System Design Basics

Introduction

System design interviews and real-world architecture share the same vocabulary: load estimates, data modelling, storage choice, caching, scaling, consistency.

Understanding the topic

The interview-and-real-life template:

• 1. Clarify requirements — functional + non-functional.
• 2. Estimate scale — RPS, storage, bandwidth.
• 3. High-level design — boxes & arrows.
• 4. Data model — schema, partitioning, indexing.
• 5. APIs — endpoints + payloads.
• 6. Deep dives — caching, async, search, ML where relevant.
• 7. Failures, monitoring, deployment.