What Is WhatsApp System Design?

Developed by former Yahoo employees Brian Acton and Jan Koum in 2009, WhatsApp is a messaging platform that enables users to exchange messages, photos, videos and audio recordings. It is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 1.6 billion active users as of 2021.

The system design of WhatsApp involves a client-server architecture where the client is the user’s device and the server is hosted on a remote machine. The client-side code handles GUI activities such as user input, display of messages and notifications from other users.

On the server side, a database stores all user data such as contacts, messages and media files. The server also maintains presence information for each user which indicates whether they are online or offline.

In order to send a message to another user, the client first establishes a connection with the server by providing its credentials. It then sends an encrypted request to the server containing its message along with the recipient’s details. The server verifies that both sender and receiver are registered users then forwards the message to receiver’s device if it is online or stores it in its database if it is offline.

When someone sends a message to an offline user, they receive an immediate confirmation that their message was sent successfully but will not be delivered until the recipient comes online again. This feature allows for real-time communication even when one party is offline.

WhatsApp also offers end-to-end encryption for all messages sent between users which ensures that only intended recipients have access to them. This makes it virtually impossible for anyone other than sender and receiver to read or modify any message sent via WhatsApp.

Conclusion:

The system design of WhatsApp includes both client and server components that enable users to communicate securely in real time regardless of their location or network connection. Its end-to-end encryption ensures privacy while its presence information allows for efficient communication even when one party is offline. With over 1.6 billion active users, WhatsApp has become one of most popular messaging apps in the world today due to its secure messaging system design.