Design a Video Streaming Platform (YouTube / Netflix)
Stream video at scale: Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (HLS / DASH), Video chunking, Asynchronous DAG transcoding pipelines, and CDN edge video caching.
01.1. Functional & Non-Functional Requirements
A Global Video Streaming Platform allows creators to upload massive video master files and delivers seamless, buffer-free playback to millions of concurrent viewers across variable network conditions (Wi-Fi, 4G, 5G, Smart TVs).
Functional Requirements
- Video Upload: Creators can upload large video files (
> 10 GB, up to 4K/8K resolution) with resume-on-disconnect support. - Video Transcoding: Automatically transcode raw videos into multiple resolutions (4K, 1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p) and codecs (H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, AV1, VP9).
- Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABR): Automatically adjust video quality in real time based on the viewer's network bandwidth and device CPU without video stutter.
- Metadata & Search: Store video titles, descriptions, view counts, comments, and recommendations.
Non-Functional Requirements
- Zero Buffering Latency: Start video playback in
< 1 second(p99 time-to-first-frame). - Massive Ingress & Egress Scale: Stream petabits of video data globally while offloading
> 99\%of bandwidth from origin cloud servers. - High Availability & Durability:
99.999\%availability for video playback. Uploaded master videos must be durably stored.
Video Ingestion, Transcoding & Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (HLS/DASH) 🎬
Video Ingestion, Transcoding & Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (HLS/DASH) 🎬
Deconstructing master videos into 6-second chunks across 5 bitrates, indexed by master.m3u8 playlists, and cached globally at ISP edge CDNs.
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