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Hello Devs, Software design or System design is one of the trickiest topics to master. You can easily learn a programming language like [Java] or [Python], but creating software using that programming language is a totally different thing.
Similarly, even experienced developers struggle to solve common questions like how to design WhatsApp or YouTube, or answering the difference between API Gateway vs Load Balancer and Horizontal vs Vertical Scaling, Forward proxy vs reverse proxy.
That's where software design and coding skills come to the rescue. It's actually an art to structure your program, design your modules, specify boundaries and interactions with other parts of the system so that they are easier to read, maintain, and flexible to change.
It's one of the most essential skills for a software developer but often gets ignored.
If you look for an online course to learn Software design and architecture, you won't find many, forget about good ones.
At the same time, if you look for courses to learn Java, Python, or JavaScript, you will find tons of classes. That's why we have tons of programmer who knows Java, Python, and JavaScript, but when it comes to software development, system design, coding, and software design,n they often struggle.
When I was preparing for a System Design interview, I did some research and came up with this list of the best Software/System design and Architecture online courses.
You can take these courses to build this powerful skill which will serve life lifelong. Unlike Programming languages, Frameworks, and libraries, this skill also doesn't become outdated in a few years.
Btw, prepare to work hard. Just joining the online course won't be enough as most of people just join the course without actually completing it or doing what the instructor says.
You don't learn when you join an online course; you learn when you work and apply the knowledge you have gained. That's where project-based courses shine. They encourage you to use your experience to solve real-world problems, and you will find a couple of such classes on this list.
11 Best System Design and Software Architecture Courses for Developers
Without wasting any more of your time, here is my list of some of the great, interactive, and fun online courses to learn Software Design and Architecture.
The list includes online courses to learn system design, software architecture, and object-oriented design from Udemy, Coursera, edX, and the Educative platform.
1. Mastering the System Design Interview by Frank Kane (Ex Amazon Hiring Manager)
This is another high-quality course to master the System design topic for coding interviews. In this best System design interview course from Udemy, you will practice working through real-world system design interview questions to learn essential system design concepts and tips.
Here are the key skills you will learn in this 5-hour-long best System design interview course:
- How to choose appropriate algorithms and data structures for system designs
- How to apply horizontal scaling to transactions, data storage, analytics, and databases
- How to structure your interview responses to ensure the best outcomes
- How to approach system design problems from the right angles, and with the right questions.
- How to address the soft skills your interviewer is secretly evaluating you on
- How to work with Big Data, Apache Spark, and Cloud computing.
I am a big fan of Frank Kane's clear voice and the way he explains concepts, which means it was a no-brainer to join this course, and I must say I learned a lot. Even though I already have a fair idea of system design, I learned to see things from another perspective.
The best thing about this course is that you will get insider tips for your system design interview from a former Amazon hiring manager, which is simply amazing, and if that's not enough, and you will also get 6 mock interviews for practice!
If you are preparing for FAANG System design interviews like those asked in Amazon, Facebook, and Netflix, then I highly recommend that you join this course.
Here is the link to join this best System Design Interview course - Mastering the System Design Interview
2. Grokking Modern System Design for Software Engineers & Managers on Educative
This is one of my favorite courses when it comes to learning Software Design or System design. It's actually created to prepare you for the System design interview, but you can also use it to learn how to approach System design in general.
The Grokking Modern System Design for Software Engineers Interview is one of the first courses (or books) that describes the Large Scale Distributed System Design problems in detail. Even if you've worked on Distributed Systems before, there are a lot of things that you can learn from this course.
The authors have created this course to provide you with design choices(including pros and cons) so that you can understand the requirement, compare approaches, and come up with the best solution for the problem at hand.
They are also mindful not to be overwhelmed with the information and provide a solution at a granularity that's appropriate for a 45-minute discussion. This makes the course very interesting. Even if you are not preparing for Coding interviews, I suggest you take this course to improve your System design skills.
Here is the link to join this best System design course - Grokking Modern System Design for Software Engineers
3. System Design Interview -- An insider's guide [ByteByteGo] by Alex Hu
If you are preparing for a System design interview or have done the preparation in the past, then you must have come across System Design Interview -- An insider's guide book by Alex Xu, one of the most popular System design book on Amazon with thousands of reviews and ratings.
