CHAPTER 18
Design a Video Streaming Platform
Upload, transcode, package and deliver video to a global audience
Source: PDF p. 55
Core PDF content
| Functional requirements | Non-functional requirements and scale |
|---|---|
| - Upload videos (up to several GB); process automatically - Stream on any device and network, with adaptive quality - Metadata, thumbnails, captions; (search and recommendations are separate systems) | - Playback starts in < 2 s, minimal buffering - Highly available and globally distributed - 500 M DAU watching ~1 h/day; ~500 k uploads/day - Cost-efficient: bandwidth and storage dominate the bill |
| Quantity | Estimate | Design implication |
|---|---|---|
| Concurrent viewers | 500 M x 1 h / 24 h = ~21 M average concurrent | Peak 2-3x higher |
| Egress bandwidth | 21 M x 3 Mbps = ~63 Tbps average | Only feasible with CDNs / ISP-embedded caches |
| Upload ingest | 500 k x ~300 MB = ~150 TB/day raw | Resumable direct-to-object-storage uploads |
| Stored renditions | Each video becomes ~6-10 renditions x several codecs | ~3x raw size or more; tier cold content |
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References
System Design & AI System Design: The Complete Guide — 2026 Edition, p. 55; figures 39.
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