Things to know for System Design

What is System Design?

System design is the process of defining the architecture, components, and

interfaces of a system to meet specific requirements. Here's a brief breakdown:

1. Identify Requirements: Determine what the system needs to do.
2. High-Level Design: Outline the system's major components and their interactions.
3. Detailed Design: Specify the internal workings of each component.
4. Implementation: Write the code and integrate the components.
5. Testing: Verify that the system meets all requirements and functions correctly.
6. Maintenance: Update and improve the system over time.

Functional vs Non-Functional Requirements

Functional: Basic functionalities that the system should offer

Non-Functional: Quality constraints in application like portability, maintainability,

reliability, security etc.

What are the components of System Design?

1. Architecture: The overall structure of the system, including how components interact and the flow of data.
2. Components: The individual parts of the system, such as modules, services, or microservices.
3. Interfaces: The points of interaction between different components or with external systems.
4. Data Storage: How and where data is stored, including databases, data warehouses, and data lakes.
5. APIs (Application Programming Interfaces): Interfaces that allow different components or systems to communicate with each other.
6. Security: Measures to protect the system and data from unauthorized access and vulnerabilities.
7. Scalability: The system’s ability to handle increased load and expand as needed.
8. Performance: Ensuring the system operates efficiently and meets performance requirements.
9. Fault Tolerance and Reliability: The system’s ability to continue functioning correctly even when parts fail.

System Design Life Cycle | SDLC (Design) 

This is actual and practical way for proceeding to solve any design problem:

1. Requirements
2. Estimation and Constraints
3. HLD
4. LLD
5. Data Model Design
6. API Design
7. Identify and Resolve Bottlenecks

Structured Analysis and Structured Design

Structured Analysis is a technique used to understand and define the

requirements of a system. It involves creating models that represent the system's

functions, data, and control flow. The primary goal is to convert system

requirements into a blueprint for development.

[Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs), Entity-Relationship Diagrams (ERDs), State-Transition

Diagrams, Process Specifications] .

Structured Design follows Structured Analysis and focuses on creating a

blueprint for constructing the system. It uses the results of the analysis phase to

design the system architecture and components.

[Modularity, Top-Down Design, Structure Charts, Coupling and Cohesion]

Please see other posts for system design key concepts.