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Scalable Backend Design

This module teaches the principles and practices of designing scalable backend systems, from foundational architecture and API design to advanced topics like microservices, caching, observability, and fault tolerance. Through hands-on projects and real-world deployment strategies, learners will build secure, production-ready backend architectures equipped for high availability and performance at scale.

Day 1-15: Foundations of Scalable Backend Systems​

Topics Covered​

  • Architectural Paradigms:
    • Monolithic vs. microservices, event‐driven architectures, and real‐world case studies (e.g., Netflix, Uber).
  • Challenges:
    • High concurrency, distributed data consistency, and fault tolerance.
  • Environment Setup:
    • Docker‐based project scaffolds, Git version control, and initial CI/CD configuration.

Hands‐on Tasks​

  • Create a sample monolithic application and refactor it into a microservices architecture.
  • Document challenges encountered (latency, fault tolerance) and solutions.

Deliverables​

  • A detailed summary report with architecture diagrams (Draw.io) outlining design principles.
  • A public GitHub repository with initial code and CI/CD configuration.

Day 16-30: API Design & Development​

Topics Covered​

  • REST vs. GraphQL:
    • Designing robust API endpoints, versioning, error handling, and rate limiting.
  • Challenges:
    • Schema design, query optimization, and security considerations.

Hands‐on Tasks​

  • Develop sample API endpoints using FastAPI (Python) and Express (Node.js) demonstrating both REST and GraphQL implementations.
  • Write unit tests and error handling logic.

Deliverables​

  • A detailed research document and public blog tutorial with sample API projects.
  • Source code repositories demonstrating full‐cycle API development.

Day 31–45: Database Architecture & Scaling Strategies​

Topics Covered​

  • SQL vs. NoSQL:
    • Comparative analysis of PostgreSQL/MySQL versus MongoDB/Cassandra.
  • Scaling Techniques:
    • Sharding, replication, and caching strategies using Redis.
  • Challenges:
    • Data partitioning, consistency models, and read/write scaling.

Hands‐on Tasks​

  • Implement a sample project integrating a relational database and a NoSQL database.
  • Demonstrate caching strategies and performance improvements.

Deliverables​

  • Architecture diagrams (Draw.io) and a research report comparing database solutions.
  • A working sample project with integrated caching mechanisms hosted on GitHub.

Day 46–60: Microservices & Communication Patterns​

Topics Covered​

  • Service Design:
    • Synchronous (REST, gRPC) vs. asynchronous communication (RabbitMQ, Kafka).
  • Challenges:
    • Service discovery, inter‐service communication, and eventual consistency.

Hands‐on Tasks​

  • Develop microservices that communicate via REST and via message queues.
  • Test service resiliency under network delays.

Deliverables​

  • A whitepaper detailing microservices design patterns with code demos.
  • A public blog post and GitHub repository demonstrating both communication approaches with integration tests.

Day 61–75: Caching & Performance Optimization​

Topics Covered​

  • Caching Strategies:
    • In‐memory caching, distributed caching (Redis/Memcached), and CDN integration.
  • Performance Challenges:
    • Cache invalidation, stale data handling, and optimization of response times.

Hands‐on Tasks​

  • Integrate caching into a sample API project and measure performance improvements.
  • Benchmark API response times before and after caching.

Deliverables​

  • Code integration with performance benchmarks and a public blog post.
  • A research report documenting optimization techniques with test results.

Day 76–90: Scalability: Load Balancing & Auto‐Scaling​

Topics Covered​

  • Load Balancing:
    • Implementing Nginx/HAProxy as a reverse proxy.
  • Auto‐Scaling:
    • Configuring cloud‐native auto‐scaling (AWS, Digital Ocean) based on metrics.
  • Challenges:
    • Deciding between horizontal and vertical scaling.

Hands‐on Tasks​

  • Set up an architecture with a load balancer and auto‐scaling groups.
  • Conduct live tests to simulate high load and capture performance data.

Deliverables​

  • An architecture design (Draw.io) and a live demo or recorded walkthrough.
  • Documentation detailing load balancing and auto‐scaling strategies.

Day 91–105: Advanced Topics: Serverless & FaaS​

Topics Covered​

  • Serverless Architecture:
    • Using AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, or similar services.
  • Trade‐offs:
    • Cold start issues, pricing, and integration challenges compared to microservices.

Hands‐on Tasks​

  • Develop a simple function‐as‐a‐service application and compare its performance to a traditional microservice.

Deliverables​

  • A code demo with detailed performance and cost analysis.
  • A public blog post and research document summarizing serverless versus microservices trade‐offs.

Day 106–120: Security & Authentication in Backend Systems​

Topics Covered​

  • Security Best Practices:
    • Implementing OAuth2.0, JWT, and role‐based access control.
  • Vulnerability Prevention:
    • Addressing SQL injection, XSS, and CSRF.

Hands‐on Tasks​

  • Develop a secure API demo with comprehensive authentication flows.
  • Write documentation for secure coding practices.

Deliverables​

  • A secure API project with implemented authentication and token management.
  • Detailed documentation and a public blog post on backend security.

Day 121–135: Monitoring, Logging & Observability​

Topics Covered​

  • Observability Tools:
    • Integrating Prometheus and Grafana for monitoring; using the ELK stack for logging.
  • Challenges:
    • Achieving end‐to‐end visibility in distributed systems.

Hands‐on Tasks​

  • Instrument a sample backend system with Prometheus metrics and configure Grafana dashboards.
  • Set up ELK stack for centralized logging.

Deliverables​

  • Code integrations with dashboard screenshots and configuration files.
  • A comprehensive report published as public documentation.

Day 136–150: Resilience & Fault Tolerance​

Topics Covered​

  • Resilience Patterns:
    • Implementing circuit breakers, retries, and fallback mechanisms (using libraries like Hystrix or Resilience4J).
  • Challenges:
    • Handling service failures gracefully without impacting user experience.

Hands‐on Tasks​

  • Implement a sample service with integrated fault tolerance and simulate failure scenarios.

Deliverables​

  • A research report on resilience design patterns with a complete code demo.
  • A public blog post and technical documentation describing the implementation details.

Day 151–165: Final Project Planning​

Topics Covered​

  • Collaborative Design:
    • Drafting a comprehensive PRD, feature lists, and detailed architecture for a complex backend system.
  • Challenges:
    • Balancing scalability, security, and performance requirements.

Hands‐on Tasks​

  • Organize group sessions to create a full project proposal with user stories and system architecture diagrams.

Deliverables​

  • A complete project proposal document, feature list, and detailed Draw.io architecture diagrams.
  • Public presentation slides summarizing the project plan.

Day 166–180: Implementation, Testing & Deployment​

Topics Covered​

  • End‐to‐End System Deployment:
    • Full development, load testing, performance tuning, and deployment.
  • CI/CD Integration:
    • Automating testing and deployment processes.

Hands‐on Tasks​

  • Develop and deploy the final backend system.
  • Conduct extensive load and stress testing, and capture performance benchmarks.

Deliverables​

  • A fully functional, production‐grade backend system demo with comprehensive testing reports.
  • Final project documentation including architecture, deployment scripts, and performance benchmarks.

Tech Stack​

  • Languages & Frameworks:
    • Python (FastAPI), Node.js (Express), Java (Spring Boot), Go
  • Databases:
    • PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Cassandra
  • Caching & Messaging:
    • Redis, Memcached, RabbitMQ, Kafka
  • CI/CD & Deployment:
    • GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, Digital Ocean
  • Monitoring & Logging:
    • Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack
  • Documentation:
    • Draw.io, Markdown, LaTeX