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credit - Designgurus.io
Hello friends, if you are preparing for software engineer interviews then you may know that System design interviews are one of the biggest hurdle for you to get the job, especially for senior and architect roles.
One of the biggest reasons many programmers fail on these interviews, including myself is because of how open-ended it can be.
You need to know a lot of things and you also need to explain them in a very short time to demonstrate your ability you design a system that can withstand the test of time in production.
These interviews assess your ability to design scalable, reliable, and efficient systems - skills that are essential for building modern software applications.
As I said, preparing for these interviews can be challenging due to the broad scope and complexity involved. However, good resources can help you master system design concepts and excel in your interviews.
Earlier, I have shared many popular system design questions like API Gateway vs Load Balancer and Horizontal vs Vertical Scaling, Forward proxy vs reverse proxy as well as 50 system design problems and today I am going to share best books, courses, practice websites, whitepapers, GitHub repo, and newsletters I found for learning System design.
While it's not necessary to go through all, these will give you enough ideas to choose the resources you want for your system design preparation. For example, if you struggle to solve system design problems like designing Twitter then you can practice more but if you lack knowledge of system design concepts then you can build them first.
To start with, here is a System design interview cheat sheet from Educative.io that you can refer to quickly revise the software concepts:
P.S. Keep reading until the end. I have a free bonus for you.
15 Best resources for System Design interviews
Without any further ado, here are my favorite online resources for system design interview preparation. It includes books, courses, practice websites, GitHub repos, and newsletters you can read to build your system design knowledge.
1. Codemia.io
Codemia.io is a new platform which is created to provide Leetcode style practice for System design problems. It has more than 120+ system design problems, some of them are free but most of them are paid.
They also offer editorial solutions to these system design problems which are written by a senior software architect from Okta.
The solutions are concise and focus on what is expected from the interviewee during an interview. It's dense and leverages off of experience.
Here are free system design problems you can try solving, solution is also given for them.
The platform also provides AI assistance and feedback when you submit your solution or try to solve problems, which can improve your software design skills.
If you are preparing for a system design interview I highly recommend this site, it's $99 per annum but you can get it now for just $69 per month.
Here is the link to join for a 30% discount - Join Codemia.io
2. DesignGurus.io
DesignGurus.io is another great website which is created by ex Facebook and Microsoft developer to help you get better results on FAANG interviews.
It's best known for its Grokking the System Design Interview and Grokking the Advanced System Design interview courses, which have been helping many FAANG aspirants from last few years.
It has got text-based courses but they are very detailed and helped many folks on system design and coding interview preparation.
By the way, DesignGurus.io has many other Grokking courses to prepare for essential coding interview topics like OOP Design, System Design, Dynamic Programming, etc and you can get access to all of their courses for a big discount by joining their All course bundle.
You can also use code GURU to get a 30% discount.
3. ByteByteGo
ByteByteGo is a popular System design resource created by Alex Xu, the author of "System Design Interview -- An Insider's Guide." book, the bible for folks preparing for System design interview.
I first came across Alex while seeing his highly illustrative images on Twitter and became a fan of his work.
His ByteByteGo platform is a digital version of both of his books, System Design Interview - Insider Guide Volume 1 and 2 plus additional content.
It also has System design diagrams that break down complex system design topics into easy-to-understand pieces.
ByteByteGo is particularly known for its visual approach to explaining system design concepts.
If you are a visual learner then you will love this site,
Here is the link to join - ByteByteGo
You can also use the discount code JALJAD to get a 10% discount.
4. tryExponent
Exponent offers a range of courses designed specifically for tech interview preparation, including system design interviews but they are best known for their mock interviews.
The platform features mock interviews, video lessons, and detailed guides on various system design topics. Exponent's courses are created by industry professionals with experience at top tech companies.
They have also got a huge collection of company-wide interview questions, almost 2300 and they also run a member-only Slack community where members discuss recent interview questions.
For all these reasons, I highly recommend you to checkout tryExponent if you are preparing for tech interviews.
When it comes to joining, tryExponet offers both monthly and annual plans, The monthly plan costs $79 per month while the annual plan just $12 per month so it's a no-brainer to join the annual plan because one month is nothing and if you get an annual plan, you will more likely use the platform.
You also get unlimited peer mock interviews with the annual plan.
Here are the best tryExponent courses for interviews:
System Design Interview Course - 36 lessons and videos with real interview examples
Engineering Management Interview Course - the top-ranked course for management interviews
And here is a nice System Design cheat sheet for quick reference.
5. Udemy
Udemy is a well-known online learning platform that offers numerous courses on system design. These courses cover everything from the basics to advanced concepts, with practical examples and real-world scenarios.
While I have many reasons to take Udemy system design courses but the most important of them is price and choices.
There is no other place on the internet where you can get a 50-hour, top-quality course for just $10
Udemy's flexibility allows you to learn at your own pace and choose courses that fit your learning style and needs.
Here are the best System design courses from Udemy:
1. Mastering the System Design Interview by Frank Kane
2. Software Architecture & Design of Modern Large Scale Systems
3. Rocking System Design by Rajdeep Saha
4. System Design Interview Guide for Software Architecture by CodeKarle
They are now also offering a personal plan for $30 which gives you unlimited access to their selected list of best courses, if you want to learn new skills, it's worth trying.
6. Educative.io
Educative.io is another text-based, interactive learning platform that offers a range of system design courses. Educative's text-based courses are ideal for those who prefer reading over watching videos.
