Mastering The System Design Interview: Advanced Topics

Master modern Android app architecture, privacy and security in mobile system design interviews at FAANG companies

What you'll learn

Solve advanced mobile system design problems

Have a toolbox of advanced clarifying questions to ask during the interview

Be able to discuss a wide variety of privacy and security-related topics including cryptography, authentication & authorization, local & network data protection

Design apps with modern Android app architecture in mind

Decide between different architectural styles, patterns and modularization strategies

Requirements

Some prior experience in mobile app development (preferably Android) is expected.

Not strictly required, taking the foundational course "Mastering the Android System Design Interview" is a plus

Description

Take your mobile system design interview skills to the next level with this advanced course, building on the foundations laid in "Mastering the Android System Design Interview". If you’ve already mastered the basics, this course is your gateway to make you stand out in challenging and advanced system design topics — privacy, security, and modern Android app architecture — to ace your interviews at FAANG companies like Google, Apple, and beyond.Led by Stefan, a seasoned Tech Lead from a Google Developer Agency, this course is built with over a decade of hands-on experience designing and developing Android, iOS, and multiplatform apps. Having successfully navigated system design interviews himself, Stefan understands the challenges and will share his expertise, practical tips, and interview-tested strategies to set you apart.Mobile system design interviews are notoriously tough, with privacy and security being some of the least understood yet often critical areas. Additionally, modern Android app architecture requires a deep understanding of patterns, different architectural styles, and best practices to build scalable, maintainable apps. This course is specifically designed to address these gaps, giving you a competitive edge in your interviews. Despite the course being especially targeted at Android, many concepts are also applicable to iOS.Over 20 hours of on-demand video content will cover what you need to know for your mobile system design interview:Clean Code Principles: Apply DRY and SOLID principles to create codebases that are maintainable and easy to scale.Architecture Patterns: Master MVC, MVP, and MVVM, and learn how to choose the best approach for your app’s complexity and development team.Clean vs. Layered Architecture: Learn how Clean Architecture focuses on the independence of business logic from frameworks, while Layered Architecture emphasizes logical separation into data, domain, and UI layers.Android Architecture Components: Streamline your system design with ViewModel, LiveData, Flow, Room, DataStore, WorkManager, and other essential libraries.Seamless Navigation: Simplify complex app flows using the Android navigation component.Dependency Injection (DI): Leverage frameworks like Dagger, Hilt, Kodein, or Koin to make your code cleaner, more modular, and easier to test.Mastering Modularization: Break down complex codebases into feature-based and/or layer-based modules for better scalability based on the principles of component cohesion and component coupling.Android Privacy Fundamentals: Explore essential topics like permissions, location handling, data, transparency & control, app hibernation, and the Privacy Sandbox.Cryptography: Understand symmetric cryptography, asymmetric cryptography, and hashing. Learn when to use each technique effectively.Local Data Protection: Learn how to safeguard sensitive data stored on devices using encryption and secure storage solutions.Network Data Protection: Explore strategies for securing data in transit, including SSL/TLS, certificate pinning, certificate transparency, and Android's network security configuration.Authentication & Authorization: Implement secure user authentication based on standards like OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect, and session management.Practical tips & tricks: Get additional tips & tricks, and a toolbox of clarifying questions to ask to tackle system design questions related to app architecture, privacy, and security.Hands-On Learning: Practice solving architectural, and privacy & security challenges through 2 extensive mock interviews from requirements definition to high-level and detailed designs.

