System design patterns
Sharding, load balancing, CAP tradeoffs, and scaling patterns — interview and production ready.
How to Implement the Repository Pattern in Python with an In-Memory Dict
Stores, retrieves, updates, and deletes user records in memory using a Repository abstraction over a plain dict, isolating data access from business logic.
class UserRepository:
def __init__(self):
self._storage = {}
self._next_id = 1
def create(self, name, email):
user_id = self._next_id
self._next_id += 1
self._storage[user_id] = {"id": user_id, "name": name, "email": email}
return self._storage[user_id]
def…How to Limit Concurrent Requests with a Semaphore in Python
Use threading.Semaphore with a ThreadPoolExecutor to cap how many worker threads run simultaneously, preventing resource overload.
import threading
import time
from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
def worker(name, semaphore, results):
with semaphore:
results.append(f"start {name}")
time.sleep(0.5) # simulate async work
results.append(f"done {name}")
def main():
sem = threading.Semaphore(2) # max 2 …How to Migrate a Legacy Facade with the Strangler Fig Pattern in Python
Use a facade to wrap a legacy API and incrementally migrate callers to a modern interface, following the strangler fig pattern.
class LegacyAPI:
"""Simulates the legacy system's raw interface."""
def get_user(self, user_id):
return {"id": user_id, "name": "Alice", "legacy": True}
class UserService:
"""Facade that wraps the legacy system with a modern interface."""
def __init__(self, legacy_api=None):
self.lega…How to Mock Hexagonal Architecture Ports and Adapters in Python
Mock an email adapter in a hexagonal architecture with unittest.mock to test business logic in isolation.
from unittest.mock import Mock
class EmailService:
def send(self, recipient, message):
raise NotImplementedError
class OrderProcessor:
def __init__(self, email_service):
self.email_service = email_service
def process_order(self, order_id, customer_email):
# Business logic
…How to Mock a Metrics Decorator in Python with unittest.mock
This code demonstrates a timing decorator that wraps a function to measure execution time and prints the duration, with a unit test using unittest.mock to patch the print function and assert it was called.
import time
from functools import wraps
from unittest.mock import patch
def add_metrics(func):
@wraps(func)
def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
start = time.perf_counter()
result = func(*args, **kwargs)
elapsed = time.perf_counter() - start
print(f"{func.__name__} took {elapsed:.6f}s…How to Mock the Ambassador Pattern Retry Client in Python
This code demonstrates the ambassador pattern for API clients by simulating a flaky request and retrying with exponential backoff, useful for testing resilience in system design.
import time
import random
class RetryingClient:
"""Retry wrapper simulating a flaky ambassador-style API client."""
def __init__(self, max_attempts=3, base_delay=0.1):
self.max_attempts = max_attempts
self.base_delay = base_delay
self.attempts = 0
def _flaky_request(self):
…How to Structure a Three-Tier Layered Architecture in Python
A mock three-tier architecture with presentation, business, and data layers that process a user request from input to response.
class PresentationLayer:
def __init__(self, business_layer):
self.business = business_layer
def handle_request(self, user_id):
print(f"[Presentation] Received request for user {user_id}")
data = self.business.process_user(user_id)
print(f"[Presentation] Response: {data}")
…How to Take Periodic Snapshots of Aggregate State in Python
Build a Python class that accumulates values and periodically captures immutable snapshots of total, count, and average for later analysis.
import time
import random
from collections import defaultdict
class SnapshotAggregator:
def __init__(self):
self.total = 0
self.count = 0
self.history = []
def add(self, value):
self.total += value
self.count += 1
def snapshot(self):
avg = self.total / se…How to implement stale-while-revalidate caching in Python
A Python cache wrapper that returns a stale cached value with a fallback flag when the upstream fetch fails, using TTL-based freshness checks.
import time
from functools import lru_cache
class CachedService:
def __init__(self, fetch_func, ttl=5):
self.fetch_func = fetch_func
self.ttl = ttl
self._cache = {}
self._timestamp = {}
def get(self, key):
now = time.time()
if key in self._cache and now - self…How to mock the domain center in an onion architecture in Python
Define a repository interface and an in-memory mock to test domain services without touching infrastructure.
from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Dict, List, Optional
@dataclass
class Order:
id: int
customer: str
items: List[str]
total: float
class OrderRepository(ABC):
@abstractmethod
def find_by_id(self, order_id: int) -> Optional[Order]:
…Idempotent Consumer: Store Processed IDs in Python
Implement an idempotent consumer that persists processed message IDs to a JSON file, skipping duplicates on restart.
import json
from pathlib import Path
class IdempotentStore:
def __init__(self, storage_path: str = "processed_ids.json"):
self.storage_path = Path(storage_path)
self.processed_ids = self._load()
def _load(self) -> set:
if self.storage_path.exists():
with self.storage_path…Implement Bulkhead Thread Pool Isolation in Python
Create isolated thread pools with a bulkhead pattern to protect different services from cascading failures.
import threading
import time
import random
from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
class Bulkhead:
"""Simple bulkhead isolation: separate thread pools for different tasks."""
def __init__(self, max_workers):
self.executor = ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=max_workers)
self.active = …Implement a Consistent Hash Ring in Python
Build a minimal consistent hash ring with virtual nodes to map keys to servers stably as nodes are added or removed.
