Common Terms of System Design

System design involves creating the architecture of a system to meet specific requirements. Here are some common terms used in system design: Network Partition In the context of distributed databases or systems, network partitions are particularly challenging because they force the system to make trade-offs between consistency, availability, and partition tolerance, as described by the … Read more

Consistent Hashing: An In-Depth Guide

consistent hashing

Consistent hashing is a technique used in distributed systems to evenly distribute data across a cluster of nodes, minimizing the amount of data that needs to be relocated when nodes are added or removed. This method ensures that the system remains scalable, fault-tolerant, and efficient. Introduction In a large-scale distributed system, data does not fit … Read more

Back of the Envelope Calculations for System Design: A Practical Guide

Back of the envelope calculations are invaluable in the early stages of system design. These rough, rapid estimates provide ballpark figures that help engineers and architects quickly assess feasibility and compare multiple approaches, guiding more detailed analysis and design. What Are Back of the Envelope Calculations? Back of the envelope calculations are quick, simplified estimates … Read more

Rate Limiting: A Comprehensive Overview

In today’s digital world, managing the flow of data and requests between clients and servers is critical for maintaining the performance, security, and availability of web services. One key technique used to achieve this is rate limiting. This blog will delve into the concept of rate limiting, its importance, methods, and best practices. What is … Read more

Understanding the CAP Theorem: Balancing Consistency, Availability, and Partition Tolerance in Distributed Systems

cap theorem

CAP theorem states that a distributed system can only guarantee two of these three properties at any given time. Introduction Distributed systems have become increasingly prevalent in today’s technology landscape, enabling scalability, fault tolerance, and high availability. However, designing and managing distributed systems comes with its own set of challenges. One fundamental concept that plays … Read more

Practical Guide to Apache Cassandra

Apache Cassandra is a highly scalable, distributed NoSQL database designed to handle large amounts of data across many servers, providing high availability with no single point of failure. This practical guide will help you understand how to use Cassandra for real-world applications. Key Points Key Concepts in Cassandra Keyspace A keyspace is an outermost container … Read more