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HLDsystem_design~12 mins

Why social media tests multiple design skills in HLD - Architecture Impact

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System Overview - Why social media tests multiple design skills

Social media platforms connect millions of users worldwide. They require handling diverse features like real-time messaging, media sharing, notifications, and personalized feeds. Designing such systems tests multiple skills including scalability, data management, user experience, and security.

Architecture Diagram
User
  |
  v
Load Balancer
  |
  v
API Gateway
  |
  +---------------------+---------------------+---------------------+---------------------+
  |                     |                     |                     |                     |
Feed Service       Messaging Service      Media Service       Notification Service
  |                     |                     |                     |
Cache                Cache                CDN                   Queue
  |                     |                     |                     |
Database             Database             Object Storage        Database
Components
User
client
End user accessing the social media platform
Load Balancer
load_balancer
Distributes incoming user requests evenly across servers
API Gateway
api_gateway
Routes requests to appropriate backend services and handles authentication
Feed Service
service
Generates and serves personalized user feeds
Messaging Service
service
Handles real-time chat and message delivery
Media Service
service
Manages uploading, processing, and serving images and videos
Notification Service
service
Sends alerts and notifications to users
Cache
cache
Stores frequently accessed data to reduce latency
CDN
cdn
Delivers media content quickly to users worldwide
Queue
message_queue
Manages asynchronous notification delivery
Database
database
Stores user data, messages, feed information, and notifications
Object Storage
storage
Stores large media files like photos and videos
Request Flow - 11 Hops
User → Load Balancer
Load Balancer → API Gateway
API Gateway → Feed Service
Feed Service → Cache
Cache → Feed Service
Feed Service → Database
Database → Feed Service
Feed Service → Cache
Feed Service → API Gateway
API Gateway → Load Balancer
Load Balancer → User
Failure Scenario
Component Fails:Cache
Impact:Cache misses increase, causing higher load and latency on database queries
Mitigation:System continues to function by querying database directly; add cache replication and fallback strategies
Architecture Quiz - 3 Questions
Test your understanding
Which component routes user requests to the correct backend service?
ALoad Balancer
BAPI Gateway
CCache
DDatabase
Design Principle
This architecture demonstrates how social media platforms require multiple specialized services working together. It highlights the importance of caching for performance, load balancing for scalability, and API gateways for routing and security. Designing such systems tests skills in distributed systems, data management, and user experience.