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Amar Nath Gupta
Amar Nath Gupta

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How I Designed the Backend System for a DIGITAL BUSINESS CARD: Popl, Dialo, Mobilo

Introduction

In this blog, we will design the backend system of a DIGITAL BUSINESS CARD and explore how companies like Popl, Dialo, Mobilo, HiHello, etc. build robust, scalable, and powerful systems. These systems handle everything from QR code scanning to lead notifications, leveraging caching and message queuing to provide real-time updates.

Key Features:

βœ… QR Code scanning
βœ… Caching for faster retrieval
βœ… Asynchronous Processing via Message Queue
βœ… Rate limiting & Load Balancing for Performance

High-Level Architecture

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This system follows a modular approach to ensure scalability. Let's break down how different components connect to build an optimized system that serves users efficiently.

πŸ“Œ Client β†’ Sends a request after scanning the QR code
πŸ“Œ API Gateway β†’ Secures the backend with Rate Limiting, Authentication, etc.
πŸ“Œ Web Server β†’ Handles business logic
πŸ“Œ Cache Layer β†’ Stores user data for faster retrieval
πŸ“Œ Database β†’ Stores users and other information
πŸ“Œ Message Queue β†’ Ensures asynchronous updates (e.g., notifying users about leads)
πŸ“Œ Worker β†’ Updates the database and sends lead notifications

System Flow
1️⃣ Client scans QR code, request goes to API Gateway.
2️⃣ API Gateway authenticates & applies rate limiting before forwarding to Web Server.
3️⃣ Business Service processes the request and fetches user data.
4️⃣ If user data is in Cache, return it immediately.
5️⃣ If not found, fetch from Database and update Cache.
6️⃣ Message Queue processes background tasks like updating user DB.
7️⃣ Worker informs users about the scanned user and also update the lead DB.

Is More Scalability & Optimization Possible?
Absolutely! There is always room for improvement. Here are some keywords to think about for further optimization:
πŸš€ Horizontal & Vertical Scaling
πŸš€ Sharding
πŸš€ Advanced Caching Strategies

Conclusion
In this blog, we designed a Digital Business Card backend system, focusing on:
βœ… QR-based tracking
βœ… Caching for performance
βœ… Asynchronous processing using Message Queue & Workers
βœ… A scalable & high-performance architecture

This approach ensures that the system remains efficient, fast, and scalable over time.

How would you optimize this further? Let me know in the comments!

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