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Introduction

Lecture 2 Course Overview: Modern Android App Architecture

Lecture 3 Course Overview: Privacy & Security

Lecture 4 Download your slides

Lecture 5 Course demo code on github

Section 2: Clean Code: System Design Principles

Lecture 6 Clean Code

Lecture 7 Clean Code: Overview

Lecture 8 Clean Code: Goals

Lecture 9 KISS

Lecture 10 YAGNI

Lecture 11 DRY

Lecture 12 SOLID

Lecture 13 SOLID: Single Responsibility Principle

Lecture 14 SOLID: Open/Closed Principle

Lecture 15 SOLID: Liskov Substitution Principle

Lecture 16 SOLID: Interface Segregation Principle

Lecture 17 SOLID: Dependency Inversion Principle

Lecture 18 Clean Code: Demo Code

Lecture 19 DRY: Demo

Lecture 20 Single Responsibility Principle: Demo

Lecture 21 Open/Closed Principle: Demo

Lecture 22 Liskov Substitution Principle: Demo

Lecture 23 Interface Segregation Principle: Demo

Lecture 24 Dependency Inversion Principle: Demo

Section 3: Architectural Patterns

Lecture 25 Architectural Patterns

Lecture 26 Architectural Patterns: Overview

Lecture 27 MVC: Model-View-Controller

Lecture 28 MVC: Demo Code

Lecture 29 MVC: Demo

Lecture 30 MVP: Model-View-Presenter

Lecture 31 MVP: Demo Code

Lecture 32 MVP: Demo

Lecture 33 MVVM: Model-View-ViewModel

Lecture 34 MVVM: Demo Code

Lecture 35 MVVM: Demo

Lecture 36 Comparison: MVC vs. MVP vs. MVVP

Section 4: Clean Architecture

Lecture 37 Clean Architecture

Lecture 38 Clean Architecture: Overview

Lecture 39 Clean Architecture: Goals

Lecture 40 Clean Architecture: Strategies

Lecture 41 Clean Architecture: Components

Lecture 42 Clean Architecture: Demo Code

Lecture 43 Clean Architecture: Demo

Section 5: Layered Architecture

Lecture 44 Layered Architecture

Lecture 45 Layered Architecture: Overview

Lecture 46 Architectural Principles & Best Practices

Lecture 47 Recommended App Architecture

Lecture 48 Unidirectional Data Flow

Lecture 49 Layered Architecture: UI Layer

Lecture 50 UI State Production Pipeline

Lecture 51 Exposing UI State

Lecture 52 Consuming UI State

Lecture 53 Layered Architecture: Data Layer

Lecture 54 Repositories: Advanced Topics

Lecture 55 Build Offline First

Lecture 56 Layered Architecture: Domain Layer

Lecture 57 Layered Architecture vs. Clean Architecture

Lecture 58 Layered Architecture: Demo Code

Lecture 59 Demo: Intro

Lecture 60 Demo: Layered Architecture Outline

Lecture 61 Demo: Layered Architecture Structure

Lecture 62 Demo: UI & Domain Layer

Lecture 63 Demo: Data Layer

Lecture 64 Demo: Sum Up

Section 6: Android Architecture Components

Lecture 65 Android Architecture Components

Lecture 66 Android Architecture Components: Overview

Lecture 67 View Binding

Lecture 68 Data Binding

Lecture 69 Data Binding: Advanced Topics

Lecture 70 Lifecycle-Aware Components: Lifecycle API

Lecture 71 Lifecycle API: Demo Code

Lecture 72 Demo: Lifecycle API

Lecture 73 UI Layer Libraries: ViewModel

Lecture 74 ViewModel: SavedStateHandle

Lecture 75 Saving UI State

Lecture 76 ViewModel: Best Practices

Lecture 77 Demo: ViewModel

Lecture 78 UI Layer Libraries: LiveData

Lecture 79 LiveData vs. Kotlin Flows

Lecture 80 UI Layer Libraries: Coroutines

Lecture 81 Demo: Coroutines

Lecture 82 Data Layer Libraries: SharedPreferences & Jetpack DataStore

Lecture 83 Data Layer Libraries: Room

Lecture 84 Data Layer Libraries: WorkManager

Lecture 85 WorkManager: Advanced Topics

Lecture 86 Demo: WorkManager

Lecture 87 Multi-Layer Libraries: Paging Library

Lecture 88 Paging Library: Demo Code

