Myth: Caching solves all performance problems
- Debunking Myth: While caching can significantly improve performance by reducing latency and offloading backend systems, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Inappropriate caching strategies can lead to cache invalidation issues, data staleness, and increased complexity.
- Fact: Careful consideration of caching strategies, including cache eviction policies, cache coherence mechanisms, and cache invalidation strategies, is necessary to ensure optimal performance. For example, CDN caching is effective for serving static assets like images and scripts, but less suitable for dynamic content.
- Practical Insight: Analyze access patterns and data volatility to determine what to cache and for how long. Use cache performance metrics and monitoring tools to identify cache hit rates, eviction rates, and potential bottlenecks.
- Recommendation: Adopt a layered caching approach, caching at multiple levels (e.g., CDN, reverse proxy, application-level caching) to maximize performance gains while minimizing complexity and cache-related issues.
Exposing 13 Myths About System Design
In this article, we will explore common misconceptions people have about designing systems. Think of systems like the gears in a machine they’re the organized way things work together. However, there are some myths floating around about how these systems should be designed. By eliminating these myths, we learn to design systems more effectively, prioritizing simplicity, balanced redundancy, thoughtful scaling, and practical tech choices
Table of Content
- Myth: 1. One-size-fits-all solutions
- Myth: 2. Scalability solves all problems
- Myth: 3. More features mean a better system:
- Myth: 4. Design is a one-time task:
- Myth: 5. Performance can be optimized later:
- Myth: 6. Scaling horizontally is always the best solution:
- Myth: 7. No need for redundancy with cloud services:
- Myth: 8. Caching solves all performance problems:
- Myth: 9. Relational databases are always the best choice:
- Myth: 10. Microservices are always better than monoliths:
- Myth: 11. Security can be added later:
- Myth: 12. The latest technology is always the best choice:
- Myth: 13. Design patterns guarantee success: