Course roadmap
| Lesson | You'll be able to… |
|---|---|
| 1 · Numbers & estimation | Turn '100M users' into QPS and storage in 2 minutes |
| 2 · Scaling the web tier | Explain load balancers, statelessness, horizontal scaling |
| 3 · Caching | Pick a cache pattern and eviction policy; handle invalidation |
| 4 · Databases | Choose SQL vs NoSQL; use replication & indexes |
| 5 · Partitioning & consistency | Shard data, consistent hashing, CAP/PACELC |
| 6 · Async & messaging | Queues vs logs, at-least-once, idempotency |
| 7 · Edge: APIs, CDNs, rate limits | Design the front door |
| 8 · Reliability & observability | Availability math, failure modes, SLOs |
| 9 · Case: URL shortener | Full design, solo |
| 10 · Case: news feed | Fan-out trade-offs |
| 11 · Case: chat system | Real-time, ordering, presence |
Each lesson ends with a quiz and an 'explain it' prompt. Write the answer before revealing the rubric — that's where the learning happens. Flashcards for this module are under Flashcards.