URL Shortener
The classic first system design project — a small service that hides a surprising number of real distributed-systems decisions. Build a service that takes a long URL and returns a short code that redirects back to the original, then work through ID generation, redirect performance, and read/write ratios.
A service that takes a long URL and returns a short code (like bit.ly/abc123) that redirects back to the original. Simple to describe, but the design choices around ID generation, redirect performance, and read/write ratios show up in almost every larger system you'll build later.
Core requirements: create a short link, redirect on visit, track click counts, expire links optionally.
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