Scalability
Scalability is a system design concept that refers to the ability of a system, network, or process to handle a growing amount of work or its potential to be enlarged to accommodate that growth. It involves designing applications and infrastructure to efficiently manage increased load, such as more users, data, or transactions, without compromising performance. This can be achieved through horizontal scaling (adding more machines) or vertical scaling (adding more resources to an existing machine).
Developers should learn scalability to build robust applications that can handle growth and maintain performance under varying loads, which is critical for modern web services, cloud applications, and high-traffic platforms. It is essential in scenarios like e-commerce sites during peak sales, social media platforms with millions of users, or data-intensive systems processing large datasets. Understanding scalability helps prevent downtime, slow response times, and ensures a good user experience as demand increases.