Data Streaming Architecture Patterns
Issue #91: System Design Interview Roadmap • Section 4: Scalability • July 7, 2025
📋 Today's Learning Agenda
What We'll Master Today:
Real-time streaming fundamentals - Beyond batch processing limitations
Lambda architecture patterns - Combining batch accuracy with stream speed
Fault tolerance mechanisms - Backpressure, circuit breakers, exactly-once processing
Production implementation - Complete Kafka pipeline with monitoring dashboard
Enterprise insights - How Netflix, Airbnb, and LinkedIn scale streaming systems
The Recommendation Dilemma
When Netflix processes 15 billion hours of viewing data monthly to power real-time recommendations, they face a fundamental architectural choice: should they process data in large batches every few hours, or stream it continuously as users watch? This decision impacts everything from recommendation freshness to infrastructure costs.
The answer reveals why data streaming architecture has become the backbone of modern distributed systems—it's not just about speed, it's about building systems that can adapt to changing data patterns while maintaining consistency guarantees.