Serverless Vacation Rental Application

This project is a serverless web application designed to streamline the booking and management of vacation homes. It uses a Next.js frontend and a serverless backend architecture deployed via AWS Lambda functions. The application integrates AWS and GCP services, providing real-time user interactions, secure authentication, and data visualization dashboards.

Project Report Document: Report

Features

• User Management: Registration, login, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) using AWS Cognito.
• Virtual Assistant: A Dialogflow-powered chatbot assists users with booking and general queries.
• Real-Time Messaging: Asynchronous message passing between customers and agents.
• Notifications: Email notifications for successful registrations, bookings, and logins using AWS SNS.
• Data Analysis: Data migration and visualization using Cloud SQL and Looker Studio.

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System Architecture

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Project Structure

• frontend/ - Contains the Next.js application.
• backend/ - Contains AWS Lambda functions, including authorization and API handling.
• IaC/ - Terraform and cloudFormation code for cloud infrastructure.

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Project Modules

Module 1: User Management

This module handles user registration, login, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) using AWS Cognito.

• Components:

  • Registration: Allows users to create an account. User details are validated, and an email verification code is sent.
  • Login: Verifies user credentials with AWS Cognito and DynamoDB, creating a session if successful.
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Utilizes security questions and a Caesar cipher as additional authentication steps.

• Features:

  • Email Verification: Ensures only verified users can access the system.
  • MFA with Custom Security Questions: Enhances account security.
  • Session Management: Tracks user sessions and MFA status in DynamoDB for secure access.

Module 2: Virtual Assistant

This module provides chatbot functionality, allowing users to interact with a virtual assistant for various tasks.

• Components:

  • Dialogflow CX: Manages intents and responses based on user inputs.
  • AWS Lambda: Handles webhook requests and fetches booking details.
  • Google Cloud Services Integration: For cross-cloud communication and data retrieval.

• Features:

  • Intent Recognition: Detects user intent to provide appropriate guidance.
  • Booking Assistance: Retrieves booking information based on reference codes.
  • Dynamic Query Handling: Routes user requests to relevant modules based on intent.

Module 3: Message Passing Module

This module enables asynchronous, real-time communication between users and agents.

• Components:

  • GCP Pub/Sub: Publishes and subscribes to messages for real-time updates.
  • Firebase Firestore: Stores and retrieves messages asynchronously.
  • Frontend Integration: Allows users and agents to chat in real-time within the application.

• Features:

  • Ticket Creation: Enables users to generate support tickets.
  • Asynchronous Messaging: Allows users and agents to communicate without a live connection.
  • Real-Time Updates: Fetches and displays messages immediately on the frontend.

Module 4: Notifications

This module manages email notifications for critical system events.

• Components:

  • AWS SNS: Sends email notifications for user registration, login, and booking updates.
  • SQS Integration: Queues messages for reliable, managed email delivery.
  • Filter Policies: Configures notification filters to ensure users receive only relevant updates.

• Features:

  • Automated Emails: Notifies users of successful registrations, logins, and bookings.
  • Targeted Notifications: Only relevant users are notified, improving user experience.
  • Reliable Delivery: Uses SNS and SQS for robust and timely notification delivery.

Module 5: Data Analysis & Visualization

This module provides data migration and visualization for login statistics and feedback sentiment.

• Components:

  • Cloud SQL: Converts DynamoDB data into SQL format for Looker Studio.
  • Looker Studio Integration: Visualizes data on dashboards for analytics.
  • Google Natural Language API: Analyzes sentiment in user feedback.

• Features:

  • Login Statistics Dashboard: Provides visual insights into login patterns.
  • Feedback Sentiment Analysis: Scores feedback to help improve service quality.
  • Data Migration & ETL: Uses Cloud SQL for efficient data conversion and visualization.

Module 6: Web Application & Deployment

This module covers frontend and backend integration, deployment, and infrastructure management.

• Components:

  • Next.js Frontend: User interface for web interactions, integrated with backend services.
  • AWS Lambda Functions: Serverless backend functions for API handling and data processing.
  • Terraform & CloudFormation: Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools for resource management.

• Features:

  • Frontend and Backend Integration: Ensures seamless data flow between frontend and backend.
  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Automates deployment and resource management.

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Each module is designed to work independently but contributes to the overall functionality of the serverless application, providing users with secure, real-time access to various features.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14+)
• NextJs
• AWS CLI
• Google Cloud CLI
• Access to AWS and GCP accounts

Setup Instructions

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/your-repo-name.git
   cd your-repo-name

2. Frontend (Next.js)

   Navigate to the frontend directory and install dependencies:

   cd frontend
   npm install

   Set up your .env.local file in the frontend directory with the following environment variables:

   NEXT_PUBLIC_BACKEND_URL={API gateway}
   NEXT_PUBLIC_GCP_PROJECT_ID=s
   NEXT_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_SERVICE_EMAIL=
   NEXT_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_SERVICE_PRIVATE_KEY=
   NEXT_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_DIALOGFLOW_REGION=
   NEXT_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_DIALOGFLOW_AGENT_ID=
   NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_API_KEY=
   NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN=
   NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=
   NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET=
   NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDERID=
   NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_APP_ID=
   NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_MEASUREMENT_ID=
   JWT_SECRET_KEY=

   Start the development server:

   npm run dev

3. Backend (Serverless Functions with AWS Lambda)

   Ensure your AWS CLI is configured. Use Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tools like Terraform or CloudFormation to set up the AWS infrastructure. Example setup includes:

   • API Gateway for routing
   • Lambda functions for backend processing
   • SNS for email notifications

   Deploy the Lambda functions:

   aws lambda create-function --function-name your-lambda-function-name --runtime nodejs14.x --handler index.handler --zip-file fileb://function.zip --role your-iam-role

   Note: Include the IAM roles and permissions required for Lambda to access AWS services.

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Usage

1. Frontend: Access the application at http://localhost:3000 during development.
2. Backend: API endpoints are accessible via the API Gateway URL defined in NEXT_PUBLIC_BACKEND_URL.

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Contributors

• Hatim Patrawala
• Heramb Kulkarni
• Yukta Gurnani
• Nisarg Khacharia