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Software Engineering System Design Learning Plan

Welcome to the System Design Handbook! This handbook aims to provide you with a structured learning path to help you systematically master the core knowledge and practical methods of system design.

Overview of This Handbook's Structure

This handbook is mainly divided into the following parts:

  • Getting Started: Contains discussions on the essence of system design to help you build the right cognition and thinking framework.
  • Architectural Evolution Case Studies: Through 12 real (or highly simulated) cases from different domains, it demonstrates how system architecture evolves with business development and technical challenges. This is the core practical part of the handbook.
  • Core Knowledge): In-depth analysis of common system components (like caches, message queues, databases), architectural design principles, patterns, and anti-patterns, along with a glossary for reference. This is the theoretical support and knowledge consolidation part.

Although you can browse freely according to your interests, we recommend following the path below for a more systematic understanding:

  1. Laying the Foundation (Read the Getting Started section):

    • First, please carefully read the-essence-of-system-design.md. Understanding the goals, core challenges, the art of trade-offs in system design, and the architect's way of thinking is crucial. This will lay a solid foundation for your subsequent case studies.

  2. Diving into Cases (Study the Architectural Evolution Case Studies section):

    • From Simple to Complex: It's recommended to start with relatively simple cases, such as Course 1: Monolithic Architecture Case, and gradually transition to more complex distributed system cases, like Course 6: Large E-commerce Platform Architecture Evolution Case or Course 11: Cloud-Native Infrastructure Architecture Evolution Case.
    • Focus on the Evolution Process: Each case emphasizes the "evolution" process of the architecture. Pay special attention to the core challenges faced at each stage, the architect's thinking moments (i.e., key decision points), and the principles behind technology selection. Don't just look at the final architecture diagram; understand the driving factors and trade-offs behind it.
    • Learn with Questions: Before reading each case, consider: If you were to design this system, how would you do it? How would you handle these challenges?

  3. Consolidating and Referencing (Consult the Core Knowledge section):

    • Refer as Needed: While studying the cases, if you encounter unfamiliar components (like Redis, Kafka) or concepts (like CAP theorem, DDD), feel free to consult Core Component Deep Dive.md and System Design Glossary.md.
    • Systematic Review: After studying several cases, it's recommended to systematically read Design Principles and Practices.md. Connect the practical experiences from the cases with general design principles, patterns, and anti-patterns to form your own knowledge system.

Learning Method Suggestions

  • Think Actively, Don't Accept Passively: Question every design decision: Why do it this way? Are there other options? What are the pros and cons?
  • Draw Architecture Diagrams: Try drawing the architecture diagrams for different stages in the cases yourself to deepen your understanding.
  • Compare and Summarize: Compare how similar problems are handled in different cases (e.g., how different systems address high concurrency, data consistency issues), and summarize common solutions and patterns.
  • Output and Share: Try retelling the evolution process of a case in your own words or discuss it with others. This is an effective way to test your learning.

Conclusion

System design is a vast and constantly evolving field. This handbook hopes to provide you with a good starting point and a framework for continuous learning. Happy learning, and may you continuously progress on the path of system design!