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System Design of WhatsApp Web
A Beginner-Friendly Guide and Revision Notes
“How would you design WhatsApp Web?”
This is a common question in software engineering interviews, especially for mid-level roles like SDE 2. WhatsApp Web is a remarkable example of building a real-time, secure, and scalable application, requiring deep understanding and clever use of various technologies.
If you’re a beginner and feel overwhelmed, don’t worry! In this article, we’ll walk you through the design step by step, explaining every technical term and concept along the way. By the end, you’ll understand how WhatsApp Web works and feel confident answering related interview questions.
Before we get started, a quick disclaimer: Note that there can be other approaches and alternate design choices. What we cover is only one of the many solutions that can be implemented.
What is WhatsApp Web?
WhatsApp Web is a browser-based version of the WhatsApp messaging app. What makes it unique is that it directly syncs with your phone, and your messages are not stored on a central server. This means your phone and the web app work together like two halves of the same system.
