Module 06: Caching

🚀 The Speed Hack of System Design

If you want to make a system 100x faster without buying faster hardware, you use a Cache.

In this module, we go beyond “put it in Redis”. We explore the deep architectural decisions that define high-performance systems. You will learn how to:

  • Prevent Disasters: Stop Thundering Herds and Cache Avalanches from taking down your production DB.
  • Scale Globally: Use CDNs and Edge Computing to serve users in Tokyo as fast as users in New York.
  • Choose Wisely: Pick the right eviction policy (LRU vs TinyLFU) and write strategy (Write-Back vs Write-Through).
  • Master Redis: Understand its Single-Threaded architecture, Persistence models, and Clustering.

📚 Chapter List

  1. Caching Strategies: The “Open Book Exam” analogy and the Latency Ladder.
  2. Eviction Policies: Why O(1) matters, LRU, LFU, and TinyLFU.
  3. Write Strategies: Balancing Consistency (Safety) vs Latency (Speed).
  4. Redis vs Memcached: Distributed Caching, Sharding, and Architecture.
  5. Content Delivery Networks: Anycast DNS and Edge Workers.
  6. Module Review: Flashcards and Cheat Sheet.

Let’s make it fast. ⚡

Module Chapters