What steps would you take to create a flight booking app?

Question Analysis

The question is asking you to outline the steps involved in designing a flight booking application. This is a system design question, which requires you to consider various aspects of software and system architecture. You should address both the functional requirements (what the app should do) and the non-functional requirements (how the app should perform). You need to think about different components of the system, such as user interfaces, back-end services, databases, and external integrations (like airline APIs). Additionally, considerations around scalability, reliability, and security are essential.

Answer

To design a flight booking app, follow these steps:

1. Requirements Gathering:

   • Functional Requirements:
     • User registration and authentication
     • Flight search with filters (e.g., date, destination, airline)
     • Flight booking and payment processing
     • Booking management (view, modify, cancel bookings)
     • User notifications (email, SMS)
     • Customer support interface
   • Non-functional Requirements:
     • Scalability to handle high user traffic
     • High availability and reliability
     • Fast response times
     • Security for user data and transactions

2. System Architecture:

   • Client-Side:
     • Mobile app or web interface for users to interact with the system.
   • Server-Side:
     • RESTful API to handle client requests.
     • Services for user management, flight search, booking management, and notifications.
   • Database:
     • A relational database (e.g., PostgreSQL) for structured data like user profiles and bookings.
     • A NoSQL database (e.g., MongoDB) for flexible data like search results cache.
   • External Integrations:
     • Airline APIs for real-time flight data.
     • Payment gateways for processing transactions.

3. Data Flow Design:

   • User Interaction:
     • User logs in and searches for flights.
     • System queries airline APIs for available flights.
     • User selects a flight and proceeds with booking.
     • Payment is processed, and booking details are stored in the database.
     • Confirmation is sent to the user.

4. Scalability and Reliability:

   • Use load balancers to distribute traffic.
   • Implement auto-scaling for server instances.
   • Use caching strategies (e.g., Redis) to reduce database load.
   • Set up a content delivery network (CDN) for static assets.

5. Security Measures:

   • Encrypt user data and use HTTPS for secure data transmission.
   • Implement authentication and authorization protocols (e.g., OAuth2).
   • Regularly update and patch all components to protect against vulnerabilities.

6. Monitoring and Maintenance:

   • Set up logging and monitoring tools (e.g., ELK stack, Prometheus) for real-time insights.
   • Implement alerting mechanisms for issue detection.
   • Regularly perform backups and disaster recovery drills.

By following these steps, you can create a robust, scalable, and user-friendly flight booking app that meets both user needs and business goals.