What are the key considerations when designing a system that needs to handle a sudden spike in user traffic?

During my final year, I worked on a college project where we developed an event management app for our university's annual fest. We anticipated a spike in users as students registered for various events. To handle this, we implemented a load balancer that distributed incoming requests across multiple servers. Additionally, we utilized caching for frequently accessed data, like event details, which helped reduce the load on our database. This experience taught me the importance of planning for scalability and ensuring a smooth user experience even when traffic surged.

In my part-time job at a café, we often saw a sudden increase in customers during weekends. To manage this, we developed a system where we could quickly increase the number of staff during peak hours. I also suggested introducing a mobile ordering system, which allowed customers to place orders in advance. This reduced wait times and eased pressure on our staff during busy periods. This experience highlighted the need for flexibility and quick adaptations to changes in user demand.

In my first job at a tech startup, I was part of the team that launched a new e-commerce platform. We were aware of the potential for high traffic during the launch event. To prepare, we set up auto-scaling for our server infrastructure, allowing us to dynamically adjust resources based on real-time traffic. We also established a content delivery network to ensure fast loading times for users accessing our site from different locations. This proactive approach helped us handle the initial surge effectively, resulting in a successful launch.