System design patterns
Sharding, load balancing, CAP tradeoffs, and scaling patterns — interview and production ready.
Build a BFF (Backend for Frontend) Mock Aggregator in Python
A minimal HTTP server implementing the BFF pattern that aggregates user data and orders from two mock backends into a single JSON response.
import json
from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer
from urllib.parse import urlparse
class MockBackendA:
def get_user(self, user_id):
return {"id": user_id, "name": "Alice", "service": "backend-a"}
class MockBackendB:
def get_orders(self, user_id):
return [
{…Builder pattern for mocking complex objects in Python
Use a fluent Builder to construct realistic mock objects with defaults, enabling readable test data setup.
class User:
def __init__(self):
self.name = "default"
self.age = 0
self.email = "unknown@example.com"
self.address = "unknown"
def __repr__(self):
return f"User(name={self.name!r}, age={self.age}, email={self.email!r}, address={self.address!r})"
class UserBuilder:
…Facade Pattern in Python with Mock Simplification
This code demonstrates the Facade pattern by hiding complex subsystem interactions behind a simple start/stop interface, and adds a MockFacade for testing failure scenarios.
class SubsystemA:
def operation_a(self):
return "Subsystem A: ready"
class SubsystemB:
def operation_b(self):
return "Subsystem B: ready"
class SubsystemC:
def operation_c(self):
return "Subsystem C: ready"
class Facade:
def __init__(self):
self._a = SubsystemA()
…How to Aggregate Mock API Routes by Method in Python
Groups mock API routes by path and method, collecting response bodies and counts into a nested dictionary structure.
from collections import defaultdict
def aggregate_mock_routes(routes):
"""Aggregate mock API routes by method and aggregate their response bodies."""
aggregated = defaultdict(lambda: defaultdict(list))
for route in routes:
method = route["method"]
path = route["path"]
response = …How to Build a Health Check System with Instance Up and Down Status in Python
Track instance health by marking them up or down and simulating health checks with a mock class in Python.
from datetime import datetime
import random
class HealthChecker:
def __init__(self):
self.status = {}
def mark_up(self, instance_id):
self.status[instance_id] = {
"state": "up",
"last_check": datetime.now().isoformat(),
"healthy": True
}
…How to Build a Weighted Random Load Balancer in Python
A Python load balancer mock that distributes requests across servers based on configurable weights using a cumulative weighted random selection algorithm.
import random
from collections import Counter
SERVERS = {
"server-a": 50,
"server-b": 30,
"server-c": 20,
}
def weighted_random_server(servers: dict[str, int]) -> str:
"""Select a server based on its weight (higher weight = more likely)."""
total_weight = sum(servers.values())
rand = random.…How to Build an Adapter to Translate External API Responses in Python
Build an adapter class that translates a mock external API's response shape into your internal representation, keeping callers decoupled from the external contract.
import json
from typing import Dict, Any
class ExternalAPI:
"""Mock external service returning a different data shape."""
def get_user(self, user_id: int) -> Dict[str, Any]:
return {
"id": user_id,
"full_name": "Jane Doe",
"email_address": "jane@example.com",
…How to Build an MVP Presenter View Mock in Python
A minimal MVP (Model-View-Presenter) mock showing a Presenter controlling a SlideDeck model with slide navigation and typed state via dataclasses.
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import List
@dataclass
class SlideDeck:
title: str
slides: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
current_index: int = 0
def next_slide(self) -> str:
if self.current_index < len(self.slides) - 1:
self.current_index += 1
…How to Implement Retry with Exponential Backoff and Jitter in Python
This code demonstrates a retry mechanism with exponential backoff and optional full jitter, using a flaky mock network call for testing.
import random
import time
def retry_with_backoff(func, max_attempts=5, base_delay=0.1, jitter=True):
"""
Retry a function with exponential backoff and optional full jitter.
"""
for attempt in range(max_attempts):
try:
return func()
except Exception as e:
if att…How to Implement a Simple MVVM Binding Mock in Python
A minimal Python implementation of the MVVM pattern, mocking data binding so views auto-update when the view model changes.
class BindingMock:
def __init__(self, view_model):
self.view_model = view_model
self.subscribers = []
def bind(self, property_name, callback):
self.subscribers.append((property_name, callback))
def set(self, property_name, value):
setattr(self.view_model, property_name, va…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 a Timeout per Dependency Call in Python
This code demonstrates how to simulate and test per-call timeouts for external dependencies using Python's unittest.mock and a simple timing wrapper.
```python
import time
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
def call_dependency(dependency, timeout):
start = time.time()
result = dependency.call()
elapsed = time.time() - start
if elapsed > timeout:
raise TimeoutError(f"Dependency call took {elapsed:.2f}s, exceeding timeout {timeout}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 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]:
…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,…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…Observer Pattern with Mock Metrics in Python
Implement the Observer pattern with a mock metrics collector to track state changes and verify notifications.
import unittest
from unittest.mock import Mock
class Subject:
def __init__(self):
self._state = 0
self._observers = []
def attach(self, observer):
self._observers.append(observer)
def set_state(self, value):
if value != self._state:
self._state = value
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