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Notify API - Technology Stack

The Notify API is a modern, cloud-native notification service built for the BC Government to provide standardized communication capabilities across the organization.

Overview

Notify is deployed as a common service on BC Government infrastructure, providing a unified API gateway approach for sending notifications across multiple channels.

Core Infrastructure

Container Orchestration & Deployment

  • OpenShift (Silver Cluster): Target deployment platform for BC Government
  • Docker: Container runtime with Docker Compose for local development
  • Kubernetes/Helm: Package management and orchestration
  • Zero-downtime deployment: Rolling updates with pod disruption budgets

API Gateway

  • Kong API Gateway: Central API management and routing
  • Caddy Server: Frontend reverse proxy with WAF support
    • Coraza WAF integration for web application firewall protection
    • TLS termination and security headers
    • SSL/TLS certificate management

Backend Stack

Runtime & Framework

  • TypeScript 5.x: Strongly typed JavaScript for reliable backend code
  • Node.js: JavaScript runtime
  • NestJS 11.x: Enterprise-grade Node.js framework with:
    • Modular architecture
    • Dependency injection container
    • Decorators for clean, expressive code
    • Built-in swagger/OpenAPI support
    • Health checks and liveness/readiness probes

Data Access & ORM

  • TypeORM 0.3.x: Enterprise ORM with:
    • Type-safe database queries with TypeScript entities
    • Decorators and metadata for seamless database mapping
    • Query builder for complex queries
    • Relation management and lazy loading
    • Support for multiple database engines
  • PostgreSQL (Crunchy): Enterprise PostgreSQL with:
    • PostGIS support for geospatial data
    • Automated backups and high availability
    • ACID compliance

Database Migrations

  • Flyway: SQL-based database versioning and migration tool
    • Version control for database schema
    • Non-destructive migrations
    • Audit trail of all changes

Data Caching (TBD)

  • Redis: In-memory data store for:
    • Session caching
    • Rate limiting
    • Temporary data storage
    • Performance optimization

Testing & Quality

  • Vitest 4.x: Unit test framework
    • ESM native support
    • Snapshot testing
    • UI mode for debugging
    • Coverage reporting with c8
  • Supertest: HTTP assertion library for testing API endpoints
  • ESLint + Prettier: Code quality and formatting
    • Enforced consistent code style
    • Automated fixes available

Monitoring & Observability

  • Prometheus: Metrics collection and monitoring
    • Application metrics export via prom-client
    • System resource monitoring
    • Custom business metrics
  • Winston: Structured logging
    • Structured JSON logs
    • Multiple transport targets
    • Log levels and rotation
  • Swagger/OpenAPI: API documentation
    • Auto-generated from source code decorators
    • Interactive API testing in browser

Security

  • Helmet: Secure HTTP headers
    • HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options, etc.
  • .env configuration: Environment-based configuration
    • 12-factor app compliance
    • Secrets management

Frontend Stack

UI Framework & Development

  • React 19.x: Component-based UI library
    • Functional components and hooks
    • Virtual DOM for performance
    • React Router for client-side routing

Build Tool & Bundler

  • Vite 7.x: Modern frontend build tool with:
    • Lightning-fast dev server
    • Optimized production builds
    • Native ESM support
    • HMR (Hot Module Replacement)

Styling

  • SCSS/SASS: CSS preprocessor for scalable stylesheets
    • Variables, mixins, nesting
    • Imported from BC Government design system
  • Bootstrap 5.x: Responsive CSS framework
  • Bootstrap Icons: Icon library for UI

State Management & Routing

  • TanStack React Router: Type-safe client routing with:
    • Server-centric routing
    • Route splitting and prefetching
    • Loose coupling architecture
  • Redux (when needed): Centralized state management with:
    • Predictable state updates
    • Time-travel debugging
    • DevTools integration

HTTP Client

  • Axios: HTTP client library with:
    • Request/response interceptors
    • Promise-based API
    • Request cancellation

