Want to learn how to solve any System Design problem? Start here.

Today we're zeroing in on System Design basics that every developer should know. I hear from engineers that System Design Interviews are usually the most daunting part of the interview loop. But with the right preparation, you can actually separate yourself from the pack with your System Design Interview.

I want to break down the 8-step RESHADED approach that will help you solve any System Design Interview question. This is how we’d tackle design challenges back in my days as a systems engineer at Facebook and Microsoft, but this technique will still work even if you don’t have firsthand experience designing large scale distributed systems.

I’ll also share a short video tutorial that I put together with help from the technical content team here at Educative. I love talking about all things System Design, so I hope you enjoy this and take away some useful insights.

Check out the full tutorial on YouTube!

At the end of the day, anyone will benefit from learning these basics.

Developing a working knowledge of System Design will serve you as a junior or senior software engineer, engineering leader, or technical product manager.

Let’s dive in!

The 8-step RESHADED approach to System Design

RESHADED was designed to be a quick and scalable approach to modern system design that doesn’t overwhelm you with low-level details. It will help you grok the full system, from hardware and software prerequisites all the way to the final user interaction.

I go into more detail in the video, but to quickly recap, RESHADED stands for:

1) Requirements

Understand and define the boundaries of the system.

2) Estimation

Gauge the scale and size the system will need to handle.

3) Storage Schema

Decide how and where data will be stored and retrieved.

4) High-level Design

Sketch an overall blueprint of how the system will function.

5) API Design

Define how the system will interact with other components.

6) Detailed Design

Dive deeper into each component and flesh out the specifics.

7) Evaluation

Test your design, identify flaws and areas of improvement.

8) Distinctive Component or Feature

Highlight a unique aspect of your design that sets it apart.

Following RESHADED ensures that you cover all bases when tackling System Design problems. But remember, you will need to get to a level where you can comfortably talk through your decision-making process and defend any tradeoffs in your design that you make.

Your interviewer's main objective is to evaluate your comprehension of the system you're creating, rather than delve too deeply into the specifics of individual elements. Employing the RESHADED technique, you'll be able to guide your interviewer smoothly through the whole system and respond to any questions they might pose.

In addition, it’s important to develop a working knowledge of modern System Design principles and building blocks like load balancing, data partitioning, indexes, and caches. To help you apply these principles in practice, we have a boilerplate high level design that can serve as a starting point for most System Design problems:

Want to see RESHADED in action?

I've created a step-by-step tutorial video on YouTube where I walk through each of these elements in detail. The video will provide a practical demonstration of how to apply the RESHADED approach — including through a few real-world System Design Interview questions.

Sharpening your System Design skills can separate yourself from the pack and position you well for success in the interview and beyond. I hope these resources help you on your journey.

Happy learning!

Fahim ul Haq
CEO & Cofounder
educative.io