Caching System Designs

Worked Caching system design walkthroughs: the requirements, the trade-offs, real numbers and the component choices behind each design.

Browse all system designs

1. Cache Eviction Policies: LRU, LFU, FIFO, TTL and ARC

   A deep dive into the five most important cache eviction strategies—how each works, when to use it, and the real performance trade-offs that matter in production systems.

   Caching · intermediate · 12 min read

2. Caching Fundamentals: Client, CDN, Web Server, Application, and Database Caches

   A practical guide to the five caching layers every system uses, with real numbers, eviction policies, invalidation strategies, and failure modes.

   Caching · beginner · 12 min read

3. Caching Strategies: Cache-Aside, Read-Through, Write-Through, Write-Behind, and Refresh-Ahead

   A deep dive into five production caching patterns—when to use each, how they behave under failure, and the real trade-offs that come up in system design interviews.

   Caching · intermediate · 12 min read

4. Distributed Caching: Redis and Memcached Clusters, Hot Keys, and Cache Stampedes

   Deep dive into distributed caching architecture using Redis and Memcached clusters, covering sharding, replication, hot key mitigation, and cache stampede prevention at scale.

   Caching · advanced · 12 min read