ByteByteGoHq/system-design-101Public

Explain complex systems using visuals and simple terms. Help you prepare for system design interviews.

AI summary: A visual encyclopedia illustrating complex system design concepts and real-world architectures.

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OtherCreated Sep 18, 2023Last push 1y ago+162 stars this week+1.5K this month

Quick answers

What is system-design-101?
A visual encyclopedia illustrating complex system design concepts and real-world architectures.
What does system-design-101 do?
This repository provides an extensive, visual breakdown of complex software architecture and distributed system concepts. It transforms dense engineering topics into highly accessible, clear diagrams and concise explanations. The guides cover everything from fundamental API design and database scaling to the specific architectural evolutions of companies like Netflix and Uber. It acts as a companion to the ByteByteGo newsletter, giving engineers a practical, real-world reference for scaling modern applications. The content is heavily focused on the trade-offs and patterns necessary for passing FAANG-level system design interviews.
Who is system-design-101 for?
Software engineers, system architects, and engineering managers aiming to deepen their understanding of scalable system design. It is especially useful for candidates preparing for high-level technical interviews.
How do I get started with system-design-101?
Browse the README.md to find links to specific topics and diagrams.
How popular is system-design-101 on GitHub?
ByteByteGoHq/system-design-101 has 90,213 stars and 10,017 forks on GitHub, and gained 162 stars in the last 7 days.
What license does system-design-101 use?
ByteByteGoHq/system-design-101 is released under the Other license.

Star history

since Oct 15, 2023
025K50K75KOct 2023Oct 2024Sep 2025Oct 2026
90.2K stars as of Oct 4, 2026. Before Jul 28, 2026, reconstructed from public GitHub event archives (checked against the repository's real star total); since then measured daily.

Contribution activity

commits per day, last 52 weeks

Signals and awards

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  • Landmark project

    90,213 stars

  • Continuous integration

    Automated checks passing

  • Repeat trending

    3 trending appearances

  • Top 10% tracked

    Rank 90 of 1135

What system-design-101 does

This repository provides an extensive, visual breakdown of complex software architecture and distributed system concepts. It transforms dense engineering topics into highly accessible, clear diagrams and concise explanations. The guides cover everything from fundamental API design and database scaling to the specific architectural evolutions of companies like Netflix and Uber. It acts as a companion to the ByteByteGo newsletter, giving engineers a practical, real-world reference for scaling modern applications. The content is heavily focused on the trade-offs and patterns necessary for passing FAANG-level system design interviews.

Software engineers, system architects, and engineering managers aiming to deepen their understanding of scalable system design. It is especially useful for candidates preparing for high-level technical interviews.

  • Visual concept breakdown: Simplifies abstract distributed systems concepts like message queues, caching, and CDN routing through high-quality diagrams.
  • Real-world case studies: Details the specific tech stacks and architectural evolutions of major platforms like TikTok, Discord, and Shopify.
  • Comprehensive API guides: Offers extensive documentation on REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and effective API security practices.
  • Database and storage patterns: Explains various data management strategies including read replicas, locking mechanisms, and change data capture.
  • Broad protocol coverage: Breaks down the evolving landscape of API protocols and deep dives into AI and machine learning architectures.

Where teams use it

Preparing for system design interviews

Engineers study the visual patterns and trade-offs to prepare for rigorous technical interviews at top-tier tech companies.

Referencing proven architectures

Senior developers consult the real-world case studies when designing new microservices to understand how companies like Netflix solved similar scale issues.

Evaluating technical trade-offs

Architects use the clear comparisons to make informed decisions on whether to adopt specific database isolation levels or API protocols.

Educating engineering teams

Engineering managers use the diagrams to help onboard junior developers onto complex, distributed systems.

Getting started: Browse the README.md to find links to specific topics and diagrams.

README

main branch

【 👨🏻‍💻 YouTube | 📮 Newsletter 】

ByteByteGoHq%2Fsystem-design-101 | Trendshift

System Design 101

Explain complex systems using visuals and simple terms.

Whether you're preparing for a System Design Interview or you simply want to understand how systems work beneath the surface, we hope this repository will help you achieve that.

Table of Contents

License

This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

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Trending appearances

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Sep 4, 2026daily#9+158
Sep 3, 2026daily#9+158
Jul 14, 2026daily#24+4

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