# Implementation Architecture
## Executive Summary
Software Development Insight & Release Management Platform with modular microservices architecture, containerized deployment, and modern web frontend.
## System Architecture Overview
```mermaid
graph TB
subgraph "Frontend Layer"
UI[React TypeScript Frontend]
UI --> SG[SignalR Client]
end
subgraph "API Gateway"
GW[API Gateway Service
Authentication & Routing]
HUB[SignalR Hub
Real-time Updates]
end
subgraph "Core Services"
PS[Project Service
CC.NET Integration]
MS[Manuscript Service
FogBugz Integration]
DS[Document Service
PDF Generation]
SS[Storage Service
Cloud Abstraction]
HS[Help Center Service
Article Updates]
PUB[Publishing Service
Workflow Orchestration]
end
subgraph "Background Processing"
HF[Hangfire
Background Jobs]
HFD[Hangfire Dashboard]
end
subgraph "Data Layer"
DB[(PostgreSQL
Database)]
end
subgraph "External Integrations"
CC[CruiseControl.NET]
FB[FogBugz/Manuscript]
S3[AWS S3]
BOX[Box.com]
FTP[FTP Server]
ZD[Zendesk]
SF[Salesforce Service]
end
UI --> GW
SG --> HUB
GW --> PS
GW --> MS
GW --> DS
GW --> SS
GW --> HS
GW --> PUB
PS --> CC
MS --> FB
SS --> S3
SS --> BOX
SS --> FTP
HS --> ZD
HS --> SF
PUB --> HF
HF --> DS
HF --> SS
HF --> HS
PS --> DB
MS --> DB
DS --> DB
SS --> DB
HS --> DB
PUB --> DB
HF --> DB
classDef frontend fill:#e1f5fe
classDef gateway fill:#fff3e0
classDef service fill:#f3e5f5
classDef background fill:#e8f5e8
classDef database fill:#fce4ec
classDef external fill:#f5f5f5
class UI,SG frontend
class GW,HUB gateway
class PS,MS,DS,SS,HS,PUB service
class HF,HFD background
class DB database
class CC,FB,S3,BOX,FTP,ZD,SF external
```
## Technology Stack
### Backend Services (.NET 8)
- **API Gateway**: ASP.NET Core Web API with SignalR hubs
- **Database**: PostgreSQL with Entity Framework Core
- **Background Jobs**: Hangfire for document generation and publishing workflows
- **Logging**: Serilog with structured logging
- **Documentation**: OpenAPI/Swagger
### Frontend (React/TypeScript)
- **Framework**: React 18+ with TypeScript
- **State Management**: React Query + Context API
- **UI Library**: Material-UI or Ant Design
- **Real-time**: SignalR client for live updates
- **Build**: Vite for fast development
### Infrastructure
- **Containerization**: Docker Compose for development, Docker for production
- **Reverse Proxy**: Nginx for production
- **Service Discovery**: Docker network with service names
## Service Architecture
### Core Services
#### 1. API Gateway Service (`api-gateway`)
- **Purpose**: Single entry point, authentication, SignalR hub
- **Technology**: ASP.NET Core Web API + SignalR
- **Responsibilities**:
- User authentication/authorization (JWT)
- Route requests to appropriate services
- Real-time notifications via SignalR
- CORS configuration for React frontend
#### 2. Project Service (`project-service`)
- **Purpose**: CruiseControl.NET integration and project management
- **Technology**: ASP.NET Core Web API
- **Responsibilities**:
- Parse CC.NET log files
- Cache build history and status
- Project configuration management
- Build status monitoring
#### 3. Manuscript Service (`manuscript-service`)
- **Purpose**: FogBugz/Manuscript integration
- **Technology**: ASP.NET Core Web API
- **Responsibilities**:
- Developer comment extraction
- Feature timing data aggregation
- Release note data compilation
#### 4. Document Service (`document-service`)
- **Purpose**: PDF generation and document management
- **Technology**: ASP.NET Core + iText7 or QuestPDF
- **Responsibilities**:
- Release note PDF generation
- Template management
- Document versioning
#### 5. Storage Service (`storage-service`)
- **Purpose**: Cloud storage abstraction layer
- **Technology**: ASP.NET Core Web API
- **Storage Providers**:
- **AWS S3**: AWS SDK for .NET
- **Box.com**: Box .NET SDK
- **FTP**: FluentFTP library
- **Pattern**: Strategy pattern for provider abstraction
#### 6. Help Center Service (`helpcenter-service`)
- **Purpose**: Support article updates
- **Technology**: ASP.NET Core Web API
- **Integrations**:
- **Zendesk**: Zendesk API v2
- **Salesforce Service**: Salesforce REST API
- **Pattern**: Strategy pattern for provider abstraction
