System Design Interview – Video Streaming Service (Youtube / Netflix)

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January 26, 2023

Distributed Systems  System Design Interview 

High-Level Overview

A video streaming service is a system that allows users to watch videos over the internet. It typically consists of a server that stores the videos, a client that requests the videos, and a network that connects the two. The server stores the videos in a format that can be streamed, such as MPEG-4 or H.264. The client requests the videos from the server, which then streams the video to the client.

Components

  1. Video Storage: The video storage component stores the videos in a format that can be streamed, such as MPEG-4 or H.264. It is responsible for encoding the videos into the appropriate format and storing them in a secure location.
  2. Video Server: The video server is responsible for receiving requests from clients and streaming the videos to them. It is responsible for managing the streaming process, including buffering, transcoding, and other tasks.
  3. Network: The network component is responsible for connecting the video server and the clients. It is responsible for ensuring that the video streams are delivered in a timely manner and with minimal latency.
  4. Client: The client is responsible for requesting the videos from the server and displaying them to the user. It is responsible for managing the user interface, including playback controls, video quality settings, and other features.
  5. Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN is a network of servers that are used to distribute videos to clients. It is responsible for ensuring that the videos are delivered quickly and reliably to clients.
  6. Analytics: The analytics component is responsible for collecting data about the usage of the video streaming service. This data can be used to improve the service, such as by optimizing the video delivery process or by providing recommendations to users.

*** Created by ChatGPT on Jan 26, 2023.