What Really Happens When You Open Netflix and Play a Movie?

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You open Netflix, scroll through a few titles, find a movie you've been waiting to watch, and tap Play. A moment later, the screen changes, the movie starts playing, and everything feels almost effortless. But what actually happened between tapping Play and seeing the first frame? Your request had to pass through multiple backend services. Netflix needs to identify your account, determine what content you're allowed to watch, locate the appropriate media, choose suitable streaming infrastructure, and deliver the video to your device.

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