leaderboard

Design real-time leaderboards with Redis ZSETs for top-K and rank queries.

Updated Jun 5, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/hung-phan/system-skills --skill leaderboard-hung-phan
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: leaderboard
Source: https://github.com/hung-phan/system-skills/tree/main/skills/system-review/references/interview-templates/leaderboard
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/hung-phan/system-skills --skill leaderboard-hung-phan

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes scripts (resource) and references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

This Skill addresses the complex challenge of creating a scalable, real-time leaderboard system for millions of users with top-K queries, "around me" rank lookups, and per-time-window scoring.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Real-time Leaderboard: Provides an order-statistic tree data structure (e.g., Redis ZSET) for efficient top-K, rank, and "around me" queries.
  • Scalability: Handles high write and query volumes through sharding and efficient data structures.
  • Time Windows: Manages different time windows (daily, weekly, all-time) for leaderboard scoring.
  • Use Case: Suitable for game design interviews or as a technical solution for building real-time leaderboards in games and social media platforms.

Quick Start

Design a leaderboard for a game using the provided Redis ZSET strategy and include a timestamp-based tiebreaker for scores.

Frequently Asked Questions about leaderboard

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I design a real-time leaderboard system for millions of users?

Design a real-time leaderboard system using order-statistic trees like Redis ZSETs to support top-K queries, rank-of-user lookups, and around-me rank lookups. Sharding and write batching handle high volumes for millions of users.

How does Redis ZSET handle around-me rank lookups and top-K queries?

Redis ZSET provides an order-statistic tree data structure enabling efficient top-K queries, rank-of-user lookups, and around-me rank lookups. Timestamp-based tiebreakers manage score precision within these sorted sets.

What is the best way to scale real-time leaderboards for high write volumes?

Scale real-time leaderboards by applying data sharding and write batching strategies to distribute the load. Using efficient data structures like Redis ZSETs ensures query performance under high write and query volumes.

How do I implement daily, weekly, and all-time time windows for leaderboard scoring?

Manage different time windows for leaderboard scoring by segmenting data into daily, weekly, and all-time periods. This requires specific time window handling logic to maintain accurate per-period scoring.

What persistence strategies should I use for a scalable real-time leaderboard?

Persistence strategies for a scalable real-time leaderboard involve write batching and efficient data structure management to balance high write throughput with data durability. Sharding distributes persistence load across nodes.

Do I need sharding for a real-time leaderboard using Redis ZSETs?

Sharding is required for a real-time leaderboard using Redis ZSETs when scaling to millions of users. It distributes high write and query volumes across multiple nodes, ensuring the system remains efficient.