#### 7. Publishing Service (`publishing-service`)
- **Purpose**: Orchestrate complete publishing workflows
- **Technology**: ASP.NET Core + Hangfire
- **Responsibilities**:
- Coordinate document generation
- Manage cloud uploads
- Update help center articles
- Workflow status tracking
### Database Design
```mermaid
erDiagram
Users {
int Id PK
string Username
string PasswordHash
string Role
datetime CreatedAt
datetime LastLogin
}
Packages {
int Id PK
string Title
string Version
string Description
int ProjectId FK
int SourceBuildId FK
json CloudStorageConfig
json HelpCenterArticles
string Status
datetime PublishDate
datetime CreatedAt
datetime UpdatedAt
}
Projects {
int Id PK
string Name
string Description
string CCNetProjectName
string Status
datetime CreatedAt
datetime UpdatedAt
}
Builds {
int Id PK
int ProjectId FK
string BuildNumber
string Status
datetime StartTime
datetime EndTime
string LogPath
string ArtifactPath
}
Publications {
int Id PK
int PackageId FK
string Status
datetime PublishedAt
string ReleaseNotesPath
json PublicationDetails
}
StorageProviders {
int Id PK
string Name
string Type
json Configuration
boolean IsActive
}
HelpCenterProviders {
int Id PK
string Name
string Type
json Configuration
boolean IsActive
}
Projects ||--o{ Builds : "produces builds"
Projects ||--o{ Packages : "user creates packages for"
Builds ||--o{ Packages : "can be referenced by"
Packages ||--o{ Publications : "has publications"
```
#### Core Entities
```sql
-- Packages: User-defined software release configurations
Packages (Id, Title, Version, Description, ProjectId, SourceBuildId, CloudStorageConfig, HelpCenterArticles, Status, PublishDate, CreatedAt, UpdatedAt)
-- Projects from CruiseControl.NET
Projects (Id, Name, Description, CCNetProjectName, Status, CreatedAt, UpdatedAt)
-- Build information
Builds (Id, ProjectId, BuildNumber, Status, StartTime, EndTime, LogPath, ArtifactPath)
-- Publishing history
Publications (Id, PackageId, Status, PublishedAt, ReleaseNotesPath, PublicationDetails)
-- User management
Users (Id, Username, PasswordHash, Role, CreatedAt, LastLogin)
-- Provider configurations
StorageProviders (Id, Name, Type, Configuration, IsActive)
HelpCenterProviders (Id, Name, Type, Configuration, IsActive)
```
## Interface Abstractions
### Cloud Storage Interface
```csharp
public interface ICloudStorageProvider
{
Task UploadAsync(string containerName, string fileName, Stream content);
Task DeleteAsync(string containerName, string fileName);
Task DownloadAsync(string containerName, string fileName);
}
```
### Help Center Interface
```csharp
public interface IHelpCenterProvider
{
Task UpdateArticleAsync(string articleId, string content, string title);
Task CreateArticleAsync(string content, string title, string categoryId);
Task PublishArticleAsync(string articleId);
}
```
## Development Environment
### Docker Compose Structure
```yaml
services:
postgres:
image: postgres:15
api-gateway:
build: ./src/ApiGateway
ports: ["5000:80"]
project-service:
build: ./src/ProjectService
manuscript-service:
build: ./src/ManuscriptService
document-service:
build: ./src/DocumentService
storage-service:
build: ./src/StorageService
helpcenter-service:
build: ./src/HelpCenterService
publishing-service:
build: ./src/PublishingService
react-frontend:
build: ./src/Frontend
ports: ["3000:80"]
hangfire-dashboard:
ports: ["5001:80"]
```
### Project Structure
```mermaid
graph TD
subgraph "Solution Structure"
ROOT[Solution Root]
subgraph "Backend Services"
API[ApiGateway/]
PROJ[ProjectService/]
MAN[ManuscriptService/]
DOC[DocumentService/]
STOR[StorageService/]
HELP[HelpCenterService/]
PUB[PublishingService/]
end
subgraph "Shared Components"
SHARED[Shared/]
DB[Database/]
end
subgraph "Frontend"
UI[Frontend/]
end
subgraph "Infrastructure"
DOCKER[docker-compose.yml]
ENV[.env files]
end
end
ROOT --> API
ROOT --> PROJ
ROOT --> MAN
ROOT --> DOC
ROOT --> STOR
ROOT --> HELP
ROOT --> PUB
ROOT --> SHARED
ROOT --> DB
ROOT --> UI
ROOT --> DOCKER
ROOT --> ENV
classDef service fill:#e3f2fd
classDef shared fill:#f3e5f5
classDef frontend fill:#e8f5e8
classDef infra fill:#fff3e0
class API,PROJ,MAN,DOC,STOR,HELP,PUB service
class SHARED,DB shared
class UI frontend
class DOCKER,ENV infra
```
```
src/
├── ApiGateway/ # