How to design a real-time chat system

Study Talkspan, a chat system design covering realtime delivery and storage with websockets, fan-out, presence, history.

  • Difficulty Intermediate
  • Parts 10
  • Stack websockets, fan-out, presence, history

What you are learning

Talkspan is a chat system design covering realtime delivery and storage. The teaching focus is Chat (websockets, fan-out, presence, history).

Work in order. Early parts set vocabulary and environment; later parts assume the earlier checkpoints.

How to use these lessons

Read the goal, open the matching GitHub folder, complete the lab or exercises, then return for the explanation. If a command fails, check you are in the numbered folder first.

Open the Talkspan GitHub repo →

Parts in order

Each chapter below is one checkpoint in this track.