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Cloud Native Video-Sharing Platform Architecture Blueprint

Complete Architecture Overview

This Cloud Native Video-Sharing Platform Architecture Blueprint outlines a scalable, secure, and observable cloud-native video-sharing platform. It leverages microservices hosted on a container orchestration platform with containers, orchestrated through a service mesh using sidecar proxies for resilient service-to-service communication. A CDN and API gateway, protected by a web application firewall, handle client access, while object storage, NoSQL database, relational database, and in-memory cache manage video storage, metadata, user data, and caching. Observability is ensured via monitoring, distributed tracing, and audit logging, and security is enforced with identity management, network isolation, and encryption service. The architecture is designed for high availability, low-latency video streaming, and global scalability, supporting a modern video-sharing platform.

The architecture is split into layered diagrams for clarity, ensuring a comprehensive view of a scalable video-sharing platform.
graph TD %% Direction: Top to Bottom classDef client fill:#ffeb3b,stroke:#333; classDef edge fill:#ff9800,stroke:#333; classDef compute fill:#f44336,stroke:#333; classDef mesh fill:#2196f3,stroke:#333; classDef data fill:#4caf50,stroke:#333; classDef observability fill:#9c27b0,stroke:#333; classDef security fill:#673ab7,stroke:#333; classDef cache fill:#ff5722,stroke:#333; Client["Client Apps (Web/Mobile)"]:::client CDN["CDN + WAF"]:::edge API["API Gateway"]:::edge LB["Load Balancer"]:::edge Cluster["Container Cluster"]:::compute Mesh["Service Mesh"]:::mesh Storage["Object Storage + NoSQL + Relational DB"]:::data Cache["In-Memory Cache"]:::cache Observability["Monitoring + Tracing"]:::observability Security["IAM + Network + Encryption"]:::security Audit["Audit Logging"]:::observability Client -->|HTTPS| CDN --> API --> LB --> Cluster Cluster --> Mesh Cluster --> Storage Cluster --> Cache Cluster --> Observability Cluster --> Security API --> Audit linkStyle 0 stroke:#ffeb3b,stroke-width:2.5px,stroke-dasharray:6,6 linkStyle 1,2,3 stroke:#ff9800,stroke-width:2.5px linkStyle 4 stroke:#f44336,stroke-width:2.5px linkStyle 5 stroke:#2196f3,stroke-width:2.5px linkStyle 6,7 stroke:#4caf50,stroke-width:2.5px linkStyle 8 stroke:#9c27b0,stroke-width:2.5px linkStyle 9 stroke:#673ab7,stroke-width:2.5px,stroke-dasharray:4,4
This overview diagram shows the flow from client access to video processing, storage, and observability for a video-sharing platform.

Architecture Principles

1. Layered Isolation

  • Presentation: CDN, Web/Mobile Apps
  • Edge: WAF, API Gateway, Load Balancer
  • Compute: Containerized microservices for video processing
  • Data: Object Storage for videos, NoSQL for metadata, Relational DB for users, In-Memory Cache for caching
  • Observability: Monitoring, Tracing, Audit Logging

2. Service Communication

  • Service Mesh for service routing
  • Sidecar proxies for mTLS
  • Retries and circuit breaking
  • Service discovery integration

3. Security & Compliance

  • Identity management with least-privilege policies
  • Network isolation with private subnets
  • Encryption for data at rest
  • WAF for web protection

Key Performance Metrics

Component Target SLA Latency Throughput
API Gateway 99.95% <50ms 10,000 RPS
Container Cluster 99.9% <100ms 5,000 RPS
In-Memory Cache 99.99% <5ms 20,000 QPS
Object Storage 99.99% <100ms 3,500 PUT/5,500 GET

1. Client Access Architecture

This diagram illustrates the client-side architecture, where Web Apps (React) and Mobile Apps (iOS/SwiftUI, Android/Kotlin) interact with the platform via a CDN and API Gateway. The CDN serves as a global content delivery network, caching video thumbnails and static assets in object storage and executing edge logic with serverless functions for request normalization. Web apps leverage the CDN for low-latency delivery, while mobile apps connect directly to the API Gateway for dynamic APIs like video uploads and metadata retrieval. This layer connects to the API Gateway Architecture (Diagram 2).

