EdTech Platform Architecture, Lessons from Real Builds

EdTech platforms face unique architectural challenges including massive concurrent user spikes during scheduled events, real-time collaboration needs, and strict accessibility compliance. Key solutions involve aggressive ECS auto-scaling with read replicas for burst traffic, tiered real-time communication (HTTP polling, WebSockets with Redis adapter, WebRTC/CRDT), and adherence to Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 standards for the US education market.