Database Design Principles: Building Scalable Systems

Database Design Principles: Building Scalable Systems

Database design is a critical skill for backend developers. Poor design leads to performance issues, maintenance nightmares, and scalability problems.

Normalization

Normalize your database to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity. Follow ACID principles carefully.

Indexing Strategy

Strategic indexing dramatically improves query performance. Always profile your queries and index accordingly.

Schema Evolution

Plan for schema changes. Use migrations and versioning to avoid downtime during updates.

Sharding and Partitioning

As your database grows, partition data across servers to maintain performance at scale.

Backup and Recovery

Implement automated backups and test recovery procedures regularly. Don't learn this the hard way.

Connection Pooling

Use connection pooling to reuse database connections efficiently.

-- Example index for common queries
CREATE INDEX idx_user_email ON users(email);
CREATE INDEX idx_posts_author ON posts(author_id, created_at);

Good database design is invisible. Your users won't notice, but they'll feel the speed.