import hashlib
import bisect
class ConsistentHashRing:
def __init__(self, nodes=None, replicas=3):
self.replicas = replicas
self.ring = {}
self.sorted_keys = []
if nodes:
for node in nodes:
self.add_node(node)
def _hash(self, key):
return i…Inbox pattern consumer dedupe mock in Python
Implements a mock inbox consumer that deduplicates incoming messages by ID, with automatic eviction of old seen IDs to prevent unbounded memory growth.
import json
from collections import deque
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from hashlib import sha256
from typing import Any
@dataclass
class InboxConsumer:
max_seen: int = 1000
seen_ids: set = field(default_factory=set)
seen_history: deque = field(default_factory=deque)
def _mark_seen(self,…Lazy loading with a proxy in Python: defer expensive service creation
A lazy proxy defers creating an expensive service object until its method is first called, then caches it for reuse.
import time
import random
class ExpensiveService:
def __init__(self, name):
self.name = name
print(f"Creating expensive service: {self.name}")
def fetch_data(self):
time.sleep(1)
return f"Data from {self.name}: {random.randint(1, 100)}"
class LazyProxy:
def __init__(sel…Microkernel Plug-in Core Mock in Python
Implements a minimal microkernel plug-in core that registers, unregisters, and executes synchronous or asynchronous plugins via a pluggable manager class.
import json
import abc
import inspect
class MicrokernelCore(abc.ABC):
def __init__(self):
self._plugins = {}
def register(self, name, plugin):
self._plugins[name] = plugin
def unregister(self, name):
return self._plugins.pop(name, None)
def execute(self, name, *args, **kwa…Mock Unit of Work commit and rollback in Python
Verify that a Unit of Work pattern commits on success and rolls back on failure using unittest.mock in Python.
from unittest import mock
class UnitOfWork:
def __init__(self):
self.committed = False
self.rolled_back = False
def commit(self):
self.committed = True
print("Commit executed")
def rollback(self):
self.rolled_back = True
print("Rollback executed")
def b…Object Pool Pattern for Database Connections in Python
Implements a reusable connection pool with acquire/release and context manager support, mocking database connections with idle reuse and exhaustion handling.
import time
from contextlib import contextmanager
from collections import deque
class ConnectionPool:
def __init__(self, size=3, max_idle=5):
self._idle = deque(maxlen=max_idle)
self._active = set()
self.size = size
def _create(self):
return {"created_at": time.time(), "queri…Outbox pattern reliable publish in Python with SQLite
Implements a transactional outbox with SQLite, ensuring reliable message publishing by storing events in the same DB transaction as business changes.
import sqlite3
from contextlib import contextmanager
from datetime import datetime, timezone
class Outbox:
def __init__(self, db_path=":memory:"):
self.conn = sqlite3.connect(db_path)
self.conn.execute("""
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS outbox (
id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTO…Python MVC Pattern Example (Model-View-Controller)
A minimal, runnable Model-View-Controller (MVC) example in pure Python that separates data, presentation, and logic.
class Model:
def __init__(self):
self.data = {"title": "Initial Title", "content": "Initial Content"}
def get_data(self):
return self.data
def update_data(self, title=None, content=None):
if title:
self.data["title"] = title
if content:
self.data["c…Round Robin Load Balancer in Python
This code simulates round robin load balancing by distributing a list of requests evenly across a list of servers.
def round_robin_servers(requests: list[str], servers: list[str]) -> dict[str, list[str]]:
assignments = {server: [] for server in servers}
for idx, request in enumerate(requests):
server = servers[idx % len(servers)]
assignments[server].append(request)
return assignments
if __name__ == "_…Simulate a Leaky Bucket Rate Limiter in Python
This code implements a leaky bucket rate limiter that drains at a fixed rate and accepts or rejects incoming requests based on capacity.
import time
from collections import deque
class LeakyBucket:
"""Simulates a leaky bucket rate limiter with a fixed drain rate."""
def __init__(self, capacity, drain_rate_per_sec):
self.capacity = capacity
self.drain_rate = drain_rate_per_sec
self.water = 0.0
self.last_refill =…Singleton Config Loader in Python with Caution
Implements a singleton config loader in Python that reads JSON config files, but demonstrates the hidden gotcha of shared state across instances.
import json
from pathlib import Path
class ConfigLoader:
_instance = None
def __new__(cls, *args, **kwargs):
if cls._instance is None:
cls._instance = super().__new__(cls)
return cls._instance
def __init__(self, config_file="config.json"):
if not hasattr(self, "loaded…Template Method Workflow Steps Base Class in Python
Define a reusable workflow skeleton in a base class and let subclasses fill in each step with the Template Method design pattern.
from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
class DataPipeline(ABC):
"""Template Method pattern: defines a workflow skeleton."""
def run(self):
"""Template method - defines the algorithm's structure."""
result = {"extracted": False, "transformed": False, "loaded": False}
raw_data = self._ext…Browse by section
Each section groups closely related Python snippets.
System design patterns — Python code examples
What you will find here
This page collects system design patterns snippets — short, copy-ready Python you can paste into our free online IDE and run without installing anything. Each sample includes a plain-English explanation and the full source code.
Samples vs tutorials and challenges
Samples are quick reference — one concept per page. For step-by-step teaching, use our Python tutorials. To test yourself, try quizzes or coding challenges. Clean up style with the Python formatter.