Developers
System design
For developers preparing for architecture work or interviews: start with caching, then study databases, queues, rate limits, and edge delivery trade-offs.
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Recommended learning order
System design: caching
Caching is the highest-leverage optimization in most production systems. This guide covers cache-aside, write-through, TTL strategy, active invalidation, and stampede prevention — with the mental model behind when to use each.
AI Voice Pro Editorial17 min read
System design: databases
Almost every system design problem has a database at its center. This guide covers the decisions that actually matter: SQL vs NoSQL, indexing, replication, sharding, and how to think about the CAP theorem without turning it into a religion.
AI Voice Pro Editorial17 min read
System design: queues
Message queues decouple the services that produce work from the services that do it. This guide covers when to use a queue versus a direct call, delivery guarantees, dead letter queues, and backpressure — the things that matter in production.
AI Voice Pro Editorial17 min read
System design: rate limiting
Rate limiting keeps your API healthy under load and protects it from abuse. This guide covers token bucket, sliding window, and fixed window algorithms — plus where to put rate limiting in your stack and how to implement it with Redis.
AI Voice Pro Editorial17 min read
System design: CDN and edge
A CDN moves content closer to users and takes load off your origin. Edge computing goes further — running logic at the network edge before the request reaches your servers. This guide covers both, and how to use Cache-Control headers to actually control what gets cached.
AI Voice Pro Editorial17 min read