The Scenario
A marketing team needs a branded URL shortener. They expect about 10,000 new links to be created per day, but those links might be clicked millions of times.
The Brief
Design the architecture for a URL shortener (like bit.ly). Focus on the database schema, the hashing algorithm used to generate the short code, and the read vs. write scaling strategy.
Deliverables
- A system architecture diagram (e.g., using Mermaid.js or a simple drawn diagram)
- The database schema definition for the `Link` table
- A brief explanation of why this system is read-heavy and how you would cache the redirects
Submission Guidance
You do not need to write the application code. Focus on the data flow: what happens when a user creates a link, and what happens when someone clicks it?
Submit Your Work
Your submission is graded against the rubric on the right. If you pass, you get a public Badge URL you can share on LinkedIn. There is no draft save, so work offline first and paste your finished response here.