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Enhance visibility into your cloud architecture with expert insights from AWS + Datadog. In this ebook, AWS Solutions Architects Jason Mimick and James Wenzel guide you through best practices for creating professional and impactful diagrams.
This week’s system design refresher:
JWT Simply Explained
The 5 Pillars of API Design
How Computer Memory Works?
Top Kubernetes Scaling Strategies You Must Know
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JWT Simply Explained
JWT or JSON Web Tokens is an open standard for securely transmitting information between two parties. They are widely used for authentication and authorization.
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A JWT consists of three main components:
Header
Every JWT carries a header specifying the algorithms for signing the JWT. It’s written in JSON format.Payload
The payload consists of the claims and the user data. There are different types of claims such as registered, public, and private claims.Signature
The signature is what makes the JWT secure. It is created by taking the encoded header, encoded payload, secret key, and the algorithm and signing it.
JWTs can be signed in two different ways:
Symmetric Signatures
It uses a single secret key for both signing the token and verifying it. The same key must be shared between the server that signs the JWT and the system that verifies it.Asymmetric Signatures
In this case, a private key is used to sign the token, and a public key to verify it. The private key is kept secure on the server, while the public key can be distributed to anyone who needs to verify the token.
Over to you: Do you use JWTs for authentication?
The 5 Pillars of API Design
APIs are the backbone of modern systems. But it is also important to design them in the right way.
Here are a few things that a developer should consider while designing APIs
The Interface
API Design is concerned with defining the inputs and outputs of an API. For example, defining how the CRUD operations may be exposed to the user or the client.API Paradigms
APIs can be built following different paradigms, each with its own set of protocols and standards. Some options are REST, GraphQL, and gRPC.Relationships in API
APIs often need to establish relationships between the various entities. For example, a user might have multiple orders related to their account. The API endpoints should reflect these relationships for a better client experience.Versioning
When modifying API endpoints, proper versioning and supporting backward compatibility are important.Rate Limiting
Rate limiting is used to control the number of requests a user can make to an API within a certain timeframe. This is crucial for maintaining the reliability and availability of the API.
Over to you: Which other API Design principle will you add to the list?
How Computer Memory Works?
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Here’s a simple breakdown that shows how data moves through a system from input to processing to storage.
Data enters through input sources like keyboard, mouse, camera, or remote systems.
Permanent storage holds your system files, apps, and media. This includes hard drives, USB drives, ROM/BIOS, and network-based storage.
RAM is the workspace of your computer. It includes physical memory and virtual memory, which temporarily store data and programs while you’re using them.
Cache memory sits closer to the CPU and is split into Level 1 and Level 2. It helps speed up access to frequently used data.
CPU registers are the fastest and smallest memory units. They’re used directly by the processor to execute instructions almost instantly.
The higher you go in the memory pyramid, the faster and smaller the storage.
Over to you: What else will you add to improve the understanding of a computer memory’s working?