How would you design a cupcake ordering system?

Question

sam · Accepted Answer

Frontend (Web/Mobile)
   |
API Gateway / Load Balancer
   |
Backend Microservices:
   - User Service
   - Menu Service
   - Order Service
   - Payment Service
   - Notification Service
   - Admin Service
   |
Databases:
   - Relational DB (Orders, Users)
   - NoSQL (Menu, Inventory)
   |
3rd-Party:
   - Payment Processor (e.g., Stripe)
   - Email/SMS (e.g., Twilio)

sali · Answer

1. Requirements Clarification
Start by clarifying the scope.

Functional Requirements:

Users can browse cupcakes (menu/catalog)

Users can place and track orders

Admins can add/update cupcake inventory

Payment processing (e.g., credit cards)

Notifications (order confirmation, updates)

Non-Functional Requirements:

High availability (especially during peak times)

Scalability to handle spikes (e.g., holidays)

Low-latency UI for browsing and checkout

Security (especially around payments)

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