System-Design

Introduction Designing systems around large language models (LLMs) is not just about calling an API. Once you go beyond toy demos, you face questions like: How do I keep latency under control as usage grows? How do I manage costs when token usage explodes? How do I make results reliable and safe enough for production? How do I deal with context limits, memory, and personalization? How do I choose between hosted APIs and self-hosting? This post is a zero-to-hero guide to system design for LLM-powered applications. It assumes you’re comfortable with web backends / APIs, but not necessarily a deep learning expert. ...

Introduction RSS and Atom feeds remain foundational for syndicating content across the web—from news and blogs to podcasts and enterprise integrations. Designing a robust feed system isn’t just about outputting XML; it’s about correctness, scale, freshness, discoverability, compatibility, and reliability. This article walks through a detailed system design for building and operating RSS/Atom feeds. We’ll cover data modeling, HTTP semantics, caching, pagination and archiving, push (WebSub) vs pull, security, observability, and practical implementation snippets. A comprehensive Resources section at the end provides standards, validators, and production-ready libraries. ...

Introduction Distributed systems underpin many critical applications today, from blockchain networks to large-scale cloud services. However, coordinating agreement (consensus) among distributed nodes is challenging, especially when some nodes may behave maliciously or unpredictably. This challenge is famously captured by the Byzantine Generals Problem, which models how independent actors can safely agree on a strategy despite some actors potentially acting against the group’s interest. This blog post will take you from zero to hero on Byzantine consensus in distributed systems. We’ll explore the problem’s origins, why it matters, fundamental solutions like Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT), and real-world applications. ...

Introduction Hash maps are fundamental data structures widely used in programming and system design for their efficient key-value storage and retrieval capabilities. In Python, the built-in dictionary (dict) serves as a highly optimized hash map. However, a linked hash map is a specialized variant that maintains the order of insertion while retaining the fast lookup of a hash map. This blog post explores the concept of linked hash maps in Python, their relevance to system design, and useful resources for deeper understanding. ...

Table of Contents Introduction What is Linktree and Why Does It Matter Understanding the Core Concepts Database Schema Design System Architecture Scaling Considerations Building Your Own Linktree Learning Resources Conclusion Introduction In the modern digital landscape, content creators, influencers, and businesses need efficient ways to manage and share multiple links across different platforms. Linktree has emerged as a popular solution that simplifies link management through a centralized “link in bio” system. But have you ever wondered about the technical architecture that powers such applications? ...