API Design and Data Model for Streaming System
Explore different design considerations and learn API design and data models for the streaming system.
APIs and data models are the backbone of any scalable and efficient streaming platform. They define how clients interact with the system, fetch content, and manage user-specific preferences. Designing robust APIs is critical to ensuring smooth playback, accurate recommendations, and seamless user experiences in a system like a video streaming service. This lesson will walk you through essential APIs (covering design decisions that impact the performance) and their data models, covering features such as content search, playback, ratings, and user profiles.
We will explore the following key areas:
Section | What We Covered |
API architectural styles |
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HTTP protocols |
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Data formats |
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Data fetching patterns |
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API endpoints |
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API endpoints: discuss data model, API design, request and response formats |
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Let’s start with architectural styles!
Architectural styles
REST APIs retrieve fixed data structures, often leading to over-fetching (retrieving unnecessary data) or under-fetching (requiring multiple API calls). GraphQL, in contrast, allows the frontend to request only the data it needs, improving efficiency. For example, fetching metadata for a movie in REST will fetch all the data related to the movie, even if we only need the title and cast for adaptive UI rendering. Whereas, in GraphQL, we can only fetch the title and cast.
At first glance, we’d need GraphQL to fetch specific data from different services. However, we can filter the content on the service side while responding to the requests. As backend services handle filtering and optimization, an additional GraphQL layer would add unnecessary complexity.
REST is the better choice for video streaming because it efficiently delivers video content, integrates well with CDNs, and leverages caching for performance optimization. Each backend service (e.g., metadata, recommendations) already handles filtering internally, reducing the need for GraphQL’s flexible querying.
Point to Ponder!
In video streaming, backend services already handle filtering and optimization. What does this involve, and why might it reduce the need for a GraphQL layer?
HTTP protocols
The choice of HTTP protocol plays a vital role in video delivery performance, scalability, and reliability. Our Streaming system adopts a mix of HTTP/2 and HTTP/3, allowing the client and server to negotiate the best available protocol at runtime. HTTP/2 offers strong compatibility and efficient multiplexing, while HTTP/3, built on QUIC, reduces latency and performs better in lossy or mobile networks. This hybrid approach ensures optimal streaming performance across various devices, browsers, and network conditions.
Data formats
For data formats, let’s evaluate the top three ...