System Design Topics

Web & Protocols

• HTTP Evolution (1.0 -> 1.1 -> 2.0 -> HTTP 3.0/QUIC)
• HTTPS Implementation
• API Architectures (SOAP vs REST vs GraphQL vs RPC)
• Modern Browser Architecture
• Browser Request Flow
• DNS Lookup Process

Security & Authentication

• Password Storage Best Practices
• Single Sign-On (SSO)
• Secure API Design
• Payment Security Systems

Database & Storage

• Database Isolation Levels
• Database Selection Guide
• Redis vs Memcached Comparison
• Storage Types (Block vs File vs Object)
• Data Partitioning Strategies
• Read Replica Pattern

System Design Case Studies

• Twitter Architecture
• Google Docs Design
• Gmail System Design
• Google Maps Architecture
• Payment System Design
• Flash Sale System Design
• Stock Exchange Architecture

Performance & Optimization

• Kafka Performance Analysis
• Redis Performance Deep-dive
• Low-latency Exchange Systems
• Caching:
  • Cache Strategy Patterns
  • Cache Miss Attack Prevention
  • Content Delivery Networks (CDN)

Cloud & Infrastructure

• Cloud Service Models (IaaS/PaaS/SaaS)
• AWS Lambda Internals
• Cloud Provider Selection for Big Data
• Virtualization vs Containerization

Architecture & Patterns

• Design Pattern Implementation
• Microservices Communication
• Push vs Pull Architecture
• Message Delivery Guarantees
• Optimistic Locking Implementation

Operations & Monitoring

• Deployment Strategy Patterns
• Outage Management
• Amazon’s Engineering Practices
• Process Diagnostics
• Metrics Monitoring Systems

Specialized Systems

Payment Systems

• SWIFT Network Architecture
• Money Movement Systems
• Double-charge Prevention
• Foreign Exchange Integration

Location Services

• Proximity Search Systems
• Map Rendering Techniques
• Quadtree Implementation

Data Processing

• Big Data Architecture
• Data Evolution Patterns
• Large File Upload Systems
• Web Crawler Deduplication

Core Concepts

• Process vs Thread
• System Estimation Techniques
• Latency vs Consistency Tradeoffs
• Distributed ID Generation