Designing a Cache-Backed Read Path
The lesson starts with a product requirement for fast catalog reads and writes that become visible within a stated freshness window. It estimates request shape, draws a direct database path, then adds a cache only after describing the expected hit rate and what data may be stale.
The walkthrough examines cache keys, authorization, TTL, invalidation races, cache outages, and concurrent misses. It makes clear that a load balancer and cache cannot repair incorrect business behavior. The closing exercise asks viewers to choose measurements that would justify or reject the cache. Companion material: system-design article, read-path trace, and interactive system flow.
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