While both the part of this book are invaluable resource for learning System design, many people doesn't know that Alex also has a System design course on ByteByteGo, which not only cover all the content of his book but also new tutorials covering popular system design questions like how to design YouTube and How to design WhatsApp chat.
If you are preparing for a System design interview and like Alex Hu's system design book, then I am sure you will love this software design course.
4. System Design Interview Course by Exponent
Many people don't know that Exponent is one of the best websites to go if you are preparing for FAANG interviews. They have helped many people succeed in Amazon and Microsoft PM, TPM, and Software Development Engineer role and they have specialized courses for Amazon, Facebook, and Google.
This is one of such courses where you will learn everything about how to answer System design questions on FAANG interviews. You will learn how to ace the system design interview with in-depth video examples, plus fundamental concepts on must-know topics like authentication, cloud architecture, and reliability.
You will also learn to answer challenging system design questions like Design Twitter, Instagram, Parking lot, design a Web Crawler, and many other popular Software design questions.
Overall, a perfect System design course for engineers, managers, and architects.
But apart from the course, they also provide mock interviews, which is like a real drill as well, 1-to-1 coaching, and interactive discussion on popular interview questions from Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon, and you can join them for just $12 a month now (70% discount).
If you are preparing for System design interviews on FAANG companies, then I highly recommend this course and website to you.
5. Grokking the System Design Interview on Design Guru
This is one of my favorite System design course which was earlier available on Educative, but now its moved exclusively on Designguru.io. This site is created by Arslan Ahmad, a former software engineer @ Facebook, Microsoft, Hulu and a writer.
This course not only give you solutions of popular System design questions like how to design a chat system like WhatsApp or how to design a URL shortener, but also a complete System Design template on how to approach and solve a system design problem.
Apart from that, it's an interactive course where you can practice online right on your browser, and it also has community support, but the best thing I liked about this course is the real case studies on various system design problems. That's the real gem of this course.
It also helped that the creator of this course is someone who has not only worked in FAANG companies but also has a unique opportunity to be a candidate as well as a hiring manager, so not only do they know what to ask, but also how to answer.
In short, it's one of the best places to learn system design, and if you want to crack your system design interview with confidence, you should check out this course. Here is also a nice system design template or cheat sheet you can check out from them
6. Software Design and Architecture Specialization [Coursera]
This is another, well-structured course to learn Software Design and Architecture. It is offered by the University of Alberta and delivered by Kenny Wong.
The specialization contains 5 online courses to teach you object-oriented design, design patterns, software architecture, and Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA).
The specialization also includes a project, and you will be awarded a certificate after completing the course. The best part of this specialization is that you will learn the science behind Software design and architecture.
Once you know the relevant patterns and principles, it will be much easier to communicate your plan with your fellow programmers and stakeholders. You will also gain the ability to critically view software or a piece of code from a design perspective.
7. Pragmatic System Design [Udemy Course]
This is another awesome course to prepare for a System Design interview and learn essential System Design concepts on Udemy. You will learn everything from preparing for system design interviews to architecting real-world systems
This course is also designed in an incremental fashion, which makes learning easier and effective. Initially, you will learn essential concepts and components of system design after that, you will learn a foolproof step-by-step procedure to tackle any system design problem.
All the case studies are given in a comprehensive manner and are designed by following these steps. You will also learn things like how to design scalable systems, fault tolerance, high availability, and modular development.
Here is the link to join this system design course on Udemy - Pragmatic System Design
8. System Design Interview Guide by Sandeep Kaul (Tech Lead @ Facebook)
This is another System Design interview preparation course on Udemy to help you crack your System Design interview. It covers a lot of real-world systems, which can help you understand how some of the biggest systems in the world are designed.
This course is taught by Sandeep Kaul, an Engineer from Facebook who has helped many aspirants crack various FAANG companies. Since Sandeep himself comes from a FAANG company, he knows what it takes to crack System Design interviews from FAANG companies, and it shows in his course as well.
Why is this course helpful?
It covers all of the frequently asked System Design questions and provides you with solutions to them which you can replicate in your interview, for example, how to design Uber, Airbnb, Amazon, WhatsApp, NetFlix, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Zoom, and Google Maps.
It'll help you get a good grasp of various design decisions that you need to make in a System Design interview for example, how to choose the right database for your system.
It also goes over the questions that your interviewer might ask you and how you should answer them.
