32 exercises found
A load balancer sits between users and servers, acting as the single point of contact. It intelligently distributes incoming requests across multiple servers.
Discover how to scale your cache just like scaling a database - it's easier than you think!
Learn how your application intelligently routes requests to the right database shard without users ever knowing.
A Message Queue acts as a high-speed buffer between your API and your worker nodes. It decouples your services so that a sudden spike in traffic doesn't crash your system; instead, tasks are safely queued up and processed at a steady, manageable pace.
Synchronous means the user is stuck waiting for the server to finish. Asynchronous is the "I'll get back to you" of system design—it lets you acknowledge a request instantly while the heavy lifting happens in the background, keeping the UI snappy and the user happy.
Chat applications use PubSub for instant message delivery. Configuration management uses it to push updates to all servers simultaneously without polling.
A single server has limits. When traffic exceeds capacity, response times spike, then the server crashes. Users see error pages. Your business loses money.
The simplest distribution method. Requests cycle through servers in order: Server 1, Server 2, Server 3, back to Server 1. Fair and predictable.
Ensure each component can scale, survive failures, and stay available independently.
Explore the complete matrix of database architectures from simple monoliths to complex distributed systems.
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