SSTable Diagram Plan
SSTable Diagram Plan
Goal
Create high-quality architecture and data-flow diagrams for the SSTable blog post.
1. End-to-End Write Path
Purpose
Show how writes move through the WAL, memtable, flush pipeline, and SSTables.
Components
- Client
- WAL
- Memtable
- Flush Process
- SSTable
- Compaction
Flow
Client -> WAL -> Memtable -> Flush -> SSTable -> Compaction
Blog Section
“End-to-End Data Flow”
2. SSTable Internal File Layout
Purpose
Visualize the physical structure of one SSTable.
Components
- Metadata
- Bloom Filter
- Index Summary
- Primary Index
- Data Blocks
Blog Section
“SSTable File Layout”
3. Data Block Structure
Purpose
Show record-level structure inside a block.
Components
- key_length
- value_length
- timestamp
- key bytes
- value bytes
- Prefix compression
- Restart points
Blog Section
“SSTable File Layout”
4. Read Path Lookup Flow
Purpose
Show how a point lookup traverses Bloom filters, indexes, and blocks.
Components
- Memtable
- Immutable Memtable
- Bloom Filter
- Index Summary
- Primary Index
- Data Block
Flow
Lookup -> Bloom Filter -> Index Summary -> Primary Index -> Data Block
Blog Section
“Read Path”
5. Range Scan Merge
Purpose
Visualize K-way merge across SSTables and memtables.
Components
- Memtable Iterator
- SSTable Iterators
- Min Heap
- Output Stream
- Tombstone Filtering
Blog Section
“Range Scans”
6. WAL + Recovery Flow
Purpose
Show crash recovery and WAL replay.
Components
- WAL Segments
- Crash
- Replay
- Memtable Rebuild
- SSTables
Blog Section
“WAL, Flush, and Recovery Semantics”
7. Tombstone Lifecycle
Purpose
Show how deletes propagate through compaction.
Components
- Live Value
- Tombstone
- Compaction
- Tombstone Grace Window
- Final Cleanup
Blog Section
“Deletes, Tombstones, and TTL”
8. Compaction Merge Flow
Purpose
Visualize sorted merge compaction.
Components
- SSTable Inputs
- Merge Iterator
- Conflict Resolution
- New SSTable Outputs
Blog Section
“Compaction Internals”
9. STCS vs LCS
Purpose
Compare size-tiered and leveled compaction.
Components
- STCS Layout
- LCS Levels
- Read Amplification
- Write Amplification
Blog Section
“Compaction Internals”
10. Read / Write / Space Amplification
Purpose
Show tradeoffs between amplification dimensions.
Components
- Read Amplification
- Write Amplification
- Space Amplification
- Tradeoff Arrows
Blog Section
“Read, Write, and Space Amplification”
11. Point Read Worked Example
Purpose
Visualize tombstone shadowing older versions.
Components
- SSTable-5 Tombstone
- SSTable-4 Value
- SSTable-2 Value
- Lookup Flow
Blog Section
“Worked Example”
12. Range Query Worked Example
Purpose
Visualize iterator merge for a range scan.
Components
- Memtable Stream
- SSTable Streams
- Heap Ordering
- Tombstone Suppression
- Final Output
Blog Section
“Worked Example: Range Scan Merge”
13. Operational Failure Modes
Purpose
Show common SSTable production bottlenecks.
Components
- Compaction Debt
- Tombstone Accumulation
- Bloom Filter False Positives
- Write Stalls
- Hot Partitions
Blog Section
“Operational Failure Modes”
Recommended Build Order
- End-to-End Write Path
- Read Path Lookup Flow
- Compaction Merge Flow
- SSTable Internal File Layout
- STCS vs LCS
- Tombstone Lifecycle
- Range Scan Merge
- WAL + Recovery Flow
- Amplification Tradeoffs
- Worked Examples