MyMapURL Shortener System Design
The prompt
Design a URL shortener system architecture
Make your own version
About the framework
Review the parts of a short-link service
The URL shortener example shows a browser, load balancer, API service, Redis cache, Postgres URL map, ID generator, analytics service, CDN, and Kafka queue. Eight arrows connect these nine components. A separate metrics box lists 100 million daily redirects, p99 latency below 50 milliseconds, and 99.99% uptime as sample targets, not measured results.
The API connects to the cache and database. Other links run from the cache through ID generation to the CDN, and from the database through analytics to Kafka. That layout leaves the actual order of link creation, cache lookup, redirect delivery, and event publication unresolved.
Adapt the drawing by separating create-link and redirect requests. Define where IDs are allocated, how cache misses reach storage, and when click events are emitted. Use your traffic assumptions to review the targets rather than treating the diagram as evidence that they are achievable.
What's included
What you get
- Nine components plus a separate box of sample performance targets
- A create/redirect API connected to Redis and Postgres
- Named ID generation, CDN, analytics, and Kafka components
- Eight schematic links to refine into explicit request paths
URL Shortener System Design
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Frequently asked questions
Common questions
Does the template demonstrate 100 million redirects per day?
No. That number is a label in the example metrics box. Capacity planning and load testing would be separate work based on a defined workload.
Is the ID generator placed in a complete creation flow?
The drawing connects the cache to the ID generator and then the CDN. It does not spell out how a create request allocates an ID and stores the URL mapping; ask for that path explicitly.
Does the diagram include link expiration or abuse handling?
Neither is shown. Add expiration, invalid-link responses, and the checks required by your service before using the diagram as an implementation reference.
URL Shortener System Design
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