System design interview

System design is a complex topic, but this post will break it down into 9 easy-to-understand steps -

This cheat sheet covers all the essential topics you need to know for a system design interview, including:

💾 Data management

📚 Database selection

☁️ Object storage

🔄 Data replication

🌐 Networking

🚀 Scalability techniques

📩 Communication

🔗 Protocols & queues

📦 Modern deployment tools (Docker, Kubernetes etc.)

📍 Geo-location & data hashing

🔌 API & microservices

Here are some tips for acing your system design interview:

📚 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲: Understand the theoretical part of System Design - Distributed Computing, CAP Theorem, System Models, Replication & Sharding etc. A strong theoretical foundation will be invaluable during the interview.

💡 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Try to understand how big tech companies have designed their systems (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, etc.). Studying these real-world examples can provide insights and perspectives that can be applied during the interview.

🎯 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲-𝗼𝗳𝗳𝘀: Every design has its trade-offs. Understanding what you gain and what you lose with each decision shows a deeper level of understanding.

👨‍💻 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀: Try designing common systems such as a URL shortening service, a Twitter-like feed, or a web crawler in your free time. This will not only help you get better, but also make you comfortable with the interview format.

🧠 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲: System design interviews are not about knowing everything but more about knowing what's important. Understand which components are critical to the problem at hand and prioritize discussing them.

🔍 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Reflect on the systems you've worked on in the past. What were their strengths and weaknesses? How could they be improved? Your past experiences can provide valuable context.

👥 𝗠𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀: Practice with a friend or use platforms that offer mock interviews. The more you practice, the better you'll become at structuring your thoughts and communicating effectively.

Remember, the goal of a system design interview is not to get the perfect answer, but to demonstrate your problem-solving skills, communication ability, and understanding of system design principles.

What are your thoughts on this cheat sheet?

Do you have any other tips for preparing for a system design interview?