system-design-primer

The system design primer explains large-scale system design and includes interview preparation material and Anki flashcards.

github.com/donnemartin/system-design-primer
system-design-primer homepage screenshot

About system-design-primer

The System Design Primer is a GitHub repository that collects resources on designing large-scale systems. It organizes summaries of system design topics, including pros and cons of each approach, and links to more detailed material. The homepage describes it as a continually updated open source project, and it is also used for preparing for system design interviews.

The repository includes practice questions for common system design interview topics, with sample discussions, code, and diagrams. It also provides Anki flashcard decks that use spaced repetition for key concepts. Coding interview resources are kept in a separate sister repository, and the homepage notes that some content is still under development.

Key features

  • Summaries of system design topics, including pros and cons of each
  • Common system design interview questions with sample solutions, code, and diagrams
  • Anki flashcard decks for system design and object-oriented design exercises
  • Study guide on how to approach a system design interview question
  • Reference table of powers of two and latency numbers
  • Links to real-world architectures and company engineering blogs
Best for: Software engineers and students who want to learn large-scale system design or prepare for system design interviews.
Good for
  • Organizes scattered system design resources into one collection
  • Includes Anki flashcard decks for spaced repetition study
  • Readme is available in many languages, with a process for adding translations
Watch out for
  • Coding interview practice is in the separate Interactive Coding Challenges repository
  • Some content is placed under development and needs further polishing

system-design-primer at a glance

Type
Open-source project
Pricing
Not confirmed. Check the site
Open source
Not stated
Language
English
Last checked
Oct 6, 2026 · Online when checked
Listed
Oct 5, 2026

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system-design-primer FAQ

Does the repository include flashcards?
Yes. It provides Anki flashcard decks for the system design, system design exercises, and object-oriented design exercises topics.
Where can I find coding interview practice?
Coding resources are in the sister repository Interactive Coding Challenges, which contains an additional Anki deck for coding.
Can I contribute to the project?
Yes. The README invites pull requests to fix errors, improve or add sections, and translate content, and it points to the Contributing Guidelines.
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