System Design · generic · intermediate
System Design Fundamentals
Learn to design systems that scale to millions of users. Cover caching, database scaling, message queues, rate limiting, API design, and complete system walkthroughs — the skills that separate senior engineers from mid-level developers.
- 5 hours
- 17 lessons
- 6 modules
- updated April 2026
Try it before you sign up
Read a full lesson and answer 2 questions from the Module 1 quiz. No account needed.
Vertical vs Horizontal Scaling
6 modules, 17 lessons
Module 1 is free — lessons, hands-on walkthrough and quiz.
- readVertical vs Horizontal Scaling15 min
- videoSystem Design: Load Balancing10 min
- quizQuiz: Scaling Fundamentals8 min
Built by the CloudaQube team
No celebrity instructor — here is exactly what goes into the course instead.
- 01 3 module quizzes — every answer comes with an explanation.
- 02 Last updated April 2026.
- 03 Any module can become a hands-on lab in Labs Studio.
What you'll be able to do
- 01 Apply cache-aside, read-through, and write-through caching patterns with Redis
- 02 Design database sharding and CQRS architectures for high read/write throughput
- 03 Compare message queue technologies (Kafka, SQS, RabbitMQ) and select the right one
- 04 Implement token bucket and sliding window rate limiting algorithms
- 05 Design REST and gRPC APIs that are versioned, documented, and backward-compatible
- 06 Walk through the design of a URL shortener, chat system, and news feed at system design interview level
- — Basic programming experience in any language
- — Familiarity with HTTP and REST APIs
Before you start
How long does it take?
About 5 hours of lessons, videos and hands-on walkthroughs across 6 modules.
What’s free?
Module 1 in full — lessons, hands-on walkthrough and quiz — with no card required. Any paid plan (from $8.99/mo) unlocks all 6 modules, and starts with a 14-day free trial.
Start the course with Module 1 free.
No card required. Unlock every module from $8.99/mo when you’re ready.