Consistent Hashing & Virtual Nodes

Maps keys and nodes onto a circular hash ring [0, 2^32 - 1]. Adding or removing a node only redistributes K/N keys rather than re-indexing the entire database cluster.

STAFF ENGINEER TAKEAWAY: Virtual nodes (vnodes) eliminate hash clustering and load hotspots, ensuring an even distribution of partitions across physical servers.

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More Topics in 2. Compute & Scaling

📈Vertical vs Horizontal Scaling

Vertical scaling upgrades a single node (CPU/RAM). Horizontal scaling adds stateless worker nodes across an autoscaling pool behind a load balancer.

⚖️Load Balancing (Layer 4 vs Layer 7)

Distributes incoming client requests across a pool of backend servers using algorithms like Round Robin, Least Connections, and IP Hash.

🛡️Reverse Proxy (NGINX / Envoy)

An intermediary proxy server that sits in front of web servers to terminate TLS, compress payloads (Brotli/Gzip), cache responses, and hide internal network topologies.

🚪API Gateway Pattern

Single unified gateway entry point for microservices that handles JWT verification, rate limiting, protocol translation (REST to gRPC), and request routing.