System Design is the blueprint behind every scalable and high-performance software application. It goes beyond just writing code, focusing on critical non-functional requirements (NFRs) such as scalability, reliability, and maintainability. Our expert, Mr. Saravanan K R, clearly explained the fundamental differences between High-Level Design (HLD) and Low-Level Design (LLD), guiding attendees through how these design stages fit into a developer’s journey toward becoming a proficient software architect.

The workshop covered key system design concepts including scalability (horizontal vs. vertical), load balancing techniques like round-robin and consistent hashing, and caching strategies such as write-through and write-back. It also explored database design choices (SQL vs NoSQL, sharding), API gateways, message queues (Kafka, RabbitMQ), and architectural styles including monolithic, microservices, event-driven, and serverless.

A key part of the workshop involved an in-depth analysis of how popular platforms like WhatsApp and YouTube are architected. Attendees examined: The inner workings of WhatsApp’s real-time messaging system, including encryption protocols and reliable message delivery YouTube’s video processing pipeline covering upload/download processes, content recommendation algorithms, and streaming performance enhancements Critical technologies such as end-to-end encryption, push notification systems, media synchronization, and adaptive bitrate streaming to optimize user experience.

To continue learning, Mr. Saravanan recommended the following industry-leading books: Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann System Design Interview by Alex Xu. Software Architecture for Developers by Simon Brown