Just too good not to share
I didn’t create or have any affiliation with the resources listed here.
This is a curated list of really awesome free material I recommend because they’ve helped me and others level up in system design. All credit goes to the original creators.
Course-like material
158-page PDF by Alex Xu (ByteByteGo)
↳ Free version of Alex Xu’s paid content. Deep, visual, and to the point.
↳ The gold standard GitHub repo — ~300k stars for a reason.
↳ A clean, visual walkthrough of key design concepts. Perfect for beginners.
YouTube channels worth binging
↳ Slick animations explaining all system design concepts.
↳ Mock system design interviews with top-tier structure and feedback.
↳ Deep dives from a former Google engineer. Real-world architecture lessons.
Newsletters & Blogs for ongoing learning (other than this one)
↳ Diagrams + breakdowns.
↳ Bite-sized concepts delivered weekly. Lightweight and practical.
↳ Useful for interview prep and beyond.
↳ Design ideas with examples and mental models.
↳ Covers systems, and high-level design patterns with examples.
Save this. Share it. Revisit often.
Let me know if you’ve got other favorites I should add to this list.
Want more System Design content?
Every week, you'll get a new system design concept, broken down as simple as possible but not simpler.
Free subscribers also get a little bonus:
🎁 The System Design Interview Preparation Cheat Sheet
If you're into visuals, paid subscribers unlock:
→ My Excalidraw system design template – so you have somewhere to start
→ My Excalidraw component library – used in the diagram of this issue
No pressure though. Your support helps me keep writing, and I appreciate it more than you know ❤️