#networking
8 articles
Design a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
Serve content from the edge, close to users, at massive scale. Request routing (anycast & DNS), cache hierarchies, invalidation, and origin shielding.
API Gateways & the Backend-for-Frontend Pattern
The single front door to a microservice backend. What an API gateway does, why you add one, the BFF pattern, and how not to turn it into a monolith.
Design a Video Conferencing System (Zoom)
Carry live audio/video among many participants with low latency. WebRTC, the SFU vs MCU vs mesh trade-off, simulcast, and adaptive bitrate.
Forward vs Reverse Proxy (and API Gateway)
What "proxy" actually means in different contexts. Forward proxies, reverse proxies, load balancers, API gateways — what each does and where the lines blur.
Real-Time Communication Patterns
Short polling, long polling, Server-Sent Events, WebSockets, WebTransport, and HTTP/2 push — when each wins, how each fails, and how to pick for your use case.
Networking and HTTP
TCP vs UDP, DNS, TLS, HTTP/1.1 vs HTTP/2 vs HTTP/3, anycast routing, and what actually happens between a browser and a server.
APIs and Communication Protocols
REST, gRPC, GraphQL, WebSockets, Server-Sent Events, and webhooks — when to use each, how to design them, and the patterns that keep them sane at scale.
Load Balancers, Proxies, and Service Mesh
L4 vs L7 load balancing, algorithms from round robin to Maglev, health checks done right, sticky sessions, anycast, GSLB, service mesh, and DDoS mitigation.