Cover the basics and learn how to design and develop distributed systems.

Become a Distributed Systems Professional

Gone are the days when monolithic applications were the norm. Most applications we use today are too complex for that type of construction. Instead, most applications that appear as a single unit are actually built as a collection of inter-operating but independent computational components. Developers are expected to have mastery over a programming language or two. Moreover, they should also know the basics of distributed systems.

In this module, we’ll learn what distributed systems are, and learn about the challenges unique to distributed systems. We’ll cover popular architectural patterns for achieving targets like replication and sharding. We’ll complete the module with a study of two popular distributed systems: Apache Spark and Apache Druid. With the knowledge gained through this module, we’ll be able to design and develop distributed systems. We’ll also develop an understanding of optimal design and architectural choices based on the application requirements.

Introduction to Distributed Systems for Dummies

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the “Introduction to Distributed Systems for Dummies” module.

## Summary
In this module, we covered the basics of distributed systems. The primary focus of this module was on the need for distributed systems and the challenges related to storage, communication, and processing. The module started by discussing the benefits of using distributed systems in terms of fault tolerance, reliability, availability, scalability, load balancing, and maintainability. Moving ahead, we covered architectural patterns for achieving targets like replication, data partitioning, consistency, sharding, and communication. In the latter half of the module, we discussed case studies of two popular distributed systems (Apache Spark and Apache Druid) to understand how to design and develop distributed systems vividly.

## What's next?

Now that we are familiar with the basics of distributed systems, it’s time to learn the basic algorithms and protocols of distributed systems, which we’ll cover in the next module, “Distributed Systems for Practitioners.”

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the “Introduction to Distributed Systems for Dummies” module.

# Summary
In this module, we covered the basics of distributed systems. The primary focus of this module was on the need for distributed systems and the challenges related to storage, communication, and processing. The module started by discussing the benefits of using distributed systems in terms of fault tolerance, reliability, availability, scalability, load balancing, and maintainability. Moving ahead, we covered architectural patterns for achieving targets like replication, data partitioning, consistency, sharding, and communication. In the latter half of the module, we discussed case studies of two popular distributed systems (Apache Spark and Apache Druid) to understand how to design and develop distributed systems vividly.

# What's next?

Now that we are familiar with the basics of distributed systems, it’s time to learn the basic algorithms and protocols of distributed systems, which we’ll cover in the next module, “Distributed Systems for Practitioners.”

Here’s a quick summary of what we learned from the “Introduction to Distributed Systems for Dummies” module.

Final Remarks

Summary