Design a URL Shortener (bit.ly / TinyURL)

A model interview answer: requirements, estimation, key generation, redirects, caching and scale

Walk through a complete URL shortener design the way a strong candidate answers it: requirements and estimates, base62 vs hashing vs a key-generation service, 301 vs 302 redirects, hot-URL caching, sharding, expiry, analytics and abuse controls.

Practice questions (5)

• Estimating Traffic, Storage and Cache for a Shortener

  Intermediate · Free
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• Choosing a Key Generation Strategy

  Intermediate
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• 301 vs 302 and the Analytics Path

  Intermediate
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• Custom Aliases, Expiry and Key Reuse

  Intermediate
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• Scaling Reads and Fighting Abuse

  Advanced
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Quizzes (1)