Testing & Quality

  • Vitest 4.x: Unit test framework with:
    • Component testing support
    • JSDOM for DOM simulation
    • Coverage reporting
  • Playwright 1.x: E2E testing framework with:
    • Multi-browser support (Chrome, Firefox, Safari)
    • Visual regression testing
    • Trace debugging
  • @testing-library/react: Component testing utilities
  • MSW (Mock Service Worker): API mocking for tests
  • ESLint + Prettier: Code quality and formatting

UI Library & Design System

  • @bcgov/design-system-react-components: BC Government design system component library
  • @bcgov/bc-sans: BC Government branded font

Development Utilities

  • vite-tsconfig-paths: TypeScript path resolution in Vite

Shared Infrastructure & Tools

Version Control & Collaboration

  • Git: Version control system
  • GitHub: Repository hosting with:
    • Pull request reviews
    • GitHub Actions for CI/CD
    • Issue tracking and project management

Code Quality & Linting

  • ESLint 9.x: JavaScript/TypeScript linting
    • Shared configuration across frontend and backend
    • Prettier integration for formatting conflicts
  • Prettier 3.x: Code formatter
    • Consistent formatting across projects
    • Configuration-driven style rules

Package Management

  • npm: Node.js package manager
    • Monorepo-friendly lockfile
    • Dependency management and updates

CI/CD

  • GitHub Actions: Workflow automation
    • Build, test, and deployment pipelines
    • Security scanning and static analysis
    • Automated dependency updates via Renovate

Database Tooling

  • SchemaSpY: Visual database schema documentation
    • Automatic ER diagrams
    • HTML-based documentation

Environment Targets

Development

  • Local machine: Docker Compose for running full stack
  • Dev namespace: Shared OpenShift development environment

Testing

  • TEST namespace: Pre-production environment on OpenShift
  • Automated testing: GitHub Actions workflows with full test coverage

Production

  • PROD namespace: Production environment on OpenShift Silver cluster
  • High availability: Multiple replicas, auto-scaling, pod disruption budgets

API Architecture

Request Flow

  1. External Request → Kong API Gateway
  2. Internal API → Caddy Reverse Proxy (frontend)
  3. Frontend → Backend API via proxied /api/* routes
  4. Backend API → External integrations via dedicated route

Communication Patterns

  • REST API: Standard HTTP/HTTPS endpoints
  • JSON: Request and response format
  • Error handling: Standardized error responses with codes
  • Rate limiting: Kong API Gateway rate limiting policies

Data Flow

Database

  • Schema: TypeORM entities define schema with TypeScript decorators
  • Migrations: Flyway-managed SQL migrations (schema versioning)
  • Caching: Redis for session and temporary data

Logging

  • Structured logging: JSON format via Winston
  • Log aggregation: Centralized log collection (TBD)

Monitoring

  • Metrics: Prometheus format metrics exported by applications
  • Application insights: Health checks and APM integration (TBD)

Security Stack

Network & Transport

  • TLS/SSL: HTTPS encryption via Caddy and OpenShift
  • WAF: Coraza WAF on Caddy for web application firewall protection
  • CORS: Cross-Origin Resource Sharing policies

Application Security

  • Helmet: HTTP headers for security
  • Input validation: NestJS decorators and TypeORM entity validation
  • Authentication: JWT or similar (implementation-specific)
  • Authorization: Role-based access control (RBAC)

Secret Management

  • OpenShift Secrets: Kubernetes-native secret storage
  • Environment variables: Configuration via .env files (not in repo)
  • No hardcoded secrets: Enforced through .gitignore and reviews

Development Workflow Tools

Local Development

  • Docker Compose: Multi-container environment setup
  • npm scripts: Standardized task runners
  • Watch mode: Auto-reload on file changes

Code Editors

  • VS Code: Recommended IDE with extensions for TypeScript, ESLint, Prettier

Documentation

  • Markdown: Standard documentation format
  • Wiki: Shared team documentation space
  • OpenAPI/Swagger: Auto-generated API documentation

Compliance & Standards

  • Apache 2.0 License: Open source license
  • BC Government Standards: Architecture and security guidelines
  • Cloud Native: 12-factor app methodology
  • Container Security: Regular vulnerability scanning
  • Accessibility: WCAG compliance via BC design system

Version Management

All versions specified are current as of project initialization. Regular updates via Renovate ensure dependencies stay current with security patches and feature updates.