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Reliability and Operations
Rate limiting (token bucket, leaky bucket, sliding window); microservices vs monolith; monitoring and observability (metrics, logs, traces); security fundamentals (auth, secrets, HTTPS).
Module Content
Rate Limiting
Protect your API from abuse and overload. Token bucket, leaky bucket, sliding window — and where to put the limiter. FIND_VIDEO: search 'rate limiting algorithms system design' — recommended channel: ByteByteGo / Hussein Nasser. Aim for 10 min or under.
Quiz: Token Bucket, Leaky Bucket, Sliding Window
The three core rate-limiting algorithms, where they sit in production stacks, and the distributed implementation patterns.
Microservices vs Monolith
The most over-debated topic. When microservices actually help; when they create more pain than value. FIND_VIDEO: search 'microservices vs monolith trade-offs' — recommended channel: ByteByteGo / Martin Fowler. Aim for 11 min or under.
Quiz: When to Split, When Not To
The honest trade-offs of microservices, what 'modular monolith' means, and how teams actually decide.
Monitoring & Observability
Three pillars: metrics, logs, traces. How they fit together and what each is good for. FIND_VIDEO: search 'observability metrics logs traces explained' — recommended channel: Honeycomb / Grafana / Datadog. Aim for 10 min or under.
Quiz: Metrics, Logs, Traces
The three pillars of observability, the tools (Prometheus, Grafana, OpenTelemetry, ELK), and the patterns that actually catch bugs.
Security Fundamentals
The non-negotiables: HTTPS, auth done right, secret management, OWASP Top 10 (2021 edition) awareness. Covers all 10 of the 2021 list including SSRF and cryptographic failures.
Quiz: Auth, Secrets, HTTPS, Common Mistakes
The minimum security posture every production system needs. Auth patterns, secret management, OWASP top 10.