In short, one of the best System Design courses to master the art of System design and also learn tricks to solve real-world system design questions. This System Design interview course will also help you structure your interview in a way that most interviewers expect and that increases the chances of clearing the interview.
I highly recommend it to all kinds of developers, both beginners and experienced programmers, who want to become software architects.
9. Web Application & Software Architecture 101 [Educative.io]
This is another awesome course to learn about Software Architecture from Educative, an interactive, text-based online learning platform. As the title suggests, this course is a 101 on web application & software architecture. It walks you step by step through different components & concepts involved when designing the architecture of a web application.
You'll learn about various architectural styles such as the client-server, peer-to-peer decentralized architecture, microservices, and the fundamentals of data flow in a web application.
This course is also a great stepping stone to the fundamentals of system design. Knowledge of software architecture will prove to be very valuable for beginner programmers and those who are actively interviewing (especially full-stack developers).
Access to this course comes at no additional cost if you've already purchased an Educative subscription, which is currently available for just $14.99 per month on an annual plan, more than a 75% discount. This will give access to their 1000+ interactive and AI powered courses.
10. Master the Coding Interview: System Design + Architecture on ZTM Academy
If you are looking for a bootcamp-style System Design course to quickly refresh all essential System design concepts, then this course from ZTM Academy is the best one to start with.
This is a comprehensive System Design course that aims to guide aspiring developers in advancing their careers and becoming Senior Software Engineers or Developers at top tech companies.
Taught by industry expert Yihua, who has real-world experience working for major tech companies, this online course offers invaluable insights and insider tips for mastering system design.
The course focuses on developing a mental framework to think like a Senior Software Engineer, enabling students to analyze their work from a system design perspective.
It covers various aspects, including evaluating different components and technologies in web applications, understanding considerations and trade-offs in building applications, and using the right system design and architecture to arrive at optimal solutions.
The goal is to equip students with the skills necessary to ace system design interviews and build exceptional products and applications.
What sets Master the Coding Interview: System Design + Architecture course by Zero to Mastery apart from other system design courses is its emphasis on seeing the bigger picture and executing on it.
It goes beyond low-level coding and encourages students to understand the broader system they are a part of, fostering a deeper comprehension of the "why" behind their work.
By providing a problem-solving framework and practical knowledge gained from Yihua's industry experience, the course empowers students to become better problem solvers and programmers.
Overall, one of the best online courses to not just master System design concepts but also crack coding interviews at top tech companies and also progress to become a senior software engineer.
Here is the link to join this course - Master the Coding Interview: System Design + Architecture
Btw, you would need a [ZTM membership](https://www.java67.com/2019/09/Btw, you would need a ZTM membership to watch this course, which costs around $39 per month but also provides access to many super engaging and useful courses. You can also use the discount code FRIENDS10 to get a 10% discount on any subscription you choose.
11. Software Architecture & Design of Modern Large Scale Systems by Michael
If you are looking for an online course to learn about how to design modern large-scale systems, then this Udemy course is for you. If you want to become a Software Architect or Technical Lead in 2025, then the "Software Architecture & Design of Modern Large Scale Systems" course is a great starting point.
Created by Michael Pogrebinsky, a Java and System design expert and a Software architect, this course is one of the Udemy bestseller and have a stellar rating of 4.7 out of 5 from 5,267 ratings, this course is curated for individuals aspiring to master software architecture, system design, and big data processing.
The course covers critical aspects such as designing large-scale systems capable of handling millions of requests daily, creating highly scalable and available software systems, and applying industry-proven architectural patterns and best practices.
The course includes 7 hours of on-demand video, 9 articles, 1 downloadable resource, and offers accessibility on both mobile and TV platforms, ensuring a flexible and enriching learning experience. Upon completion, you will also receive a certificate, showcasing you newfound expertise.
With 39,902 students already enrolled, I was eager to delve into the comprehensive content created by the instructor, and it didn't disappoint me. This is actually one of the best software architecture courses for experienced developers, and I highly recommend it to all Java programmers.
That's all about some of the best courses to learn about System design and Software architecture. As I have said, investing time and effort in these skills goes a long way in your career and in becoming a better software developer.
They also help you crack coding interviews because object-oriented design and system design are integral to programming job interviews.
If you need some practice, you can also see the codemia.io, which has the biggest collection of System Design problems for practice.
