System Design - Scalability: Sharding Part 2

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary benefit of using composite shard keys?

More granularity and control over data distribution

How does dynamic sharding adjust to changes in data volume and load?

By monitoring and dynamically reallocating data as needed

What is the primary advantage of consistent hashing in distributed systems?

Minimizes data movement when adding or removing shards

What is the primary motivation for re-sharding in a distributed system?

Uneven data distribution, changes in data volume, or changes in application requirements Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary challenge in re-sharding a distributed system?

Ensuring data consistency during the migration Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary benefit of geo-sharding in distributed systems?

Reduced latency and improved user experience Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of data locality in distributed systems?

Keeping related data within the same geographic region Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary challenge in handling split-brain scenarios in distributed systems?

Minimizing downtime and impact on application performance Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary benefit of reducing cross-region data access in a distributed database system?

Improves performance and reduces latency Signup and view all the answers

What is the main advantage of using multi-master replication in a distributed database system?

Improves write availability and performance by allowing writes to the nearest master Signup and view all the answers

What type of consistency model is suitable for applications requiring strict data accuracy, such as financial transactions?

Strong Consistency Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary consideration when choosing a consistency model for a distributed database system?

Application requirements Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of implementing comprehensive monitoring in a distributed database system?

To track the performance and health of each shard Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary benefit of using automation tools in a distributed database system?

To manage shard creation, data migration, and scaling operations efficiently Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary consideration when choosing a sharding strategy for a distributed database system?

Even distribution of data Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of re-sharding in a distributed database system?

To redistribute data to balance shard loads and improve performance Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary benefit of using geo-sharding in a distributed database system?

To minimize latency for users in different regions Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary consideration when ensuring compliance with data protection regulations in a distributed database system?

Ensuring data protection and security Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Advanced Sharding Strategies

Composite shard keys use multiple columns to determine the shard, providing more granularity and control over data distribution.
Examples of composite shard keys include combining user_id and region_id to distribute data based on both user identification and geographic location.

Dynamic Sharding

Dynamic sharding adjusts the number of shards based on the current load and data volume.
This approach requires monitoring and dynamically reallocating data as needed to maintain balanced shards.

Consistent Hashing

Consistent hashing distributes data evenly across shards and minimizes data movement when adding or removing shards.
Benefit: Reduces the impact of shard changes on the overall system by ensuring only a small portion of the data is redistributed.

Re-sharding

Reasons for re-sharding include uneven data distribution leading to hotspots, changes in data volume or application requirements, and adding or removing shards to scale the system.
The re-sharding process involves planning, data migration, updating metadata, and testing.

Global Distribution

Geo-sharding distributes data based on geographic regions to reduce latency and improve user experience.
Data locality ensures that related data is kept within the same geographic region, reducing cross-region data access and improving performance.

Consistency Models

Strong consistency guarantees that all reads return the most recent write, suitable for applications requiring strict data accuracy.
Eventual consistency guarantees that, given enough time, all replicas will converge to the same value, suitable for applications where data can tolerate temporary inconsistencies.
Causal consistency ensures that operations that are causally related are seen by all nodes in the same order, providing a middle ground between strong and eventual consistency.

Operational Considerations

Implement comprehensive monitoring to track the performance and health of each shard, and set up alerts for potential issues.
Regularly back up each shard to ensure data can be recovered in case of failure, and implement a robust disaster recovery plan to handle data loss scenarios.
Ensure each shard adheres to security best practices, such as encryption at rest and in transit, and comply with regulatory requirements.

Case Study: Implementing Sharding in a Real-World Application

Identify shard keys, such as user_id for user data and order_id for order data, and consider composite keys for more granularity.
Choose a sharding strategy, such as hash-based sharding for even distribution and geo-sharding for minimizing latency.
Set up shards in multiple regions, configure multi-master replication for high availability and fault tolerance, and implement re-sharding to handle hotspots.
Choose a consistency model based on application requirements, and operationalize with monitoring, alerting, automated backups, and compliance with data protection regulations.

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