Netflix architecture overview in Microservices - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is the main architectural style used by Netflix for its backend services?

Netflix uses a microservices architecture, where the application is split into many small, independent services that communicate over the network.

beginner

Why does Netflix use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)?

Netflix uses CDNs to cache and deliver video content closer to users, reducing latency and improving streaming quality.

intermediate

What role does the API Gateway play in Netflix's architecture?

The API Gateway acts as a single entry point for client requests, routing them to appropriate microservices and handling concerns like authentication and rate limiting.

advanced

How does Netflix ensure high availability and fault tolerance?

Netflix uses techniques like service replication, fallback mechanisms, circuit breakers, and chaos engineering to maintain availability and handle failures gracefully.

intermediate

What is the purpose of Netflix's service discovery system?

Service discovery helps microservices find and communicate with each other dynamically, without hardcoding network locations.

What architectural pattern does Netflix primarily use for scalability?

A Peer-to-peer architecture

B Monolithic architecture

C Client-server architecture

D Microservices architecture

Netflix uses microservices architecture to scale individual components independently.

Which component in Netflix architecture handles user requests and routes them to services?

A API Gateway

B Database

C Load balancer

D Content Delivery Network

The API Gateway is the single entry point that routes requests to the correct microservices.

How does Netflix improve video streaming performance globally?

A Using a single central server

B Using Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)

C Using peer-to-peer sharing

D Using local caching on user devices only

CDNs cache content near users to reduce latency and improve streaming quality.

What technique does Netflix use to test system resilience by intentionally causing failures?

A Chaos engineering

B Unit testing

C Load testing

D Integration testing

Chaos engineering involves deliberately injecting failures to test system robustness.

What is the purpose of service discovery in Netflix's microservices?

A To store user data

B To cache video content

C To find and connect microservices dynamically

D To authenticate users

Service discovery allows microservices to locate each other without fixed network addresses.

Explain the key components of Netflix's microservices architecture and how they interact to deliver video streaming.

Think about how requests flow from users to services and how Netflix keeps the system reliable.

Describe how Netflix achieves high availability and scalability in its system design.

Consider both software design and infrastructure strategies.