Netflix System Design: A High-Level Overview

Netflix, the world's leading streaming entertainment service, serves millions of users globally. Let's dive into a high-level overview of its system design.

Key Components

1. Content Delivery Network (CDN) Netflix uses its own CDN called Open Connect to efficiently deliver content to users worldwide.

   

2. Microservices Architecture Netflix employs a microservices architecture for scalability and maintainability.

3. Data Storage A combination of SQL and NoSQL databases are used for different purposes.

4. Recommendation System Machine learning algorithms power Netflix's recommendation engine.

   

5. Cloud Infrastructure Netflix runs on AWS, leveraging various services for compute, storage, and networking.

System Design Diagram

Here's a simplified system design diagram of Netflix:

Code Example: Simple CDN Request Handler

Here's a basic example of how a CDN might handle a request for content:

const handleCDNRequest = async (req, res) => {
  const contentId = req.params.contentId;
  const userLocation = getUserLocation(req);
  
  try {
    const nearestServer = findNearestCDNServer(userLocation);
    const content = await fetchContent(nearestServer, contentId);
    
    res.status(200).send(content);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error serving content:', error);
    res.status(500).send('Error serving content');
  }
};

This high-level overview gives you a glimpse into the complex system that powers Netflix. Each component plays a crucial role in delivering a seamless streaming experience to millions of users worldwide.