

The input may contain nested dictionaries and lists. Dictionary keys are strings, and leaf values are JSON-compatible primitives: strings, numbers, booleans, or None. The input can also contain repeated references or cycles, even though JSON examples cannot represent object identity directly.

Requirements

Return a structurally equivalent clone.
Mutating any cloned dictionary or list must not mutate the original object.
Preserve graph topology: if two original fields reference the same mutable object, the corresponding cloned fields must reference the same cloned object.
Handle cycles without infinite recursion.
Raise TypeError for unsupported value types.

Constraints

The object graph contains at most 10^4 dictionaries and lists
Dictionary keys are strings
Supported leaves are strings, integers, floats, booleans, and None
The maximum nesting depth is at most 500
Cycles and repeated references may occur

Function Signature

def deep_clone(obj):

Your question is Deep Clone and Pitfalls. Start with the requirements in the Question tab.

Run and submit as often as you like. When you're ready, talk me through your approach or go straight to the code.

Problem

Requirements

Return a structurally equivalent clone.
Mutating any cloned dictionary or list must not mutate the original object.
Preserve graph topology: if two original fields reference the same mutable object, the corresponding cloned fields must reference the same cloned object.
Handle cycles without infinite recursion.
Raise TypeError for unsupported value types.

Constraints

The object graph contains at most 10^4 dictionaries and lists
Dictionary keys are strings
Supported leaves are strings, integers, floats, booleans, and None
The maximum nesting depth is at most 500
Cycles and repeated references may occur

Function Signature

def deep_clone(obj):

Your question is Deep Clone and Pitfalls. Start with the requirements in the Question tab.

Run and submit as often as you like. When you're ready, talk me through your approach or go straight to the code.