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System Design Case Studies Tracker

51 case studies tagged Real-time with full breakdowns.

176case studies
30companies
31topics
~5 minaverage read
Real-time✕Clear all
Gaming Leaderboard (Top K)
16 min readDistributed SystemsReal-timeStorage
Beginner▶ Mock
Live Streaming (Instagram Live/YouTube Live)
14 min readMedia StreamingCDNReal-time
Beginner—▶ Mock
Push Notification Service
17 min readReal-timeMessagingDistributed Systems
Advanced+5▶ Mock
Messenger App
9 min readReal-timeMessagingDistributed Systems
Advanced+5▶ Mock
Shazam
14 min readSearchReal-timeAlgorithms
Advanced—▶ Mock
Live Location Sharing App
4 min readGeospatialReal-timeDistributed Systems
Beginner—▶ Mock
Snap Map Design
5 min readGeospatialReal-timeDistributed Systems
Beginner—▶ Mock
BookMyShow
9 min readDistributed SystemsPaymentsBooking System
Beginner▶ Mock
Uber Design (Ride-Hailing)
5 min readGeospatialReal-timeDistributed Systems
Advanced+2▶ Mock
Ad Click and Impression Aggregator
6 min readAdsAnalyticsData Pipelines
Advanced+2▶ Mock
Ad Frequency Capping Service (Netflix Ads)
7 min readAdsReal-timeCaching
Advanced▶ Mock
Ad Budget Pacing System
5 min readAdsReal-timeDistributed Systems
Advanced▶ Mock
Ads Audience Targeting System
5 min readAdsData PipelinesCaching
Advanced▶ Mock
Autonomous Vehicle Camera Perception Pipeline
5 min readAI / MLReal-timeConcurrency
Advanced▶ Mock
ChatGPT-Style Conversational AI Service
7 min readAI / MLReal-timeDistributed Systems
Advanced+2▶ Mock
User Behavior Tracking (Clickstream Analytics)
6 min readAnalyticsData PipelinesReal-time
Intermediate▶ Mock
Coffee Ordering System with Real-Time Notifications
6 min readE-commerceReal-timeAPI Design
Beginner▶ Mock
Real-Time Collaborative Editor (Google Docs / Sheets)
7 min readCollaborationReal-timeDistributed Systems
Advanced▶ Mock
Content Moderation System (Harmful Post Detection)
6 min readAI / MLSecurityData Pipelines
Advanced▶ Mock
Credit Card Authorization, Limits and Reporting
4 min readFintechPaymentsReal-time
Advanced▶ Mock
Daily Puzzle Platform (Wordle-style)
3 min readAPI DesignCachingDatabases
Beginner▶ Mock
Real-Time Data Stream Processor
4 min readData PipelinesReal-timeDistributed Systems
Intermediate▶ Mock
911 Emergency Call Routing Platform
5 min readReal-timeDistributed SystemsGeospatial
Advanced▶ Mock
Fitness Tracking App (Strava-style)
3 min readGeospatialStorageAPI Design
Intermediate▶ Mock
Interactive SQL Query Notebook (Snowflake)
4 min readAPI DesignSchedulingStorage
Intermediate▶ Mock
IoT / Sensor Telemetry Pipeline
7 min readIoTData PipelinesStorage
Intermediate+1▶ Mock
Scalable Likes System and Like Counter
5 min readDistributed SystemsCachingDatabases
Intermediate▶ Mock
Live Comments for Live Video (Facebook Live / TikTok Live)
6 min readReal-timeMessagingDistributed Systems
Intermediate▶ Mock
Malicious IP and URL Detection Service
5 min readSecurityReal-timeCaching
Advanced▶ Mock
Real-Time Market Data Distribution and VWAP (Bloomberg)
5 min readFintechReal-timeDistributed Systems
Advanced▶ Mock
Metrics Monitoring and Alerting System
7 min readObservabilityData PipelinesStorage
Advanced+3▶ Mock
Real-Time Online Auction (eBay / Live Auctions)
7 min readReal-timeDistributed SystemsPayments
Advanced▶ Mock
Online Chess Platform (chess.com)
6 min readReal-timeDistributed SystemsMessaging
Intermediate▶ Mock
Online Judge and Coding Contest Platform (LeetCode)
6 min readDistributed SystemsSecurityScheduling
Intermediate▶ Mock
Perishable-Goods Inventory and Location Tracking
3 min readE-commerceDatabasesEvent Driven
Intermediate▶ Mock
"Played by Your Friends" Social Summary (Roblox)
3 min readDistributed SystemsCachingReal-time
Intermediate▶ Mock
Smart Grid Control over Unreliable Devices
7 min readIoTDistributed SystemsReal-time
Advanced▶ Mock
AI Prompt Playground (OpenAI / Anthropic Console)
6 min readAI / MLFrontendStorage
Intermediate▶ Mock
Security Monitoring Framework for Cloud Infrastructure
4 min readSecurityObservabilityData Pipelines
Advanced▶ Mock
Data Engineering for a Short-Video App (TikTok-scale)
4 min readData PipelinesAnalyticsStorage
Advanced▶ Mock
Smartwatch Sensor Subsystem Design
4 min readIoTReal-timeData Pipelines
Intermediate▶ Mock
Stock Price Alert System
3 min readFintechReal-timeAlgorithms
Intermediate▶ Mock
Stock Trading Platform (Zerodha / Robinhood)
6 min readFintechPaymentsReal-time
Advanced▶ Mock
Surge (Dynamic) Pricing for Ride-Hailing
4 min readReal-timeGeospatialAlgorithms
Advanced▶ Mock
To-Do List Service (REST API and Real-Time Shared Lists)
5 min readAPI DesignReal-timeCollaboration
Beginner▶ Mock
Top-K Trending Items (Heavy Hitters)
7 min readAnalyticsReal-timeAlgorithms
Advanced+4▶ Mock
User Activity Collection and Recent-Window Queries
5 min readAnalyticsData PipelinesStorage
Intermediate▶ Mock
Virtual Credit Card Service (Capital One)
6 min readFintechPaymentsSecurity
Intermediate▶ Mock
Human Avoidance for Autonomous Warehouse Robots
4 min readReal-timeAI / MLIoT
Advanced▶ Mock

Frequently Asked Questions

What are system design case studies?

System design case studies are real-world architecture problems broken down into structured breakdowns. Each case study covers requirements, high-level design, scale estimates, API designs, and deep dives into key components.

How many system design case studies should I prepare?

For FAANG interviews, preparing 15-20 case studies covering core topics like caching, load balancing, and database sharding is recommended. Focus on understanding trade-offs rather than memorizing solutions.

Which companies ask system design case studies?

All FAANG companies (Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple, Microsoft) plus top tech companies like Netflix, Uber, and Airbnb ask system design case studies. Senior-level interviews almost always include at least one system design round.

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