Practical Approach to System Design
Designing systems is one of the most important aspects in the world of software engineering.
Designing systems is one of the most important aspects in the world of software engineering. However, how to start with this complex task? In this blog, we will focus on the practical aspects of system design, with special emphasis on object-oriented techniques and tools used in the industry.
Why is approach important?
Designing the system is not just a technical work. This too is an art which comes with immense practice. There can be many ways to approach your system design and every one of them have its pros and cons as well. So, it is very important to understand how practically we deal with the problem. This helps in better understanding and solving real problems rather following theoretical aspects of things. Let's image we need design chat system.
What we need
Myths and Misconceptions
There is often a range of myths and misconceptions when it comes to system design. Some say it is an overnight job or only the so-called "experts" can do it. The system design actually requires skills learned from years of experience yet this does not mean that the persons who are new into this field becomes impossible for them.
Gathering Requirements
Designing a system will start with understanding the problem which needs to be solved. This will include gathering requirements, talking with clients and understanding business need. This is very important as this will shape entire subsequent process.
How to Avoid Pitfalls?
Another major pitfall at this stage is assuming. Assumptions of what the client wants or what users need can create a serious problem later on. So, basically asking the right questions and making deep analysis is very important.
“Be careful of what you assume, what you assume often becomes what you consume.” ― Constance Friday
Decision on the Type of Database
One of the very first technology choices you will need to make is whether or not to use a relational database at all. This choice carries huge ramifications for your systems scalability and performance.
What are factors that would determine which database to select? The first things that should be understood before selecting a database is the types of databases available. Databases can either be relational or non-relational.
Relational databases store data in tables and have a rigid schema. Non-relational databases, on the other hand, are schema-less with an adaptable schema and can store data as key-value, wide column, document et cetera.
Project Types and Proposed Databases
1. E-commerce Platform
Database: Relational (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL)
Why: Need for complex queries, transactions, and data integrity.
2. Social Media Application
Database: Non-Relational (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra)
Why: Scalability and the ability to handle large volumes of unstructured data.
3. Real-Time Analytics Dashboard
Database: Time-Series Database (e.g., InfluxDB, TimescaleDB)
Why: Optimized for time-series data and real-time analytics.
4. Internet of Things (IoT) Application
Database: NoSQL Key-Value Store (e.g., Redis, Azure Cosmos DB)
Why: Fast read and write operations, scalability.
Structure and Data Size
It is ideal to have a relational database if the company has predictable data which it needs to store both in structure and size as well as where relationship between entities is of importance. Non-relational databases are more appropriate at a place where the data subject to change or not being able to follow fixed a fixed structure.
Scalability
Relational databases are vertical scaling usually meaning you can just add more power to a single server e.g. more RAM, CPU. Non-relational databases is horizontal scaling usually meaning you can just add more servers to the database in order to manage high traffic.
Factors for Consideration
When choosing a database, consider factors such as read and write speed, scalability options, and how the database supports transactions. These factors will help you make an informed decision.
End
By the end, we could tell that system design is a difficult and intricate job which needs deep insights of technology as well as broad vision. Hence, rightly understanding the problem, selecting the tools and techniques, analyzing existing systems on a practically approach can provide an ideal foundation for a successful scalable system.