EP96: A cheat sheet for system design

This week’s system design refresher:

• A cheat sheet for system designs

• Visualizing a SQL query

• Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategies

• Part-Time Opportunity: Tech Researcher & Writer at ByteByteGo

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A cheat sheet for system designs

The diagram below lists 15 core concepts when we design systems. The cheat sheet is straightforward to go through one by one. Save it for future reference!

• Requirement gathering

• System architecture

• Data design

• Domain design

• Scalability

• Reliability

• Availability

• Performance

• Security

• Maintainability

• Testing

• User experience design

• Cost estimation

• Documentation

• Migration plan

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Visualizing a SQL query

SQL statements are executed by the database system in several steps, including:

• Parsing the SQL statement and checking its validity

• Transforming the SQL into an internal representation, such as relational algebra

• Optimizing the internal representation and creating an execution plan that utilizes index information

• Executing the plan and returning the results

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Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategies

An effective Disaster Recovery (DR) plan is not just a precaution; it's a necessity.

The key to any robust DR strategy lies in understanding and setting two pivotal benchmarks: Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO).

• Recovery Time Objective (RTO) refers to the maximum acceptable length of time that your application or network can be offline after a disaster.

• Recovery Point Objective (RPO), on the other hand, indicates the maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time.

Let's explore four widely adopted DR strategies:

1. Backup and Restore Strategy:
   This method involves regular backups of data and systems to facilitate post-disaster recovery.

   • Typical RTO: From several hours to a few days.

   • Typical RPO: From a few hours up to the time of the last successful backup.

2. Pilot Light Approach:
   Maintains crucial components in a ready-to-activate mode, enabling rapid scaling in response to a disaster.

   • Typical RTO: From a few minutes to several hours.

   • Typical RPO: Depends on how often data is synchronized.

3. Warm Standby Solution:
   Establishes a semi-active environment with current data to reduce recovery time.

   • Typical RTO: Generally within a few minutes to hours.

   • Typical RPO: Up to the last few minutes or hours.

4. Hot Site / Multi-Site Configuration:
   Ensures a fully operational, duplicate environment that runs parallel to the primary system, enabling uninterrupted functionality.

   • Typical RTO: Almost immediate, often just a few minutes.

   • Typical RPO: Extremely minimal, usually only a few seconds old.

Over to you: What factors would influence your decision to choose a DR strategy?

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