GOES - System Design

This repository is intended to be used during a system design interview for a given challenge. It serves as a template to guide the discussion and showcase my understanding of architectural principles and best practices.

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ADR Select Migration Approach

Status : draft

Date : 14.08.2024

Stakeholders

  • @wschaef

Context

The challenge is to define the migration approach for the GOES system, considering the following factors:

  • Complexity of the Migration: The existing system’s architecture and dependencies, the number of applications and infrastructure components, and the complexity of interconnections will influence the migration approach.
  • Data Sensitivity and Compliance: The level of data sensitivity and regulatory compliance requirements will dictate the security and privacy measures needed during the migration process.
  • Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery: The criticality of the system and the acceptable downtime during migration will determine the need for robust business continuity and disaster recovery plans.
  • Cost and Time Constraints: The budget allocated for the migration and the desired timeline for completion will influence the choice of migration strategies and tools.
  • Skillset and Expertise: The availability of internal resources with the necessary skills and expertise to execute the migration will impact the feasibility of different approaches.
  • Cloud Provider Capabilities: The capabilities and features offered by the chosen cloud provider, including migration tools, support services, and security compliance, will influence the migration strategy.

Options

  1. Use E-Commerce and Streaming SaaS offerings and migrate the data there
    • E-Commerce (e.g. Shopify, BigCommerce, HPC Commerce), SaaS Video Streaming White Label Providers (e.g. VPlayed, Dacast, Brightcove)
      • Pros:
        • Rapid deployment and minimal infrastructure management.
        • Scalability and flexibility to handle fluctuating demand.
        • Access to built-in features and functionalities.
      • Cons:
        • Potential vendor lock-in and limited customization.
        • Data security and privacy concerns.
        • Cost implications for ongoing subscriptions.
  2. Migrate As-is
    • deploy on compute resources of the public cloud
    • Pros:
      • Minimal code changes and quick deployment.
      • Leveraging existing infrastructure and expertise.
      • Cost-effective for simple applications.
    • Cons:
      • Limited scalability and flexibility.
      • Potential performance bottlenecks.
      • Lack of cloud-native features.
  3. Migrate and improve
    • Containerize the applications and deploy to the public cloud
    • Pros:
      • Improved portability and scalability.
      • Enhanced security and isolation.
      • Access to cloud-native services.
    • Cons:
      • Increased complexity in containerization and deployment.
      • Potential learning curve for container technologies.
      • Cost associated with container orchestration tools.
    • migrate data to databases as service if Appropriate
    • Pros:
      • Simplified data management and scalability.
      • Reduced infrastructure costs.
      • Enhanced performance and reliability.
    • Cons:
      • Potential vendor lock-in.
      • Data migration challenges and costs.
      • Security and compliance considerations.
  4. Modernize
    • Re-implement to be cloud native using higher level services on the public provider
    • Pros:
      • Maximum scalability and flexibility.
      • Leveraging cloud-native features and services.
      • Enhanced performance and efficiency.
    • Cons:
      • Significant development effort and cost.
      • Potential for technical debt and complexity.
      • Dependency on cloud provider services.

Decision

Based on the information provided in document input1.md, I have made the following assumptions:

  • The GOES offering is highly specialized, making SaaS solutions unsuitable.
  • The APIs and applications are already containerized.
  • Cost and quality are prioritized over strict time constraints.
  • The streaming service currently lacks a modern CDN.
  • The browser plugin for payment should be replaced with a modern payment solution.
  • Native apps for streaming on Android, iOS, and TVs are planned for future development.

Taking my assumptions and requirements, the option 3 Migrate and improve is the best choice for the core GOES application. This is because:

  • The existing containerized applications can be easily deployed to the cloud.
  • The migration will allow for improved scalability and flexibility to meet future demands.
  • The use of cloud-native services will enhance security, performance, and efficiency.
  • The data migration to a database as a service will simplify data management and scalability.

For the Streaming domain, option 4 Modernize is the best choice due to:

  • Streaming has the highest load requirements, demanding huge amounts of storage, network bandwidth, and geographical proximity to customers.

Consequences

  • Data migration will be a significant challenge.
  • Modernization of migrated applications towards higher-level services remains an option for the future.