graph LR classDef web fill:#4285f4,stroke:#333; classDef mobile fill:#34a853,stroke:#333; classDef cdn fill:#ff6d01,stroke:#333; Web["Web App (React)"]:::web iOS["iOS (SwiftUI)"]:::mobile Android["Android (Kotlin)"]:::mobile CDN["CDN"]:::cdn API["API Gateway"] Web --> CDN --> API iOS --> API Android --> API CDN --> Storage["Object Storage (Thumbnails/Assets)"] CDN --> EdgeFunc["Serverless Functions"] linkStyle 0,1,2 stroke:#ffeb3b,stroke-width:2.5px,stroke-dasharray:6,6 linkStyle 3,4 stroke:#ff6d01,stroke-width:2.5px
The Client Access Architecture ensures low-latency and secure access for web and mobile users of the video-sharing platform.

Key Features

Performance Optimization

  • CDN caching (TTL 1yr for static assets)
  • Adaptive bitrate streaming for videos
  • Code splitting in React
  • Progressive Web App support

Security

  • CSP headers for XSS protection
  • JWT in HttpOnly cookies
  • Certificate pinning (mobile)
  • WAF rules for bot protection
// Sample React API Client for Video Platform
const apiClient = axios.create({
  baseURL: process.env.API_URL,
  timeout: 5000,
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  }
});

apiClient.interceptors.response.use(null, (error) => {
  if (error.config && error.response && error.response.status >= 500) {
    return new Promise((resolve) => {
      setTimeout(() => resolve(apiClient(error.config)), 1000);
    });
  }
  return Promise.reject(error);
});

export const fetchVideo = (videoId) =>
  apiClient.get(`/videos/${videoId}`, {
    headers: {
      'Cache-Control': 'max-age=60, stale-while-revalidate=3600'
    }
  });

export const uploadVideo = (formData) =>
  apiClient.post('/videos/upload', formData, {
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'multipart/form-data'
    }
  });
                

2. API Gateway Architecture

This diagram details the API Gateway layer, which serves as the secure entry point for client requests from the Client Access Architecture (Diagram 1). It integrates with an authorizer function for JWT validation using a user authentication service and an encryption service for secure key management. The gateway routes requests to the Compute Layer (Diagram 3) and is protected by WAF rules to block malicious traffic, such as SQL injection and DDoS attacks.

graph TB classDef gateway fill:#ff9800,stroke:#333; classDef auth fill:#673ab7,stroke:#333; classDef service fill:#2196f3,stroke:#333; Client --> APIGW["API Gateway"]:::gateway APIGW --> Authorizer["Authorizer Function"]:::auth Authorizer --> AuthService["User Authentication Service"] Authorizer --> Encryption["Encryption Service"] APIGW -->|/videos| Compute["Container Cluster"]:::service APIGW --> WAF["WAF Rules"] WAF -->|Block| BadActors["SQLi/DDoS/Bad Bots"] linkStyle 0 stroke:#ffeb3b,stroke-width:2.5px,stroke-dasharray:6,6 linkStyle 1,2,3 stroke:#ff9800,stroke-width:2.5px linkStyle 4 stroke:#2196f3,stroke-width:2.5px linkStyle 5 stroke:#ff9800,stroke-width:2.5px
The API Gateway Architecture provides secure and scalable API management for video uploads and streaming.

Gateway Configuration

Endpoint Throttling Cache TTL Auth
/api/v1/videos 1000 RPS 60s Optional
/api/v1/videos/upload 500 RPS 0s Required
# Example API Gateway Configuration (Pseudo-Code)
api_gateway:
  name: video-platform-api
  description: API Gateway for Video Sharing Platform
  endpoint_configuration:
    type: REGIONAL
  authorizer:
    name: jwt-authorizer
    type: TOKEN
    identity_source: method.request.header.Authorization
    handler: authorizer_function
  waf:
    rules:
      - block_sql_injection
      - block_ddos
      - block_bad_bots
                

