Design a URL Shortener
Master the URL shortener design through our SACRED framework. Follow a step-by-step approach that mirrors real system design interviews.
🏛️ SACRED Framework Applied
Design a scalable URL shortening service like bit.ly through 6 systematic steps:
S - Scope & Requirements
Define functional & non-functional requirements
• User stories • Scale targets • Performance goals
A - API & Core Entities
Design APIs and data model
• REST endpoints • Entity relationships • Data schema
C - Core High-Level Design
Basic architecture & algorithm
• ID generation • Read/Write paths • Service design
R - Refinement for Scale
Scale calculations & strategies
• QPS math • Sharding • Caching • Replication
E - Edge Cases
Handle failures & special cases
• Collisions • Rate limiting • Custom URLs • Security
D - Deep Dives
Component implementation details
• Database choice • Cache strategy • Analytics design
🎯 Core Design Decisions We'll Make
Algorithm Choice
Counter vs Hash approach for generating short URLs
Storage Strategy
NoSQL vs SQL, sharding approach
Caching Layer
Redis for hot URLs, cache invalidation
ID Generation
Snowflake vs UUID vs Counter service
Service Architecture
Read/Write separation, microservices
Analytics Design
Real-time vs batch processing for clicks
✅ What You'll Learn
Interview Skills
- • Structured approach
- • Requirements clarification
- • Trade-off analysis
Technical Concepts
- • Distributed ID generation
- • Database sharding
- • Cache strategies
Design Patterns
- • Read/Write separation
- • Service decomposition
- • Failure handling
💡 Note: Looking for the complete single-page version? Visit URL Shortener Complete