What is Systems Design – Learn System Design

Systems Design is the process of defining the architecture, components, modules,

interfaces, and data for a system to satisfy specified requirements. It involves
translating user requirements into a detailed blueprint that guides the
implementation phase. The goal is to create a well-organized and efficient
structure that meets the intended purpose while considering factors like
scalability, maintainability, and performance.

What-is-System-Design

Table of Content

Why Learn System Design?

Objectives of Systems Design
Advantages of System Design
Components of Systems Design
System Design Life Cycle (SDLC)
System Architecture
Modularity and Interfaces In Systems Design
Evolution/Upgrade/Scale of an Existing System
How Data Flows Between System?
System Design Example: Airline Reservation System
Why Learn System Design?
In any development process, be it Software or any other tech, the most important
stage is Design. Without the designing phase, you cannot jump to the implementation
or the testing part. The same is the case with the System as well. Systems Design
not only is a vital step in the development of the system but also provides the
backbone to handle exceptional scenarios because it represents the business logic
of software.

The importance of System Design phase in SDLC

The importance of System Design phase in SDLC

From the above SDLC steps, it is clear that system design acts as a backbone
because no matter how good the coding part is executed, it, later on, becomes
irrelevant if the corresponding design is not good. So here we get crucial vital
information as to why it is been asked in every Product Based Company.

Below are the main 5 reasons why to learn system design:

System Design is crucial in FAANG interviews.

You need to have good expertise in System Design to be hired for Senior positions.
System Design proficiency enhances job security.
Understanding System Design will help you to have good communication.
Learning System Design improves decision-making.
Objectives of Systems Design
Below are the main objectives of Systems Design:

Practicality: We need a system that should be targetting the set of

audiences(users) corresponding to which they are designing.
Accuracy: Above system design should be designed in such a way it fulfills nearly
all requirements around which it is designed be it functional o non-functional
requirements.
Completeness: System design should meet all user requirements
Efficient: The system design should be such that it should not overuse surpassing
the cost of resources nor under use as it will by now we know will result in low
thorough put (output) and less response time(latency).
Reliability: The system designed should be in proximity to a failure-free
environment for a certain period of time.
Optimization: Time and space are just likely what we do for code chunks for
individual components to work in a system.
Scalable(flexibility): System design should be adaptable with time as per different
user needs of customers which we know will keep on changing on time. The best
example here out is the well-known firm: Nokia. It is the most important aspect
while designing systems and is the result of why 1 of 100 startups succeed over the
long run, the best example here out is GeeksforGeeks.
Objectives of System Design
Objectives of System Design

Note: System Design also helps us to achieve fault tolerence which is ability of a
software to continue working where even its 1 or 2 component fails.

Now after glancing and going through the above objectives let us now discuss the
advantages of system design to understand it better as the below advantages get our
understanding even closer to real-life.

Advantages of System Design

Upon detailed discussion of the introduction to system design, it is a must now to
discuss the advantages of System Design:

The greatest advantage of system design is inculcating awareness and creativity in

full-stack developers’ via synergic bonding of API protocols gateways, networking
and databases.

Some of the major advantages of System Design include:

Reduces the Design Cost of a Product: By using established design patterns and
reusable components, teams can lower the effort and expense associated with
creating new software designs.
Speedy Software Development Process: Using frameworks and libraries accelerates
development by providing pre-built functionalities, allowing developers to focus on
unique features.
Saves Overall Time in SDLC: Streamlined processes and automation in the Software
Development Life Cycle (SDLC) lead to quicker iterations and faster time-to-market.
Increases Efficiency and Consistency of a Programmer: Familiar tools and
methodologies enable programmers to work more effectively and produce uniform code,
reducing the likelihood of errors.
Saves Resources: Optimized workflows and shared resources minimize the need for
redundant efforts, thereby conserving both human and material resources.
Components of Systems Design
Below are some of the major components of the System Design. discussed in brief.
The detailed version of this will be discussed in different posts:

Load Balancers: Distribute incoming traffic across multiple servers to optimize

performance and ensure reliability.
Key-Value Stores: Storage systems that manage data as pairs of keys and values,
often implemented using distributed hash tables.
Blob Storage: A service for storing large amounts of unstructured data, such as
media files (e.g., YouTube, Netflix).
Databases: Organized collections of data that facilitate easy access, management,
and modification.
Rate Limiters: Control the maximum number of requests a service can handle in a
given timeframe to prevent overload.
Monitoring Systems: Tools that enable administrators to track and analyze
infrastructure performance, including bandwidth and CPU usage.
Distributed Messaging Queues: Mediums that facilitate communication between
producers and consumers, ensuring reliable message delivery.
Distributed Unique ID Generators: Systems that generate unique identifiers for
events or tasks in a distributed environment.
Distributed Search: Mechanisms that allow users to search across multiple data
sources or websites for relevant information.
Distributed Logging Services: Systems that collect and trace logs across services
to monitor and troubleshoot applications.
Distributed Task Schedulers: Tools that manage and allocate computational resources
for executing tasks across a distributed system.
Components of System Design
Components of System Design

System Design Life Cycle (SDLC)

The System Design Life Cycle (SDLC) is a comprehensive process that outlines the
steps involved in designing and developing a system, be it a software application,
hardware solution, or an integrated system combining both. It encompasses a series
of phases that guide engineers through the creation of a system that aligns with
the user’s needs and organizational goals. The SDLC aims to ensure that the end
product is reliable, scalable, and maintainable.

