Skip to content

ARCHITECTURE.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
276 lines (207 loc) · 11.3 KB

ARCHITECTURE.md

File metadata and controls

276 lines (207 loc) · 11.3 KB

SmartDocs Portal - Infrastructure Architecture

Overview

The SmartDocs Portal is a cloud-native document management system built on Azure, designed to demonstrate modern DevOps practices and enterprise-grade infrastructure patterns. This architecture showcases skills in Azure cloud services, Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD pipelines, and security best practices.

High-Level Architecture

Internet Users
      │
      ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ Azure Front Door│ ◄── CDN/WAF (Akamai Simulation)
│ + WAF Policy    │
└─────────────────┘
      │
      ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Azure Virtual Network                    │
│                      (10.0.0.0/16)                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                             │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────┐  │
│  │App Service  │  │  Database   │  │    Frontend         │  │
│  │Subnet       │  │  Subnet     │  │    Subnet           │  │
│  │10.0.1.0/24  │  │10.0.2.0/24  │  │   10.0.3.0/24       │  │
│  │             │  │             │  │                     │  │
│  │┌───────────┐│  │┌───────────┐│  │ ┌─────────────────┐ │  │
│  ││.NET API   ││  ││SQL Server ││  │ │ Angular SPA     │ │  │
│  ││App Service││  ││+ Database ││  │ │ App Service     │ │  │
│  │└───────────┘│  │└───────────┘│  │ └─────────────────┘ │  │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────────────┘  │
│                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
      │                    │                    │
      ▼                    ▼                    ▼
┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────┐
│ Azure       │  │ Azure SQL       │  │ Storage Account │
│ Key Vault   │  │ Database        │  │ - Documents     │
│ - Secrets   │  │ - Private       │  │ - Static Files  │
│ - Certs     │  │   Endpoint      │  │ - Logs          │
└─────────────┘  └─────────────────┘  └─────────────────┘

Core Components

1. Networking Layer

  • Virtual Network (VNet): Isolated network environment with segmented subnets
  • Network Security Groups (NSGs): Firewall rules for each subnet
  • Private Endpoints: Secure connectivity to PaaS services
  • Service Endpoints: Direct connectivity to Azure services

2. Application Layer

  • Azure Front Door: Global CDN with WAF protection (Akamai simulation)
  • App Services:
    • .NET 8 API backend (Linux containers)
    • Angular frontend (Node.js)
  • Application Gateway: Load balancing and SSL termination

3. Data Layer

  • Azure SQL Database: Managed database with private endpoint
  • Storage Account: Blob storage for documents and static content
  • Azure Key Vault: Secure secrets and certificate management

4. Security Layer

  • Managed Identities: Passwordless authentication
  • Private Endpoints: Network isolation for data services
  • WAF Policies: Protection against common web attacks
  • Network Security Groups: Subnet-level firewall rules

5. Monitoring & Logging

  • Azure Monitor: Infrastructure and application monitoring
  • Application Insights: Application performance monitoring
  • Log Analytics: Centralized logging and analytics

Technology Stack Alignment

This architecture directly addresses the job requirements:

Job Requirement Implementation Demonstration
.NET ASP.NET Core Web API on App Service Modern .NET 8 containerized API
Angular Angular SPA on App Service Frontend application with CI/CD
Azure Complete Azure cloud infrastructure Multi-service cloud architecture
AEM Mocked content API service Headless CMS simulation
Akamai Azure Front Door with WAF CDN with edge caching and security
CI/CD GitHub Actions + Azure DevOps Automated infrastructure deployment
Networking VNet, NSGs, Private Endpoints Enterprise networking patterns
Operating Systems Linux containers and VMs Container orchestration
Cloud Infrastructure Infrastructure as Code Terraform modules and automation

Security Architecture

Network Security

Internet → Front Door WAF → App Gateway → App Services
                                      ↓
                              Private Endpoints
                                      ↓
                            SQL Database + Key Vault

Identity & Access Management

  • System-Assigned Managed Identities for all App Services
  • Azure AD Authentication for SQL Database
  • Key Vault Access Policies for secret management
  • RBAC for resource access control

Data Protection

  • TLS 1.2+ for all communications
  • Private Endpoints for database connectivity
  • Transparent Data Encryption for SQL Database
  • Storage Account encryption at rest
  • Key Vault for secrets management