The platform also includes coding exercises, quizzes, and interactive elements to reinforce learning. They have now also added AI-powered courses which are enhancing the learning experience.
Here are the best system design and coding interview courses from Educative.io which are worth looking at:
1. System Design Interview Prep Crash Course
2. Deep Dive into System Design Interview
3. Scalability & System Design for Developers
4. Grokking Modern System Design Interview for Engineers & Managers
5. Machine Learning System Design
6. Grokking the API Design Interview
By the way, you can either join this course individually or you can take an Educative subscription (recommended) to get access to their 1000+ high-quality, AI-Powered, text-based, interactive courses to learn key skills for coding interviews, software development, and technology.
7. System Design Interview -- An Insider's Guide (Book)
System Design Interview -- An Insider's Guide by Alex Xu is a must-read book for anyone preparing for system design interviews.
The book provides a step-by-step approach to tackling system design problems, with detailed explanations and examples.
It's a valuable resource for understanding the thought process and techniques used by experienced engineers.
I highly recommend you read all three books in this series, namely
You may get a discount also when you buy all three books.
8. Zero To Mastery (ZTM)
ZTM Academy offers a complete system design course as part of its comprehensive software engineering curriculum. called Master the Coding Interview: System Design + Architecture .
The course covers essential system design topics, including scalability, reliability, and maintainability. ZTM's hands-on approach ensures that you gain practical experience in designing complex systems.
Created by legendary instructor Andrei Neagoie, it is a great site that is modeled in an online boot camp for learning programming and web development skills.
I you like Andrei's courses then you can also join his Zero to Mastery Academy where you can get all his course for just one subscription. It costs around $39 per month but is worth it. You can also use coupon code FRIENDS10 to get a 10% discount now.
9. Coursera
Coursera partners with top universities and organizations to offer courses on system design and related topics. The platform provides both free and paid options, with courses ranging from beginner to advanced levels.
Coursera's courses often include peer-reviewed assignments and projects, providing a well-rounded learning experience.
When it comes to Software design, I liked **Software Design and Architecture Specialization **from University of Alberta, which contains a couple of nice courses related to software design.
By the way, If you are planning to join multiple Coursera courses or specializations, then consider taking a Coursera Plus subscription which gives you unlimited access to their most popular courses, specialization, professional certificate, and guided projects.
It costs around $59/ per month or $399 per year but is worth it because you get access to more than 7000+ courses and projects, and you can also get unlimited certificates.
10. GitHub
GitHub is a treasure trove of resources for system design interview preparation. Many experienced engineers and educators have shared their knowledge through repositories that include system design problems, solutions, and study guides.
Browsing through GitHub can provide you with practical insights and real-world examples.
Here are the top System design repositories from GitHub:
11. Free System Design Courses
Free System Design Courses is a collection of freely available resources compiled by various educators and engineers.
These courses cover a wide range of system design topics and are perfect for those who prefer self-paced learning without any financial investment.
12. Designing Data-Intensive Applications (DDIA)
Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann is a highly recommended book for understanding the intricacies of data-intensive systems.
The book covers key concepts such as data modeling, distributed systems, and stream processing, making it a valuable resource for system design interview preparation.
13. AlgoMaster Newsletter
The **AlgoMaster by Ashish Pratap Singh is a newsletter focused on algorithms and system design.
It provides regular updates, insights, and problem-solving techniques to help you stay sharp and ready for your system design interviews.
Subscribing to AlgoMaster can keep you informed about the latest trends and best practices in system design.
14. System Design One
The **System Design One by Neo Kim is another excellent newsletter dedicated to system design interview preparation.
It features detailed articles, case studies, and interview tips from industry experts.
System Design One is a great way to stay up-to-date with new methodologies and improve your system design skills.
15. AlgoMonster
AlgoMonster is another website which is created by FAANg experts and it offers a unique approach to system design interview preparation with its interactive platform.
It includes coding exercises, mock interviews, and step-by-step guides to help you master system design concepts. AlgoMonster's focus on practical application makes it a valuable resource for interview candidates.
16. InterviewReddy.io
This is another great place to prepare for your System design interview. Created by Gaurav Sen, an ex-Google Engineer and popular YouTuber, this course is one of the best for cracking FAANG interviews.
This course covers the basics and advanced concepts. It will help you understand the infrastructure required for microservices and how large-scale systems work.
I have been building complex software systems for the last 20 years and have gone through a lot of courses and engineering content. I can say this is one of the best courses on system design and all credit to Gaurav as he keeps on adding more content to this course.
Definitely worth it if you're looking to get better at design. You can also use code SD50 to get a 50% discount on this course.
Here is the link to join this course --- System Design Simplified
Conclusion
Preparing for system design interviews requires a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical experience. The resources listed above provide a comprehensive range of materials to help you build and refine your system design skills.
Whether you prefer books, online courses, or interactive platforms, there's something here for everyone.
By leveraging these resources, you can enhance your understanding of system design and boost your confidence for your next interview.
Preparing for a system design interview can seem daunting, but with these resources at your disposal, you'll be well-equipped to tackle any challenge that comes your way.
Remember, the key to success in system design interviews is not just memorizing solutions, but understanding the underlying principles and trade-offs involved in designing large-scale systems.
Also remember, consistent practice and continuous learning are key to success in system design interviews. Good luck!
Also, here is a nice system design interview cheatsheet from tryExponent.com for quick revision
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