Lecture 89 Demo: Paging Library

Section 7: App Navigation

Lecture 90 App Navigation

Lecture 91 App Navigation: Overview

Lecture 92 Principles of Navigation

Lecture 93 Navigation Component

Lecture 94 Navigation Controller

Lecture 95 Destination Types

Lecture 96 Back Stack

Lecture 97 Navigation Graph: Overview

Lecture 98 Navigation Graph: Nested Graphs

Lecture 99 Navigation Graph: Deep Links

Lecture 100 Navigation Graph: Type-Safe Navigation

Lecture 101 Navigation Component: Integrations

Lecture 102 Navigation: Demo Code

Lecture 103 Demo: Navigation Component

Section 8: Dependency Injection

Lecture 104 Dependency Injection

Lecture 105 Dependency Injection: Overview

Lecture 106 Dependency Injection: Intro

Lecture 107 Service Locator

Lecture 108 Comparison of Frameworks

Lecture 109 Comparison of Frameworks: Dagger

Lecture 110 Comparison of Frameworks: Hilt

Lecture 111 Comparison of Frameworks: Koin

Lecture 112 Comparison of Frameworks: Kodein

Lecture 113 Comparison of Frameworks: Sum Up

Lecture 114 Dependency Injection: Demo Code

Lecture 115 Demo: Hilt & Kodein

Section 9: Modularization

Lecture 116 Modularization

Lecture 117 Modularization: Overview

Lecture 118 Principles of Component Cohesion

Lecture 119 Principles of Component Coupling

Lecture 120 Multimodule Projects

Lecture 121 Types of Modules

Lecture 122 Modularization Strategies

Lecture 123 Architecture by Layer: Demo Code

Lecture 124 Modularization Demo: App Module

Lecture 125 Demo: Architecture by Layer

Lecture 126 Architecture by Feature: Demo Code

Lecture 127 Demo: Architecture by Feature

Section 10: Mid Course Wrap Up

Lecture 128 Recap & Outlook

Lecture 129 Privacy & Security: Overview

Section 11: Permissions

Lecture 130 Permissions

Lecture 131 Permissions: Overview

Lecture 132 Permissions Intro

Lecture 133 Workflow

Lecture 134 Demo: Permissions

Lecture 135 Special Permissions

Lecture 136 Permissions Best Practices

Lecture 137 Request Minimization

Lecture 138 Demo: Request Minimization

Lecture 139 Prominent Disclosure & Consent

Section 12: Location

Lecture 140 Location

Lecture 141 Location: Overview

Lecture 142 Location Intro

Lecture 143 Background Location

Lecture 144 Location Permission Best Practices

Lecture 145 Location Usage Minimization

Lecture 146 Demo: Location

Section 13: Data Privacy

Lecture 147 Data

Lecture 148 Data: Overview

Lecture 149 Package Visibility

Lecture 150 Package Visibility Use Cases

Lecture 151 Scoped Storage

Lecture 152 Unique Identifiers

Lecture 153 Unique Identifiers Use Cases

Section 14: Transparency & Control

Lecture 154 Transparency & Control

Lecture 155 Transparency & Control: Overview

Lecture 156 Data Access Auditing

Lecture 157 Demo: Data Access Auditing

Lecture 158 Data Safety

Lecture 159 Demo: Data Safety

Lecture 160 Privacy UI Elements

Lecture 161 Demo: Privacy UI Elements

Section 15: App Hibernation

Lecture 162 App Hibernation

Section 16: Privacy Sandbox

Lecture 163 Privacy Sandbox

Lecture 164 Privacy Sandbox: Overview

Lecture 165 SDK Runtime

Lecture 166 Privacy-Preserving APIs

Section 17: Android Security Concepts

Lecture 167 Android Security Concepts

Lecture 168 Android Security Concepts: Overview

Lecture 169 Android Security Intro

Lecture 170 Kernel Security: Linux Kernel

Lecture 171 Kernel Security: App Sandbox

Lecture 172 Kernel Security: SELinux

Lecture 173 Kernel Security: Verified Boot

Lecture 174 Kernel Security: Rooting

Lecture 175 Kernel Security: User Security

Lecture 176 Kernel Security: Additional Concepts

