System Design Interview Questions
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Introduction to High-Level System Design
System Design Fundamentals
- Functional vs. Non-Functional Requirements
- Scalability, Availability, and Reliability
- Latency and Throughput Considerations
- Load Balancing Strategies
Architectural Patterns
- Monolithic vs. Microservices Architecture
- Layered Architecture
- Event-Driven Architecture
- Serverless Architecture
- Model-View-Controller (MVC) Pattern
- CQRS (Command Query Responsibility Segregation)
Scaling Strategies
- Vertical Scaling vs. Horizontal Scaling
- Sharding and Partitioning
- Data Replication and Consistency Models
- Load Balancing Strategies
- CDN and Edge Computing
Database Design in HLD
- SQL vs. NoSQL Databases
- CAP Theorem and its Impact on System Design
- Database Indexing and Query Optimization
- Database Sharding and Partitioning
- Replication Strategies
API Design and Communication
Caching Strategies
- Types of Caching
- Cache Invalidation Strategies
- Redis vs. Memcached
- Cache-Aside, Write-Through, and Write-Behind Strategies
Message Queues and Event-Driven Systems
- Kafka vs. RabbitMQ vs. SQS
- Pub-Sub vs. Point-to-Point Messaging
- Handling Asynchronous Workloads
- Eventual Consistency in Distributed Systems
Security in System Design
Observability and Monitoring
- Logging Strategies (ELK Stack, Prometheus, Grafana)
- API Security Best Practices
- Secure Data Storage and Access Control
- DDoS Protection and Rate Limiting
Real-World System Design Case Studies
- Distributed locking (Locking and its Types)
- Memory leaks and Out of memory issues
- HLD of YouTube
- HLD of WhatsApp
Designing a Real-Time Notification System Like Facebook
Real-time notification systems are the backbone of modern social media platforms, ensuring users stay updated with the latest activities, messages, and interactions. Designing a system like Facebook’s real-time notification system requires a deep understanding of scalability, reliability, and performance optimization. If you’re interested in learning more about system design or want to stay updated with the latest course offerings, fill out our lead capture form for free resources and updates.
Key Components of a Real-Time Notification System
A real-time notification system is a complex architecture that involves multiple components working together seamlessly. Below are the key components that make such a system efficient and scalable.
Event Generation
Events are the triggers that initiate notifications. These could be actions like a new like, comment, or friend request. The system must capture these events in real time and process them efficiently.
- Event Sources: User actions, system alerts, or third-party integrations.
- Event Types: Likes, comments, shares, friend requests, etc.
Event Processing
Once an event is generated, it needs to be processed and transformed into a notification. This involves filtering, aggregating, and prioritizing events to ensure only relevant notifications are sent.
- Filtering: Remove irrelevant or duplicate events.
- Aggregation: Combine similar events (e.g., multiple likes on a post).
- Prioritization: Rank notifications based on user preferences or importance.
Notification Delivery
The final step is delivering the notification to the user. This involves choosing the right delivery channel (push notification, email, SMS) and ensuring timely delivery.
- Delivery Channels: Push notifications, emails, SMS, or in-app alerts.
- Timeliness: Ensure notifications are delivered in real time.
Scalability Challenges in Real-Time Notification Systems
Scalability is one of the biggest challenges when designing a real-time notification system. With millions of users generating events simultaneously, the system must handle high traffic without compromising performance.
Handling High Traffic
To manage high traffic, the system must be designed to scale horizontally. This means adding more servers or resources to handle increased load.
- Load Balancing: Distribute traffic evenly across servers.
- Auto-Scaling: Automatically add or remove resources based on demand.
Data Storage and Retrieval
Storing and retrieving notification data efficiently is crucial. This requires a robust database system that can handle large volumes of data and provide quick access.
- Database Choices: NoSQL databases like Cassandra or MongoDB for scalability.
- Caching: Use Redis or Memcached to reduce database load.
Latency Reduction
Real-time systems must minimize latency to ensure notifications are delivered instantly. This involves optimizing every component of the system, from event generation to delivery.
- Edge Computing: Process data closer to the user to reduce latency.
- Optimized Algorithms: Use efficient algorithms for event processing.
Technologies Used in Real-Time Notification Systems
Building a real-time notification system requires a combination of technologies that work together to ensure reliability, scalability, and performance.
Backend Technologies
The backend is responsible for event processing and notification generation. Popular technologies include:
- Programming Languages: Java, Python, or Go for backend development.
- Frameworks: Spring Boot, Django, or Node.js for building scalable APIs.
Message Queues
Message queues are essential for decoupling event generation and processing. They ensure events are processed in the correct order and prevent data loss.
- Kafka: A distributed streaming platform for handling high-throughput events.
- RabbitMQ: A message broker for reliable event delivery.
Real-Time Communication Protocols
To deliver notifications in real time, the system must use efficient communication protocols.
- WebSockets: Enable real-time, bidirectional communication between the server and client.
- HTTP/2: Improves performance with multiplexing and server push.
Designing for Reliability and Fault Tolerance
A real-time notification system must be reliable and fault-tolerant to ensure uninterrupted service. Below are some strategies to achieve this.
Redundancy
Redundancy ensures that the system continues to function even if one component fails.
- Server Redundancy: Deploy multiple servers to handle failures.
- Data Replication: Store data across multiple locations to prevent data loss.
Monitoring and Alerts
Continuous monitoring helps detect and resolve issues before they impact users.
- Monitoring Tools: Prometheus, Grafana, or Datadog for real-time monitoring.
- Alerting Systems: Set up alerts for unusual activity or system failures.
Disaster Recovery
A disaster recovery plan ensures the system can recover quickly from major failures.
- Backup Strategies: Regularly back up data and configurations.
- Failover Mechanisms: Automatically switch to backup systems during failures.
Also Read: Why System Design Interviews Are Tough
User Experience Considerations
A real-time notification system must prioritize user experience to ensure users find the notifications useful and not intrusive.
Personalization
Personalized notifications are more engaging and relevant to users.
- User Preferences: Allow users to customize notification settings.
- Behavioral Analysis: Use machine learning to predict user preferences.
Notification Frequency
Too many notifications can overwhelm users, while too few can make them feel disconnected.
- Frequency Capping: Limit the number of notifications sent per day.
- Smart Scheduling: Send notifications at optimal times based on user activity.
Opt-Out Options
Users should have the option to opt out of notifications they find irrelevant.
- Unsubscribe Links: Include easy-to-find unsubscribe links in emails.
- In-App Settings: Allow users to manage notifications within the app.
How does a real-time notification system work?
A real-time notification system captures user actions as events, processes them, and delivers notifications instantly. It uses technologies like WebSockets and message queues to ensure timely delivery. To learn more about system design, check out our DSA course.
What are the challenges in designing a real-time notification system?
The main challenges include handling high traffic, reducing latency, and ensuring reliability. Scalability and fault tolerance are also critical. For a deeper dive into these concepts, explore our Web Development course.
Which technologies are best for building a real-time notification system?
Popular technologies include Kafka for event streaming, WebSockets for real-time communication, and Redis for caching. To master these technologies, enroll in our Master DSA, Web Dev & System Design course.
How does YouTube manage high traffic without crashing?
YouTube leverages CDNs (Content Delivery Networks), load balancing, and distributed databases to distribute traffic efficiently and prevent downtime. If you want to learn more about handling large-scale traffic and system design, check out this Master DSA, Web Dev & System Design Course.
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