System design patterns
Sharding, load balancing, CAP tradeoffs, and scaling patterns — interview and production ready.
Circuit Breaker Pattern in Python: Closed, Open, and Half-Open States
Implement a circuit breaker with closed, open, and half-open states to prevent repeated calls to failing services and allow recovery after a timeout.
class CircuitBreaker:
def __init__(self, failure_threshold=3, timeout_seconds=5):
self.failure_threshold = failure_threshold
self.timeout_seconds = timeout_seconds
self.state = "closed"
self.failure_count = 0
self.last_failure_time = None
def record_success(self):
…
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 Apply the Clean Architecture Dependency Rule in Python
Demonstrates the dependency rule with a Protocol repository, a use case, and a presenter wired together at a composition root.
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import List, Protocol
class Repository(Protocol):
def get_items(self) -> List[str]:
...
@dataclass
class InMemoryRepository:
items: List[str]
def get_items(self) -> List[str]:
return self.items
class UseCase:
"""Application layer depends…
How to Build a Simple Service Discovery Registry in Python
A lightweight in-memory service registry class using a dict — register, deregister, and discover services with host, port, and version.
class ServiceRegistry:
def __init__(self):
self._services = {}
def register(self, name, host, port, version="1.0"):
self._services[name] = {
"host": host,
"port": port,
"version": version
}
def deregister(self, name):
return self._servic…
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 Implement CQRS with Separate Read and Write Models in Python
Implements Command Query Responsibility Segregation (CQRS) by splitting data into separate write and read models with dedicated repositories, using dataclasses for structure.
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import List, Dict, Optional
@dataclass
class OrderWriteModel:
order_id: int
customer: str
items: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
def add_item(self, item: str) -> None:
self.items.append(item)
@dataclass
class OrderReadModel:
…
How to Implement the Flyweight Pattern in Python
Implements the Flyweight design pattern to share immutable intrinsic state (character + font) across many document objects, reducing memory usage.
class Character:
"""Flyweight - stores only intrinsic state (shared)."""
def __init__(self, char: str, font: str):
self.char = char
self.font = font
def render(self, size: int) -> str:
return f"{self.char}_{self.font}_{size}"
class CharacterFactory:
"""Flyweight factory - ma…
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 implement saga orchestration with compensating steps in Python
Orchestrate a distributed transaction across services, rolling back completed steps with compensations when a later step fails.
class InventoryService:
def reserve(self, order_id):
print(f"[Inventory] Reserving stock for order {order_id}")
return True
def compensate(self, order_id):
print(f"[Inventory] Releasing stock for order {order_id}")
class PaymentService:
def charge(self, order_id):
print(f…
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]:
…
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__ == "_…
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…
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