System requirements

Functional:

1. The system should expose an API for creating a shortcut, let's say "/api/create" with a payload containing an original URL.

2. The system should redirect a user to an original URL once he sends a request to the shortcut, say "/api/<some_generated_hash>".

3. There should be a UI page for the user to interact with when creating a new request. For example, an input field.

Non-Functional:

The system should be scalable. In case, the number of requests per minute grows, we could add more machines and therefore increase the throughput.
The system should be highly performant, so the user doesn't have to wait for their shortcut to be created and for the redirections.
The system should guarantee high availability, so there is no single point of failure.
Durability is very important in order to avoid losing the users' shortcuts.
The system should be easy to maintain.
The cost of building and maintaining this system should be as low as possible.

I could add a data consistency requirement, but since availability and consistency are self-excluding things because of the CAP theorem, in the case of the URL shortening service, availability is more important so millions of users aren't blocked by the service.

Submissions

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Submissions

Displaying Solutions with Scores Ranging from 1 to 10