Over the past 15-20 years working in software development, I’ve noticed a common pattern: founders and engineering teams often struggle to identify exactly what type of system they’re building, which can make architectural decisions more challenging than they need to be.
Whether you’re building your first product or scaling an existing one, understanding which category your core system falls into can help with making more informed technical decisions. Here are the eight main categories that come up most frequently, with examples to help you understand where your project might fit.
1. Social Media & Communication Systems
This category fits your project when…
You’re building a platform where users create profiles, connect with others, share content, and interact in real-time. Your users expect to see updates from their network, send messages instantly, or participate in live conversations.
Common Examples: Twitter-like feeds, messaging apps like WhatsApp or Slack, video calling platforms like Zoom, social networks with likes and comments, Discord-style chat rooms, Instagram-style photo sharing
The Core Challenge: Managing real-time interaction at scale while keeping users engaged
From what I’ve observed, the biggest challenges with communication platforms tend to be around message delivery guarantees and maintaining stable connections at scale. These systems typically need to handle real-time interactions reliably without dropping messages or losing connections.
Key Technical Considerations:
- WebSocket connections for real-time communication
- Message queuing and delivery guarantees
- Social graph management and feed algorithms
- Presence and notification systems
2. Content Distribution & Media Systems
This category fits your project when…
Your platform’s main value is delivering video, audio, images, or other media files to users around the world. Performance matters because slow loading kills user experience, and you need to handle everything from viral content spikes to global distribution.
Common Examples: Video streaming like YouTube or Netflix, music platforms like Spotify, image hosting services, live streaming platforms like Twitch, podcast distribution, online learning platforms with video content, news sites with heavy media
The Core Challenge: Delivering rich media globally with consistent performance and managing storage costs
I’ve seen startups burn through their budget because they didn’t plan for media storage and bandwidth costs early on. Planning for smart caching and distribution strategies from the beginning can help avoid these surprises.
Key Technical Considerations:
- Content delivery networks and edge caching
- Video encoding and adaptive streaming
- Storage optimization and archival strategies
- Global content synchronization
3. E-commerce & Marketplace Systems
This category fits your project when…
Users come to your platform to buy, sell, or exchange goods and services. You handle payments, manage inventory, process orders, and coordinate between buyers and sellers. When money is at stake, reliability is non-negotiable.
Common Examples: Online stores like Amazon or Shopify sites, marketplaces like eBay or Etsy, subscription services, food delivery apps like DoorDash, service marketplaces like Upwork, B2B procurement platforms, auction sites
The Core Challenge: Handling transactions, inventory, and complex business logic with zero tolerance for data loss
E-commerce systems can be particularly unforgiving. I’ve seen situations where inventory systems had race conditions that led to overselling products during high-traffic periods. These systems typically need very reliable transaction handling since bugs can directly impact revenue.
Key Technical Considerations:
- Transaction consistency and ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability) properties
- Inventory management and reservation systems
- Payment gateway integration and PCI compliance
- Order state machines and workflow management
4. Search & Discovery Systems
This category fits your project when…
Your users need to find specific information, products, or content from a large dataset. Search is a core feature, not just a nice-to-have. Users judge your platform by how well they can find what they’re looking for.
Common Examples: Google-style search engines, product search on e-commerce sites, job boards like Indeed, real estate search platforms, recipe discovery apps, document search in enterprise tools, code search in development platforms
The Core Challenge: Making vast amounts of data instantly searchable and relevant to each user
Search seems simple until you have millions of records and users expect sub-second responses. I’ve seen companies struggle with their search infrastructure when their database queries started timing out as their catalog grew.
Key Technical Considerations:
- Indexing strategies and search algorithms
- Real-time vs. batch processing for recommendations
- Personalization and machine learning integration
- Query optimization and response time requirements
5. Location-based & On-demand Services
This category fits your project when…
Your app connects people or services in the real world. Location data is central to your business model, and you’re coordinating between users, service providers, and physical logistics in real-time.
