Author: Smile Gupta

Twitter / X: https://x.com/smileguptaaa

Get your full copy: https://topmate.io/smilegupta/1475999

Introduction

System design is a crucial skill for any frontend engineer who wants to grow beyond just writing code and start thinking about scalable, maintainable applications.

Yet, many engineers find themselves overwhelmed by the vast landscape of concepts, architectures, and best practices involved in frontend system design.

If system design has ever felt like a black box, you're not alone. This handbook was created to simplify the process and give you a clear, structured approach to mastering frontend system design.

What Makes This Guide Unique?

• Beginner-Friendly: Written for engineers new to system design, with clear, jargon-free explanations that simplify complex concepts.
• Structured & Methodical: Provides a step-by-step approach to ensure you cover all critical aspects without feeling overwhelmed.
• Practical & Actionable: Features a real-world example—designing a Poll Widget—to show how system design principles are applied in practice.
• Hands-On Learning: Includes a detailed list of system design questions to help you apply what you’ve learned and use as action items after reading.

Core Topics Covered

• Communicating Design Decisions - Learn how to articulate your choices, trade-offs, and system constraints effectively.
• Defining System Requirements - Break down functional and non-functional needs before choosing an approach.
• Architectural Considerations - Compare different frontend architectures (Monolith vs Micro Frontends) and rendering strategies (CSR, SSR, SSG, ISR).
• Data Handling & API Design - Structuring API interactions, caching strategies, and handling real-time data updates.
• Choosing the Right Tech Stack - Selecting the right frameworks, libraries, and tools for scalability, maintainability, and performance.
• Avoiding Common Pitfalls - Recognizing and mitigating performance bottlenecks, unnecessary re-renders, and inefficient API calls.