Design Decisions
Overview

Design Decisions

Every system design is a series of tradeoffs. This section gives you the frameworks to make them.


Topics

ChapterWhat It Covers
Decision Frameworks & Tradeoff MatricesSQL vs NoSQL, REST vs GraphQL vs gRPC, sync vs async, push vs pull, consistency vs availability, caching strategies, build vs buy

How to Use This Section

This isn't a new set of mechanisms — it's a map of the decision points that recur across every design, with pointers back to the chapters that cover each mechanism in depth. Read it right before an interview as a refresher on how to argue for a choice, not just name one.