Designing scalable systems isn’t just about knowing the tools it’s about asking the right questions upfront. Before you look into architecture diagrams, here’s a checklist every developer should walk through.
1. Understand the Goal
Before writing a single line of code or diagramming a system, ask:
What exactly are you building? (e.g., a social media platform)
Who’s using it? (teenagers, professionals, businesses)
Main use case: (sharing photos, professional networking, online payments)
Without a clear goal, you may end up overengineering, solving the wrong problem, or missing critical user expectations.
A system for internal use by employees has vastly different needs than one for millions of external users.
2. Traffic Pattern: Read-Heavy vs Write-Heavy
This helps you determine where to focus your optimization efforts.