Scalability & Performance

Horizontal Scaling

  • App Service Plans with auto-scaling rules
  • SQL Database with elastic pools (production)
  • Front Door global distribution
  • Storage Account geo-replication

Performance Optimization

  • CDN caching for static content
  • Application Insights for performance monitoring
  • Database indexing and query optimization
  • Blob storage tiers for cost optimization

Disaster Recovery & Backup

Backup Strategy

  • SQL Database: Automated backups with point-in-time restore
  • Storage Account: Geo-redundant storage (GRS) in production
  • Key Vault: Soft delete and purge protection
  • Infrastructure: Version-controlled Terraform state

High Availability

  • App Services: Multi-instance deployment
  • SQL Database: Built-in high availability
  • Front Door: Global load balancing
  • Storage: Zone-redundant storage options

Cost Optimization

Development Environment

  • Free/Basic tiers for App Services
  • Basic SQL Database tier
  • LRS storage replication
  • Estimated cost: ~$10-20/month

Production Environment

  • Standard App Service tiers
  • Standard SQL Database with reserved capacity
  • GRS storage replication
  • Estimated cost: ~$50-100/month

Deployment Environments

Development (dev)

  • Purpose: Feature development and testing
  • Resources: Cost-optimized tiers
  • Access: Open for development team
  • Deployment: Automatic on develop branch

Production (prod)

  • Purpose: Live application serving users
  • Resources: Performance and reliability optimized
  • Access: Restricted with approval gates
  • Deployment: Manual approval required

Infrastructure as Code

Terraform Structure

infra/terraform/
├── main.tf                 # Root configuration
├── variables.tf            # Input variables
├── outputs.tf              # Output values
├── backend.tf              # Remote state config
├── dev/terraform.tfvars    # Dev environment values
├── prod/terraform.tfvars   # Prod environment values
└── modules/
    ├── app_service/        # App Service module
    ├── sql_database/       # SQL Database module
    ├── storage_account/    # Storage module
    ├── key_vault/          # Key Vault module
    └── cdn_frontdoor/      # CDN module

Module Benefits

  • Reusability: Modules can be used across environments
  • Consistency: Standardized resource configurations
  • Maintainability: Centralized updates and improvements
  • Testing: Individual module validation

CI/CD Pipeline Architecture

GitHub Actions Workflow

Code Push → Validation → Security Scan → Plan → Approval → Deploy → Monitor

Pipeline Stages

  1. Validation: Terraform format, validate, and lint
  2. Security: Checkov security scanning
  3. Planning: Generate and review Terraform plans
  4. Cost Analysis: Infracost estimation
  5. Deployment: Apply infrastructure changes
  6. Monitoring: Health checks and notifications

Monitoring & Observability

Key Metrics

  • Application Performance: Response times, error rates
  • Infrastructure Health: CPU, memory, disk usage
  • Security Events: Failed authentications, suspicious activity
  • Cost Tracking: Resource consumption and billing

Alerting Strategy

  • Critical: Infrastructure failures, security breaches
  • Warning: Performance degradation, capacity thresholds
  • Info: Deployment completions, scheduled maintenance

Future Enhancements

Potential Improvements

  1. Container Orchestration: Migrate to Azure Container Apps
  2. Microservices: Break down monolithic API
  3. Event-Driven Architecture: Azure Service Bus integration
  4. Advanced Monitoring: Custom dashboards and alerts
  5. Multi-Region: Global deployment for disaster recovery

Technology Evolution

  • Serverless Functions: Azure Functions for specific workloads
  • API Management: Azure API Management for API governance
  • DevOps: Advanced deployment strategies (blue-green, canary)
  • AI/ML: Azure Cognitive Services integration

Conclusion

This architecture demonstrates enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure design with modern DevOps practices. It showcases the ability to:

  • Design scalable, secure cloud architectures
  • Implement Infrastructure as Code best practices
  • Create robust CI/CD pipelines
  • Apply security and compliance standards
  • Optimize for cost and performance
  • Plan for disaster recovery and business continuity

The implementation serves as a comprehensive portfolio piece demonstrating readiness for senior cloud infrastructure and DevOps roles.