Courses / System Design
Mastery Edition · 18 pages · PDFThe System Design Interview Framework: Mastery Edition
The full 6-step framework, 6 worked designs each with its own architecture diagram, the complete pattern catalog, and a full scored mock interview — rebuilt so every design is something you can actually see, not just read about.
There is no single "correct" architecture for "design a URL shortener." What interviewers are actually grading is whether you have a repeatable process for getting from a vague prompt to a reasoned design — and whether you can go deep when they poke at one part of it. This edition adds a real architecture diagram to every single worked design, because system design lives in boxes-and-arrows.
What's included
- 6 worked designs, up from 3 — adds a rate limiter, a streaming service, and a chat application & search autocomplete
- A dedicated architecture diagram for every worked design
- Extra patterns: API Gateway, CDN, service discovery & consistent hashing
- A visual for consistent hashing and a cache-aside flow diagram
- A self-assessment checklist to use after every practice run
- A full mock system design interview transcript, with why each answer scores well
Contents
- The framework — 6 steps, every time
- Worked design: URL shortener
- Worked design: On-call alerting system
- Worked design: CI/CD for 50+ microservices
- Worked design: Rate limiter
- Worked design: Streaming service
- Worked design: Chat application & search autocomplete
- Pattern catalog: API Gateway, CDN, service discovery & consistent hashing
- Pattern catalog: caching & database scaling
- Pattern catalog: queues & load balancing
- Vocabulary cheat sheet & common mistakes
- Blank practice template & grading rubric
- Full mock system design interview
Not ready yet? Start with the guide: The System Design Interview Framework. It's yours, no cost.