Database Design & Schema for YouTube/Netflix

When designing a system like YouTube or Netflix, database architecture plays a critical role in ensuring scalability, performance, and reliability. The database schema for such platforms must handle large volumes of data such as user profiles, video metadata, content, interactions, and analytics, among others.

Key Considerations for Database Design:

• Scalability: The database should be designed to handle millions of concurrent users and large amounts of video content.

• Performance: Efficient indexing, caching, and data retrieval are critical for ensuring fast response times, especially when streaming videos.

• Data Redundancy & Availability: To ensure high availability and fault tolerance, the database should implement replication strategies.

• Security: The database must ensure data privacy and protection of sensitive user information like passwords and payment details.

• Consistency: Using techniques like eventual consistency for highly available systems (e.g., videos being uploaded in different regions).

1. User Management Schema

The user management schema handles user profiles, authentication, and subscription information.

Tables:

Users

• user_id (Primary Key)
• email
• password_hash
• full_name
• date_of_birth
• signup_date
• profile_picture_url
• preferences 

Subscriptions

• subscription_id (Primary Key)
• user_id (Foreign Key from Users)
• plan_type (e.g., Basic, Standard, Premium)
• start_date
• end_date
• payment_method (e.g., Credit Card, PayPal)
• status (active, canceled, paused)

2. Video Content Schema

The content schema stores all details related to the videos or movies available for streaming.

Tables:

Videos

• video_id (Primary Key)
• title
• description
• genre (e.g., Drama, Comedy, Action)
• language
• release_date
• duration (in minutes)
• content_type (e.g., Movie, TV Show, Documentary)
• upload_date
• video_url (URL or file path to the video)
• thumbnail_url
• rating (average user rating, e.g., 4.5/5)
• views (number of views)

Video_Metadata

• video_id (Primary Key, Foreign Key from Videos)
• resolution (e.g., 720p, 1080p, 4K)
• bitrate
• codec (e.g., H.264, VP9)
• language_tracks (array or JSON with available languages)
• subtitles (array or JSON with available subtitles)

Video_Categories

• video_id (Foreign Key from Videos)
• category_id (Foreign Key from Categories)

Categories

• category_id (Primary Key)
• category_name (e.g., Action, Drama, Romance)

3. Playback History & User Interaction

This part of the schema tracks user interactions, video views, ratings, comments, etc.

Tables:

Playback_History

• history_id (Primary Key)
• user_id (Foreign Key from Users)
• video_id (Foreign Key from Videos)
• watch_start_time
• watch_end_time
• completion_percentage (percentage of the video watched, e.g., 100% if the user watched the entire video)
• watch_device (e.g., Web, Mobile)

Ratings

• rating_id (Primary Key)
• user_id (Foreign Key from Users)
• video_id (Foreign Key from Videos)
• rating_value (Numeric value, e.g., 1-5)
• comment (optional, user’s comment)

Comments

• comment_id (Primary Key)
• user_id (Foreign Key from Users)
• video_id (Foreign Key from Videos)
• comment_text
• timestamp

4. Recommendations & Search

This part of the schema facilitates recommendation engines and search queries.

Tables:

Search_Logs

• search_id (Primary Key)
• user_id (Foreign Key from Users)
• search_query (the actual search text)
• timestamp
• search_result_count (number of results returned for the query)

Recommendations

• recommendation_id (Primary Key)
• user_id (Foreign Key from Users)
• video_id (Foreign Key from Videos)
• recommendation_type (e.g., Based on watch history, genre preference, or collaborative filtering)
• timestamp

5. Analytics and Reporting

This section tracks engagement and usage patterns, providing data for content improvement and business decisions.

Tables:

Video_Views

• view_id (Primary Key)
• video_id (Foreign Key from Videos)
• user_id (Foreign Key from Users)
• view_count
• timestamp

User_Engagement

• engagement_id (Primary Key)
• user_id (Foreign Key from Users)
• video_id (Foreign Key from Videos)
• action (e.g., Like, Share, Comment)
• timestamp

6. Content Delivery & Streaming

These tables store information related to video delivery and streaming.

Tables:

Video_Streams

• stream_id (Primary Key)
• video_id (Foreign Key from Videos)
• stream_url (URL or cloud storage link for video content)
• quality (e.g., 720p, 1080p, 4K)
• duration (Length of the stream in seconds)

Streaming_Devices

• device_id (Primary Key)
• user_id (Foreign Key from Users)
• device_type (e.g., Mobile, Tablet, Smart TV)
• device_version
• os (e.g., Android, iOS)

7. Content Protection (DRM)

For ensuring that content is not stolen or pirated, platforms like YouTube and Netflix often use Digital Rights Management (DRM). This section ensures secure streaming.

Tables:

DRM_Keys

• drm_key_id (Primary Key)
• video_id (Foreign Key from Videos)
• key (Encrypted key for content protection)
• expiry_date (Expiration date for DRM)

Summary of Key Tables for YouTube/Netflix Database Schema: