Requirements
Functional Requirements:
- Create a short URL for a given long URL.
- Return the long URL associated with a given short URL.
Non-Functional Requirements:
- List the key non-functional requirements (eg low latency, scalability, reliability, etc.)...
Capacity Estimation
Estimate the scale of the system. Consider daily active users, read/write ratio, storage requirements, bandwidth, and any relevant QPS calculations...
API Design
Define the APIs expected from the system. This is your chance to analyze and define the read and write paths so that you can come up with the high-level design...
High-Level Design
Describe the overall system architecture. Identify the main components needed to solve the problem end-to-end. Use the diagramming tool to create a block diagram.
Database Design
Define the data model. Identify the main entities, their attributes, and relationships. Consider the choice of database type (SQL vs NoSQL) and justify your decision based on access patterns...
Detailed Component Design
Deep dive into 2-3 key components. Explain how they work, how they scale, discuss tradeoffs, capacity, and any relevant algorithms or data structures.