How Stripe synchronizes time across their distributed system

Stripe employs both physical and logical clocks to maintain accurate timekeeping in their distributed billing system. Physical clocks are synchronized using protocols like NTP and PTP to avoid drift, while logical clocks order events without depending on real-world time, using methods like Vector and Lamport Clocks. Stripe combines these approaches with hybrid logical clocks to ensure accurate billing and simulate future events for testing purposes. Additional highlights include a deep dive on caching in system design, eBay's use of LLMs for developer productivity, and Eventbrite’s CSRF defense mechanisms.