System-Design-Life-Cycle-22
System Design Life Cycle (SDLC)

System Architecture
System architecture is a way in which we define how the components of a design are
depicted design and deployment of software. It is basically the skeleton design of
a software system depicting components, abstraction levels, and other aspects of a
software system. In order to understand it in a layman’s language, it is the aim or
logic of a business should be crystal clear and laid out on a single sheet of
paper. Here goals of big projects and further guides to scaling up are there for
the existing system and upcoming systems to be scaled up.

System Architecture Patterns

There are various ways to organize the components in software or system
architecture. And the different predefined organization of components in software
architectures are known as software architecture patterns. A lot of patterns were
tried and tested. Most of them have successfully solved various problems. In each
pattern, the components are organized differently for solving a specific problem in
software architectures.
Different types of System Architecture Patterns include:
Client-Server Architecture Pattern: Separates the system into two main components:
clients that request services and servers that provide them.
Event-Driven Architecture Pattern: Uses events to trigger and communicate between
decoupled components, enhancing responsiveness and scalability.
Microkernel Architecture Pattern: Centers around a core system (microkernel) with
additional features and functionalities added as plugins or extensions.
Microservices Architecture Pattern: Breaks down applications into small,
independent services that can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently.
System Architecture Patterns
System Architecture Patterns

Modularity and Interfaces In Systems Design

Modularity and interfaces in systems design are essential concepts that enhance
flexibility and usability by breaking down complex systems into manageable
components and providing intuitive user interactions.
1. Modularity
Modular design involves breaking down complex products into smaller, independent
components or modules. This allows each module (e.g., a car’s engine or
transmission) to be developed and tested separately, making the overall system more
flexible and easier to manage. The final product is assembled by integrating these
modules, enabling changes without affecting the entire system.

2. Interfaces
In systems design, interfaces are the points where users interact with the system.
This includes navigation elements, data input forms, and report displays. Effective
interfaces are intuitive and user-friendly, enhancing the overall user experience
and ensuring efficient data collection and system navigation.

Together, modularity and well-designed interfaces contribute to creating scalable,

maintainable, and user-friendly systems.

Evolution/Upgrade/Scaling of an Existing System

With the increase in tech usage, be it offline or online, it is now a must for
every developer to design and create ascalable system. If the system is not
scalable, with the increase in users, it is very likely that the system will crash.
Hence the concept of scaling comes into play.

Suppose there is a system with configurations of specific disk and RAM which was
handling tasks. Now if we need to evolve our system or scale up, we have two
options with us.

Upgrade Specifications of existing system(Vertical Scaling):

We are simply improving the processor by upgrading the RAM and disk size and many
other components.
Note that here we are not caring about the scalability and availability of network
bandwidth.
Here as per evolution we are working over the availability factor only considering
scalability will be maintained. This is known as vertical scaling.
Create a Distributed System by connecting multiple systems together(Horizontal
Scaling):
We see above that if scalability is not up to mark then we need multiple systems
for this measure as availability measures do have a limitation.
In order to scale up, we need more systems (more chunks of blocks) and this is
known as horizontal scaling.
Evolution/Upgrade/Scale of an Existing System
Evolution/Upgrade/Scale of an Existing System

How Data Flows Between System?

Data Flow Diagrams or DFDs is defined as a graphical representation of the flow of
data through information. DFD is designed to show how a system is divided into
smaller portions and to highlight the flow of data between these parts. Below is an
example to demonstrate the Data Flow Diagram’s basic structure:

Basic-Structure-of-DFD
Basic Stucture of DFD

Components of DFD include:

Representation Action performed
Square Defines the source of destination of data
Arrow Identifies data flow and acts as a pipeline throughwhich information flows
Circle/Bubble Represents a process that transforms incoming data flow into
outgoing data
Open Rectangle It is a data store or data at rest/temporary repository of data

Note: Sender and Receiver should be written in uppercase always. Rather it is

good practrice to use uppercaswe letter what so ever is placed in square box as per
DFD conventions.

System Design Example: Airline Reservation System

Having discussed the fundamentals of system design, we can now explore a practical
example: the Airline Reservation System. This system will help illustrate the
various components and design considerations involved. To better understand the
Airline Reservation System, let’s first examine its context-level flow diagram
(DFD). In this diagram, key entities—Passenger, Travel Agent, and Airline—serve as
the primary data sources and destinations.

System Design Example: Airline Reservation System

System Design Example: Airline Reservation System

Data Flow: The flow diagram illustrates how data moves through the system. For
instance, when a Passenger wants to book a flight, they initiate a travel request,
which is represented by an arrow pointing towards the system.
Interaction with Travel Agent and Airline: The request is then transmitted to two
main entities: the Travel Agent and the Airline. The Travel Agent checks seat
availability and preferences, sending an air flight request to the Airline.
Ticketing Process: If a seat is available, the Travel Agent proceeds to issue a
ticket based on the Passenger’s request. This interaction is captured in the flow
diagram as the ticketing process.
Handling Unavailability: If no tickets are available, the system generates a
request for Passenger Reservation, indicating that the Airline must manage and
inform the Passenger about their reservation options.
This context-level flow diagram effectively encapsulates the interactions and data
flow among the various components of the Airline Reservation System, providing a
clear overview of how the system operates and how users engage with it.

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