Before we dive into the deep end of designing systems, let's get comfortable with the swimming pool – that is, the basic concepts and terms you'll encounter in system design. Think of this as learning the ABCs before writing stories.

Servers: Imagine a server as a big, powerful computer whose job is to serve you information or services. When you open a website, a server is what sends the website's data to your computer.

Databases: These are like giant, organized digital filing cabinets where all the data is kept