Sign in to track progress, unlock prep layers, and browse your pipeline.Sign in
Design a URL Shortener
Design a URL Shortener
Design a URL shortening service, similar to Bitly. The system should support:
- Creating a short URL for a given long URL.
- Redirecting a short URL to the original long URL.
- Optional expiration time for links.
- Very fast redirects and high availability.
Discuss the following:
- Functional and non-functional requirements.
- Public APIs.
- Data model.
- How to generate unique short codes.
- Read and write paths.
- Storage and caching choices.
- How to scale to very high read traffic.
- Handling hot links, abuse, expiration, and basic analytics.
AI interview prep
Core dilemma
Balancing the extreme read throughput and low latency requirements of URL redirection against the need for efficient, scalable short code generation and storage, while also managing potential abuse and link expiration.
Mid-level signals3
Senior signals3
Red flags3
3 tradeoffs and 2 stress tests locked
Interview prep
Unlock the interviewer X-Ray rubric, tradeoff matrix, stress tests, clarifying questions, and key concepts.
Design a URL Shortener
Design a URL Shortener
Design a URL shortening service, similar to Bitly. The system should support:
- Creating a short URL for a given long URL.
- Redirecting a short URL to the original long URL.
- Optional expiration time for links.
- Very fast redirects and high availability.
Discuss the following:
- Functional and non-functional requirements.
- Public APIs.
- Data model.
- How to generate unique short codes.
- Read and write paths.
- Storage and caching choices.
- How to scale to very high read traffic.
- Handling hot links, abuse, expiration, and basic analytics.