Computer Science
Grade 10
20 min
System Design
System Design
Tutorial Preview
1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Define system design and explain its importance in the software development lifecycle.
Identify the core components of a basic client-server architecture.
Explain the role of an API in connecting different parts of a software system.
Create a simple database schema for a given application requirement.
By the end of a lesson, students will be able to differentiate between functional and non-functional requirements.
Sketch a high-level design diagram for a simple application.
Ever wondered how apps like Instagram or TikTok can handle millions of users posting photos and videos at the same time? 🤔 It all starts with a smart blueprint!
This lesson introduces you to System Design, the process of creating the architectural blueprint for software. You'll...
2
Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Client-Server ArchitectureA common system structure where a 'client' (like your phone or web browser) requests information or services from a central 'server' that stores data and runs the application logic.When you open a weather app (the client), it sends a request to the weather company's server. The server finds the forecast for your location and sends it back to your app to display.
API (Application Programming Interface)A set of rules and tools that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. It's like a menu at a restaurant that lets you order food without going into the kitchen yourself.A travel website uses a weather API to get forecast data and display it alongside flight information. The website does...
3
Core Syntax & Patterns
Three-Tier Architecture
System = Presentation Tier (UI) + Application Tier (Logic) + Data Tier (Database)
A fundamental design pattern that separates a system into three logical layers. This makes the system easier to develop, manage, and update because you can change one layer (like the user interface) without affecting the others (like the database).
API Endpoint Naming Convention
Use nouns to represent resources. E.g., GET /users to get all users, GET /users/123 to get a specific user.
When designing APIs, you create 'endpoints' (like URLs) for clients to interact with. A standard convention is to use nouns (like 'users', 'posts', 'products') to refer to your data resources, and use HTTP methods (GET, POST, DELETE) to describe the a...
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Challenging
For the 'Like' button example, why is it better to have a separate `Likes` table instead of just a single `like_count` number column in the `Photos` table?
A.It prevents a user from liking the same photo multiple times and allows for an 'unlike' feature.
B.It uses less storage space in the database.
C.It makes the website load faster for all users.
D.It is the only way to show the total number of likes.
Challenging
You are designing a system for booking movie tickets. Two users try to book the last available seat at the exact same time. This problem of ensuring only one user gets the seat is primarily an issue of ______ that a good design must solve to avoid the pitfall of ______.
A.Latency, Not Considering Failure
B.Concurrency, Ignoring Scalability
C.API Naming, Designing Everything at Once
D.Functional Requirements, Poor Database Design
Challenging
A new feature is requested for the URL shortener: users should see how many times their short URL has been clicked. How would you modify the system design to support this?
A.Add a `long_url` column to the database table.
B.Create a new API endpoint `GET /clicks/{short_url}`.
C.Add a `click_count` column to the database table and increment it on each `GET` request.
D.Store the click count in the client's web browser.
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