Develop the technical foundation to design and implement scalable, interconnected cloud systems. In this course, you’ll explore distributed architectures and web service design that power today’s high-performance applications. Through hands-on lessons, you’ll learn how distributed systems manage computation, storage, and communication across multiple machines, and how RESTful APIs enable seamless data exchange between services. You’ll also gain experience deploying applications using virtualization and cloud storage technologies.
Distributed Systems and Web Services
Distributed Systems and Web Services
This course is part of Cloud Computing for Data Science Specialization
Instructor: Dmitriy Babichenko
Included with
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Intermediate level
Recommended experience
2 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Build toward a degree
What you'll learn
Analyze key architectural styles in distributed systems and their scalability trade-offs.
Design and implement RESTful web services for reliable system communication.
Deploy and manage containerized applications using Docker in virtualized environments.
Integrate cloud storage and distributed data systems for scalable application design.
Skills you'll gain
- Cloud Computing Architecture
- Virtualization
- Cloud Infrastructure
- Computer Architecture
- Software Architecture
- Scalability
- Distributed Computing
- Web Services
- Cloud Storage
- Restful API
- Extensible Markup Language (XML)
- Docker (Software)
- API Design
- JSON
- Google Cloud Platform
- Flask (Web Framework)
- Containerization
- Cloud Computing
- Microservices
- Cloud Applications
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Details to know
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Recently updated!
February 2026
Assessments
19 assignments
Taught in English
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This course is part of the Cloud Computing for Data Science Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
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There are 5 modules in this course
In this module, you'll explore key architectural styles used in distributed systems, including client-server, peer-to-peer, layered, and microservices models. Through real-world case studies like Instagram, BitTorrent, Netflix, and Uber, you'll examine how each style supports scalability, performance, and system flexibility. By the end, you'll understand how architectural decisions shape the design and behavior of distributed applications.
What's included
6 videos5 readings3 assignments
In this module, you'll learn how web services enable communication across the internet using HTTP, data formats like JSON and XML, and RESTful architecture. Through real-world use cases and guided code reviews, you'll explore the request/response model, how synchronous and asynchronous requests work, and how APIs are designed and integrated into cloud-based applications. By the end, you'll understand how modern web services are structured, accessed, and integrated into cloud-based applications.
What's included
4 videos7 readings4 assignments
In this module, you'll take a hands-on approach to implementing RESTful web services using Flask. You’ll set up a basic Flask application, implement routing and HTTP methods, and manage static content and templates. Through interactive tutorials, code reviews, and an implementation assignment, you’ll learn how to design, structure, and debug lightweight RESTful APIs that are ready for deployment in cloud environments.
What's included
5 videos9 readings3 assignments
In this module, you'll examine how virtualization contributes to the foundation of cloud computing by enabling flexible, scalable infrastructure. You'll explore key technologies such as software-defined networking, software-defined storage, and containerization with Docker. Through hands-on activities, you'll learn how to deploy cloud-native applications using Docker and Flask-based RESTful APIs.
What's included
6 videos2 readings4 assignments
This module introduces you to the fundamentals of cloud storage, including key storage types, underlying systems, and distributed architectures. Through case studies, quizzes, and practice activities using Google Cloud and RESTful APIs, you’ll gain practical experience with block storage, object storage, and distributed file systems.
What's included
5 videos5 readings5 assignments
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.
Build toward a degree
This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Pittsburgh. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹
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