Lecture 177 App Security: Permissions

Lecture 178 App Security: IPC

Lecture 179 App Security: Signing

Lecture 180 App Security: Additional Concepts

Section 18: Secure Storage

Lecture 181 Secure Storage

Lecture 182 Secure Storage: Overview

Lecture 183 Trusty TEE

Lecture 184 Secure Element

Lecture 185 KeyStore

Lecture 186 Secure Storage: Authentication

Lecture 187 Secure Storage Applications

Section 19: Symmetric Cryptography

Lecture 188 Symmetric Cryptography

Lecture 189 Symmetric Cryptography: Overview

Lecture 190 Cryptography: Intro

Lecture 191 Symmetric Cryptography

Lecture 192 Modes of Operation

Lecture 193 Modes of Operation: ECB

Lecture 194 Modes of Operation: CBC

Lecture 195 Modes of Operation: CFB

Lecture 196 Modes of Operation: OFB

Lecture 197 Modes of Operation: CTR

Lecture 198 Data Encryption Standard (DES)

Lecture 199 Data Encryption Standard: Walkthrough

Lecture 200 Demo: Data Encryption Standard

Lecture 201 Cracking Data Encryption Standard

Lecture 202 Triple DES (3DES)

Lecture 203 Demo: Triple DES

Lecture 204 Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

Lecture 205 AES: Walkthrough

Lecture 206 Demo: Advanced Encryption Standard

Lecture 207 Cracking Advanced Encryption Standard

Section 20: Asymmetric Cryptography

Lecture 208 Asymmetric Cryptography

Lecture 209 Asymmetric Cryptography: Overview

Lecture 210 Asymmetric Cryptography Intro

Lecture 211 Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange

Lecture 212 Example: Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange

Lecture 213 Demo: Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange

Lecture 214 Cracking Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange

Lecture 215 RSA

Lecture 216 Example: RSA

Lecture 217 Demo: RSA

Lecture 218 Cracking RSA

Lecture 219 Elliptic Curve Cryptography

Lecture 220 Elliptic Curve Cryptography: Diffie-Hellman Algorithm

Lecture 221 Elliptic Curve Cryptography: Digital Signature Algorithm

Lecture 222 Demo: Elliptic Curve Cryptography

Lecture 223 ECC vs. RSA

Lecture 224 Cracking Elliptic Curve Cryptography

Lecture 225 Android KeyStore System

Lecture 226 Demo: Android KeyStore System

Section 21: Hashing

Lecture 227 Hashing

Lecture 228 Hashing: Overview

Lecture 229 Hashing: Intro

Lecture 230 MD5

Lecture 231 SHA-1

Lecture 232 SHA-1 vs. SHA-2 vs. SHA-3

Lecture 233 SHA-2 Adoptions

Lecture 234 SHA-3

Lecture 235 Demo: Hashing

Lecture 236 HMAC

Lecture 237 Demo: HMAC

Section 22: Local Data Protection

Lecture 238 Local Data Protection

Lecture 239 Local Data Protection: Overview

Lecture 240 Storage Types: File System Storage

Lecture 241 Media Permissions: Android 13 & 14

Lecture 242 Demo: Media Permissions

Lecture 243 Storage Types: SharedPreferences & DataStore

Lecture 244 Storage Types: SQL & NoSQL Databases

Lecture 245 Jetpack Security: Intro

Lecture 246 Jetpack Security: MasterKey

Lecture 247 Modes of Operation: Galois Counter Mode

Lecture 248 Demo: MasterKey

Lecture 249 Jetpack Security: EncryptedFile

Lecture 250 Demo: EncryptedFile

Lecture 251 Jetpack Security: EncryptedSharedPreferences

Lecture 252 AES256-SIV-CMAC

Lecture 253 Demo: EncryptedSharedPreferences

Lecture 254 Securing DataStore

Lecture 255 SQL Databases: Passcode-based Encryption

Lecture 256 NoSQL Databases: Security Considerations

Section 23: Network Data Protection

Lecture 257 Network Data Protection

Lecture 258 Network Data Protection: Overview

Lecture 259 Public Key Infrastructure

Lecture 260 Transport Layer Security (TLS)

