Design a Distributed File System (GFS/HDFS)

Advanced · 24 min read · High-Level Design, Case Studies: Advanced

Chunks, a single metadata master, leases, replication, repair and erasure coding.

This is an Advanced lesson, part of Premium. What it covers:

  • 1. Clarify the problem
  • 2. Requirements
  • 3. Capacity estimation
  • 4. High-level design
  • 5. Deep dives
  • 6. Failure modes
  • 7. Trade-offs summary
  • 8. What interviewers look for
  • Interview questions
  • Practice
  • Further reading

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