Hey r/SideProject, I’ve been working on HowItScales, a browser-based tool for exploring system architectures. The idea is to make it easier to follow what happens between a user sending a request and getting a response—and see how increasing traffic affects the components along the way. Right now, it has a simplified Uber architecture and a URL shortener. You can: Play through request flows hop by hop, including the responses coming back. Click components to understand their role and connections. Change traffic patterns and autoscaling settings, then watch queues grow and requests get rejected. Edit a system’s JSON in the playground, preview it, and share it through a link. Each component is labelled as documented, an assumption, or hypothetical. The simulation uses configurable teaching values, so the numbers illustrate behaviour rather than represent company benchmarks. It’s built with Next.js and React Flow, with the simulation running entirely in the browser. Try it: howitscales.dev It’s still early, and I’d especially appreciate feedback on whether the walkthroughs make the architecture easier to understand. Which system would you want to explore next?   submitted by   /u/sparkestine [link]   [comments]