3. Compute Layer Architecture

This diagram focuses on the Compute Layer, which hosts microservices on a container orchestration platform with containers. Requests are routed from the API Gateway (Diagram 2) via a load balancer to the cluster. Microservices, such as video processing and metadata management, are auto-scaled based on demand, and a service mesh (Diagram 4) manages service-to-service communication. This layer interacts with the Data Storage (Diagram 5) and Observability/Security (Diagram 6) layers.

graph LR classDef edge fill:#ff9800,stroke:#333; classDef compute fill:#f44336,stroke:#333; classDef mesh fill:#2196f3,stroke:#333; API["API Gateway"]:::edge --> LB["Load Balancer"]:::edge LB --> Cluster["Container Cluster"]:::compute Cluster --> VideoProc["Video Processing Service"]:::compute Cluster --> Meta["Metadata Service"]:::compute VideoProc --> Mesh["Service Mesh"]:::mesh Meta --> Mesh linkStyle 0 stroke:#ff9800,stroke-width:2.5px linkStyle 1 stroke:#f44336,stroke-width:2.5px linkStyle 2,3 stroke:#f44336,stroke-width:2.5px linkStyle 4,5 stroke:#2196f3,stroke-width:2.5px
The Compute Layer ensures scalable and resilient microservice execution for video processing and metadata management.

Container Task Definition

# Example Container Task Definition (Pseudo-Code)
task_definition:
  family: video-processing
  network_mode: vpc
  containers:
    - name: video-app
      image: video-processing:1.0
      ports:
        - container_port: 8080
          protocol: tcp
      essential: true
      logging:
        driver: cloud_logging
        options:
          group: /container/video-processing
          region: us-west-2
          stream_prefix: app
    - name: proxy
      image: service-mesh-proxy:latest
      essential: true
      environment:
        - name: MESH_RESOURCE_NAME
          value: video-processing
      user: non-root
      logging:
        driver: cloud_logging
        options:
          group: /container/video-processing
          region: us-west-2
          stream_prefix: proxy
  compatibility: serverless
  cpu: 1024
  memory: 2048
  execution_role: arn:iam::123456789012:role/taskExecutionRole
  task_role: arn:iam::123456789012:role/taskRole
                

4. Service Mesh Architecture

This diagram details the Service Mesh layer, which uses a service mesh with sidecar proxies to manage service-to-service communication within the Compute Layer (Diagram 3). It supports mTLS, retries, and circuit breaking for resilience and connects to the Data Storage (Diagram 5) and Observability/Security (Diagram 6) layers.

graph LR classDef compute fill:#f44336,stroke:#333; classDef mesh fill:#2196f3,stroke:#333; VideoProc["Video Processing Service"]:::compute --> ProxyA["Sidecar Proxy"]:::mesh Meta["Metadata Service"]:::compute --> ProxyB["Sidecar Proxy"]:::mesh ProxyA --> Mesh["Service Mesh"]:::mesh ProxyB --> Mesh linkStyle 0,1 stroke:#f44336,stroke-width:2.5px linkStyle 2,3 stroke:#2196f3,stroke-width:2.5px
The Service Mesh Architecture ensures resilient and secure communication between video processing and metadata services.

Service Mesh Configuration

# Example Service Mesh Configuration (Pseudo-Code)
service_mesh:
  name: video-platform-mesh
  egress_filter: ALLOW_ALL
  virtual_nodes:
    - name: video-processing
      service_discovery:
        dns:
          hostname: video-processing.default.svc.cluster.local
      listeners:
        - port: 8080
          protocol: http
      backends:
        - virtual_service: metadata.default.svc.cluster.local
    - name: metadata
      service_discovery:
        dns:
          hostname: metadata.default.svc.cluster.local
      listeners:
        - port: 8080
          protocol: http
  virtual_router:
    name: metadata-router
    listeners:
      - port: 8080
        protocol: http
  route:
    name: metadata-route
    http_route:
      match:
        prefix: /
      action:
        weighted_targets:
          - virtual_node: metadata
            weight: 100
      retry_policy:
        max_retries: 3
        per_retry_timeout:
          unit: ms
          value: 2000
        http_retry_events:
          - server-error
                

