Course · 04 Scaling Reads
News Aggregator
Understanding the Problem
📰 What is Google News?
Google News is a digital service that aggregates and displays news articles from thousands of publishers worldwide in a scrollable interface for users to stay updated on current events.
Functional Requirements
Core Requirements
- Users should be able to view an aggregated feed of news articles from thousands of source publishers all over the world
- Users should be able to scroll through the feed "infinitely"
- Users should be able to click on articles and be redirected to the publisher's website to read the full content
Below the line (out of scope):
- Users should be able to customize their feed based on interests
- Users should be able to save articles for later reading
- Users should be able to share articles on social media platforms
Non-Functional Requirements
For a news platform, availability is prioritized over consistency, as users would prefer to see slightly outdated content rather than no content at all.
The Set Up
Planning the Approach
Defining the Core Entities
API or System Interface
High-Level Design
1) Users should be able to view an aggregated feed of news articles from thousands of source publishers all over the world
2) Users should be able to scroll through the feed "infinitely"
3) Users should be able to click on articles and be redirected to the publisher's website to read the full content
Potential Deep Dives
1) How can we improve pagination consistency and efficiency?
2) How do we achieve low latency (< 200ms) feed requests?
3) How do we ensure articles appear in feeds within 30 minutes of publication?
4) How do we handle media content (images/videos) efficiently?
5) How do we handle traffic spikes during breaking news?
Bonus Deep Dives
6) How can we support category-based news feeds (Sports, Politics, Tech, etc.)?
7) How do we generate personalized feeds based on user reading behavior and preferences?
Final Design
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