Lecture 261 Certificate Pinning

Lecture 262 Certificate Transparency

Lecture 263 Demo: Certificate Transparency

Lecture 264 Certificate Revocation

Lecture 265 Network Security Config

Lecture 266 Demo: Network Security Config

Section 24: Authentication & Authorization

Lecture 267 Authentication & Authorization

Lecture 268 Authentication & Authorization: Overview

Lecture 269 Authentication vs. Authorization

Lecture 270 Biometric Authentication

Lecture 271 Demo: Biometric Authentication

Lecture 272 User Authentication: Authentication Methods

Lecture 273 Credential Manager

Lecture 274 WebAuthn

Lecture 275 Demo: Credential Manager

Lecture 276 OAuth 2.0

Lecture 277 OAuth 2.0: Google OAuth 2.0 for Mobile

Lecture 278 Demo: OAuth 2.0

Lecture 279 Refresh Token

Lecture 280 OpenID Connect

Lecture 281 JSON Web Token (JWT)

Lecture 282 ID Token

Lecture 283 OpenID Connect: Google Identity Services

Lecture 284 Single Sign-on (SSO)

Lecture 285 APIs: Basic Authentication

Lecture 286 APIs: API Keys

Lecture 287 APIs: OAuth 2.0

Lecture 288 APIs: JWT

Section 25: Interview Strategies

Lecture 289 Interview Strategies: Intro

Lecture 290 Interview Process & Timing

Lecture 291 Getting to Know, Question & Define Task

Lecture 292 Ask Clarifying Questions: Context

Lecture 293 Ask Clarifying Questions: Architectural Patterns

Lecture 294 Ask Clarifying Questions: Clean Architecture

Lecture 295 Ask Clarifying Questions: Layered Architecture

Lecture 296 Ask Clarifying Questions: Android Architecture Components

Lecture 297 Ask Clarifying Questions: Navigation

Lecture 298 Ask Clarifying Questions: Modularization

Lecture 299 Ask Clarifying Questions: Permissions

Lecture 300 Ask Clarifying Questions: Location

Lecture 301 Ask Clarifying Questions: Data

Lecture 302 Ask Clarifying Questions: Transparency & Control

Lecture 303 Ask Clarifying Questions: Privacy - Additional Topics

Lecture 304 Ask Clarifying Questions: Android Security Concepts

Lecture 305 Ask Clarifying Questions: Secure Storage

Lecture 306 Ask Clarifying Questions: Cryptography

Lecture 307 Ask Clarifying Questions: Local Data Protection

Lecture 308 Ask Clarifying Questions: Network Data Protection

Lecture 309 Ask Clarifying Questions: Authentication & Authorization

Section 26: Mock Interviews

Lecture 310 Mock Interviews: Intro

Lecture 311 Social Media App: Q&A

Lecture 312 Social Media App: Requirements

Lecture 313 Social Media App: Try it Yourself

Lecture 314 Social Media App: High Level Design

Lecture 315 Social Media App: News Feed Module

Lecture 316 Social Media App: Android Architecture Components

Lecture 317 Social Media App: Recap

Lecture 318 Banking App: Q&A

Lecture 319 Banking App: Requirements

Lecture 320 Banking App: Try it Yourself

Lecture 321 Banking App: High Level Design

Lecture 322 Banking App: Network Data Protection

Lecture 323 Banking App: Authentication & Authorization

Lecture 324 Banking App: Recap

Section 27: Google I/O 2023: Additions

Lecture 325 Google I/O 2023: Privacy & Security Updates

Section 28: Google I/O 2024 Additions

Lecture 326 Google I/O 2024

Lecture 327 Google I/O 2024 Additions: Overview

Lecture 328 Google I/O 2024: Privacy Sandbox

Lecture 329 Checks

Lecture 330 What's new in Android Security?

Lecture 331 What's new in Credential Manager?

Section 29: Recap

Lecture 332 Course Recap

Android or iOS app developers preparing for interviews at top tech companies,Developers that want to learn about mobile privacy and security concepts, and modern Android app architecture