5. Data Storage Architecture

This diagram focuses on the Data Storage layer, which includes object storage for video storage, NoSQL database for video metadata, relational database for user data, and in-memory cache for caching. The Compute Layer (Diagram 3) interacts with this layer for data persistence and low-latency access, with encryption managed by an encryption service.

graph LR classDef compute fill:#f44336,stroke:#333; classDef data fill:#4caf50,stroke:#333; classDef cache fill:#ff5722,stroke:#333; classDef security fill:#673ab7,stroke:#333; Cluster["Container Cluster"]:::compute --> ObjectStorage["Object Storage (Videos)"]:::data Cluster --> NoSQL["NoSQL DB (Metadata)"]:::data Cluster --> RDB["Relational DB (Users)"]:::data Cluster --> Cache["In-Memory Cache"]:::cache ObjectStorage --> Encryption["Encryption Service"]:::security NoSQL --> Encryption RDB --> Encryption linkStyle 0,1,2,3 stroke:#f44336,stroke-width:2.5px linkStyle 4,5,6 stroke:#673ab7,stroke-width:2.5px
The Data Storage Architecture ensures scalable and secure data persistence for videos, metadata, and user data with caching.

Data Model

-- Relational DB Schema (SQL)
CREATE TABLE users (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
  username VARCHAR(50) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
  email VARCHAR(255) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
  updated_at TIMESTAMP
);

-- NoSQL DB Schema (Pseudo-Code)
table:
  name: VideoMetadata
  key_schema:
    - attribute_name: video_id
      key_type: HASH
    - attribute_name: metadata_type
      key_type: RANGE
  secondary_indexes:
    - index_name: UserVideosIndex
      key_schema:
        - attribute_name: user_id
          key_type: HASH
      projection:
        type: INCLUDE
        non_key_attributes:
          - title
          - upload_date
                

Cache Strategy

Read-Through Cache

  • Cache hit: 5ms response
  • Cache miss: 50ms (DB + warm cache)
  • TTL: 5 minutes (video metadata)
  • TTL: 1 hour (user profiles)

Invalidation Triggers

  • Video uploads
  • Metadata updates
  • Scheduled refreshes
  • User profile changes

6. Observability and Security Architecture

This diagram details the Observability and Security layer, which includes monitoring for metrics and logs, distributed tracing for tracing, and audit logging for auditing. Security is enforced with identity management, network isolation, and an encryption service. The Compute Layer (Diagram 3) integrates with this layer for monitoring and compliance.

graph LR classDef compute fill:#f44336,stroke:#333; classDef observability fill:#9c27b0,stroke:#333; classDef security fill:#673ab7,stroke:#333; Cluster["Container Cluster"]:::compute --> Monitoring["Monitoring"]:::observability Cluster --> Tracing["Distributed Tracing"]:::observability Cluster --> Audit["Audit Logging"]:::observability Cluster --> IAM["Identity Management"]:::security Cluster --> Network["Network Isolation"]:::security Cluster --> Encryption["Encryption Service"]:::security linkStyle 0,1,2 stroke:#9c27b0,stroke-width:2.5px linkStyle 3,4,5 stroke:#673ab7,stroke-width:2.5px
The Observability and Security Architecture ensures comprehensive monitoring and robust protection for the video-sharing platform.

Monitoring Configuration

# Example Monitoring Configuration (Pseudo-Code)
monitoring:
  alarm:
    name: HighCPUUsage
    description: Triggers when container CPU usage exceeds 80%
    metric_name: CPUUtilization
    namespace: ContainerService
    statistic: Average
    period: 300
    evaluation_periods: 2
    threshold: 80
    comparison_operator: GreaterThanThreshold
    dimensions:
      - name: ClusterName
        value: VideoPlatformCluster
    alarm_actions:
      - notification_topic
  notification:
    topic:
      name: VideoPlatformAlerts
                

Security Controls

Access Control

  • Identity management with least-privilege policies
  • Role-based access control
  • Service-linked roles
  • Session management

Network Security

  • Private subnets
  • Security groups
  • Network ACLs
  • WAF rules