System design is a crucial aspect of building robust and scalable software applications. It involves making decisions about architecture, data storage, communication protocols, and more. In this blog post, we will explore some key system design principles that every software engineer should be familiar with. Each principle is accompanied by a link to a detailed article for further reading.
1. Computer Architecture
Understanding the fundamentals of computer architecture is essential for designing efficient systems. This includes knowledge of CPU, memory, and I/O devices. Read more
The design of the overall structure of an application is crucial for its performance and scalability. This involves choosing the right patterns and components for your application. Read more
Before starting any system design project, it's important to understand the requirements thoroughly. This includes functional and non-functional requirements. Read more
A solid understanding of networking fundamentals is essential for designing distributed systems. This includes protocols, IP addressing, and routing. Read more
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) are two fundamental transport layer protocols. Understanding their differences and use-cases is crucial for system design. Read more
Domain Name System (DNS) is responsible for translating domain names to IP addresses. Proper DNS configuration is essential for high availability and performance. Read more
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the foundation of data communication on the World Wide Web. Understanding HTTP methods, status codes, and headers is important for web application design. Read more
There are various API paradigms such as REST, GraphQL, and RPC. Choosing the right API paradigm can greatly impact the performance and usability of your system. Read more
Well-designed APIs are essential for building scalable and maintainable systems. This includes considerations like versioning, authentication, and error handling. Read more
Caching can significantly improve the performance of your system by storing frequently accessed data in memory. Understanding caching strategies and techniques is crucial for system design. Read more
Proxies and load balancing are essential for distributing incoming network traffic across multiple servers to ensure high availability and reliability. Read more
14. Load Balancing: From Basic Hashing to Consistent Hashing
Consistent hashing is a technique used in distributed systems to distribute data across multiple nodes in a way that minimizes reorganization when nodes are added or removed. Read more
Structured Query Language (SQL) is a standard language for accessing and manipulating relational databases. Understanding SQL queries, indexes, and transactions is important for database design. Read more
NoSQL databases offer flexible schema design and horizontal scalability, making them suitable for handling large volumes of unstructured data. Read more
The CAP theorem states that it is impossible for a distributed data store to simultaneously provide more than two out of the following three guarantees: consistency, availability, and partition tolerance. Read more
System design is a vast and complex field, but by understanding these key principles, you can build more robust, scalable, and maintainable systems. We encourage you to dive deeper into each topic by following the provided links for further reading.
Happy designing!
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