🔗 How to scale a system from 0 to 10 million+ users

Scaling is a complex topic, but after working at big tech on services handling millions of requests and scaling my own startup (AlgoMaster.io) from scratch, I’ve realized that most systems evolve through a surprisingly similar set of stages as they grow.

The key insight is that you should not over-engineer from the start. Start simple, identify bottlenecks, and scale incrementally.

In this article, I’ll walk you through 7 stages of scaling a system from zero to 10 million users and beyond. Each stage addresses the specific bottlenecks that show up at different growth points. You’ll learn what to add, when to add it, why it helps, and the trade-offs involved.

Whether you’re building an app or website, preparing for system design interviews, or just curious about how large-scale systems work, understanding this progression will sharpen they way you think about architecture.

Disclaimer: The user ranges and numbers mentioned in this article are approximate and intended to illustrate a scaling journey. Actual thresholds will vary depending on your product, workload characteristics, and traffic patterns.