Caching Strategies: Cache-Aside, Write-Through, and Beyond
Caching is the single highest-leverage optimization in most system designs. Before you reach for database sharding or complex infrastructure, a […]
System Design
System Design
Learn to design scalable, reliable systems that handle millions of users. System design interviews test your ability to architect real-world applications, considering tradeoffs, scalability, and best practices.
Core Topics:
Scalability: Load balancing, horizontal vs vertical scaling
Storage: Databases (SQL vs NoSQL), caching (Redis, Memcached)
Reliability: Replication, failover, disaster recovery
Performance: CDNs, caching strategies, database indexing
Common Design Questions:
Design URL shortener (bit.ly)
Design rate limiter
Design Twitter/Instagram feed
Design messaging system (WhatsApp)
Design file storage (Dropbox)
Interview Level: Senior engineers (L5+) at FAANG companies. Requires 3-5+ years experience to tackle effectively.
Preparation: Study system design patterns, understand distributed systems fundamentals, and practice mock interviews.
System Design
Message Queues: Kafka, RabbitMQ, and Async Architecture
Message queues decouple the components of a distributed system so that producers and consumers can operate independently. They appear in
System Design
Load Balancing: Algorithms, Layers, and Failure Handling
A load balancer sits in front of a pool of servers and distributes incoming requests across them. It is one
System Design
CAP Theorem: Consistency, Availability, and Partition Tolerance
The CAP theorem comes up in almost every senior-level system design interview. Interviewers ask it because it forces you to
System Design
Database Sharding: Horizontal Partitioning at Scale
Database sharding is a core scaling technique you’ll need to explain in nearly any large-scale system design interview. The question
System Design
Consistent Hashing: How Distributed Systems Route Traffic
Consistent hashing is one of the most commonly asked system design concepts at big tech companies. You will almost certainly
Data Structures, System Design
Missing country code
Missing Country Code Imagine you get a data set from a client that contains addresses from 150 countries all around
System Design
Server to Process Fair Number of Functions
How would you design a server that has to process a fair number of functions of a requests in a
Bit Manipulation, Brain Teasers, Logic Puzzles, String Manipulation, System Design
Fog Creek Programmers
100 fogcreek programmers are lined up in a row by an assassin. the assassin puts red and blue hats on them.
Algorithms, Bit Manipulation, Brain Teasers, Logic Puzzles, Math Problems, System Design
Card Trick Without the Trick
This is a card trick without the trick. there is no sleight of hand, no tricks up my sleeve, no
Algorithms, Arrays, Dynamic Programming, Google Interview Questions, System Design
Webloggers
Five webloggers – joshua Allen, meg Hourihan, jason Kottke, robert Scoble, and joel Spolsky – were competing for karma points
Algorithms, Bit Manipulation, Brain Teasers, Data Structures, System Design
Treasure Island
You find an old treasure map in your grandma’s attic. the map shows a cannon, a coconut tree, and a
Math Problems, System Design
Oil Mogul
You are an oil mogul considering the purchase of drilling rights to an as yet unexplored tract of land. The
System Design
Smart Cookie
Did you ever wonder how they make those pillsbury cookie dough rolls with the intricate faces inside them? Look here and