Common Examples: Ride-sharing apps like Uber or Lyft, food delivery services, dating apps with location matching, fitness apps with route tracking, field service management, fleet management systems, local service marketplaces
The Core Challenge: Coordinating real-world logistics with digital efficiency while handling constantly changing location data
Location-based systems have unique challenges. I once worked on an Uber-like platform where drivers kept disappearing from the map because we hadn’t properly handled GPS signal loss in urban areas with tall buildings (yeah, it was a long time ago and Uber wasn’t as popular or even available in Brazil just yet).
Key Technical Considerations:
- Geospatial databases and location indexing
- Real-time GPS tracking and map matching
- Dynamic pricing and matching algorithms
- Route optimization and ETA calculations
6. Data Processing & Analytics Systems
This category fits your project when…
Your platform collects large amounts of data and turns it into insights, reports, or automated actions. Users rely on your system to understand trends, track performance, or make data-driven decisions.
Common Examples: Business intelligence dashboards, web analytics platforms like Google Analytics, monitoring tools for DevOps, financial reporting systems, marketing automation platforms, IoT data collection systems, log aggregation tools
The Core Challenge: Processing massive amounts of data in real-time while providing meaningful insights
Data systems often start simple but become complex quickly. Quite often companies struggle with their data pipelines as the volume and variety of data grow, leading to performance bottlenecks and increased latency.
Key Technical Considerations:
- Real-time vs. batch processing architectures
- Data lake and warehouse design
- Stream processing and event-driven architectures
- Visualization and reporting requirements
7. Infrastructure & Platform Systems
This category fits your project when…
Your system provides foundational services that other applications depend on. You’re not building a user-facing product, but rather the plumbing that makes other systems work better, faster, or more securely.
Common Examples: URL shorteners like bit.ly, CDN services, API management platforms, authentication services like Auth0, payment processors like Stripe, cloud storage services, monitoring and logging platforms, container orchestration systems
The Core Challenge: Building rock-solid foundation services that other systems depend on completely
From my experience working with Auth0, infrastructure systems can’t afford much downtime since other applications often depend entirely on these services. These systems usually require a different approach focused on reliability and backward compatibility.
Key Technical Considerations:
- Load balancing and traffic distribution
- Caching strategies and cache invalidation
- Rate limiting and abuse prevention
- Service mesh and microservices communication
8. Collaborative & Productivity Systems
This category fits your project when…
Multiple users work together on shared content, projects, or tasks within your platform. Real-time collaboration is expected, and you need to handle concurrent editing, version control, and complex permission systems.
Common Examples: Document editors like Google Docs, project management tools like Asana, file sharing platforms like Dropbox, team chat with file collaboration, design tools like Figma, code collaboration platforms like GitHub, calendar and scheduling systems
The Core Challenge: Enabling seamless collaboration while maintaining data consistency and handling conflicts
Collaborative systems can be deceptively complex. I’ve worked on projects where real-time collaboration features proved challenging, particularly around merging changes from multiple users without losing data.
Key Technical Considerations:
- Operational transformation for real-time editing
- Conflict resolution and version management
- File storage and synchronization
- Permission systems and access control
Finding Your Category (And What Comes Next)
Most systems don’t fit perfectly into one category or, in other words, are most of the time a mix between categories. For example, your e-commerce platform might also need search capabilities, or your social app might include location features. The key is identifying the boundaries between these categories, understanding the unique challenges each category presents, and determining which aspects are most relevant to your project at what stage.
Once you know what type of system you’re building, you can:
- Research the right architectural patterns for your use case
- Plan for the scaling challenges you’ll actually face
- Make informed technology choices from day one
- Avoid the common pitfalls I’ve seen other companies encounter
If you’re still unsure which category fits your project, or if you’re dealing with scaling challenges in any of these areas, feel free to reach out. Having worked with companies like Auth0 and Mimic on similar challenges, I might be able to help spot potential issues before they become critical problems.
Ready to discuss your specific system design challenges?
Drop me a line at one of the channels listed on my website and let’s talk about what you’re building and how to set it up for long-term success.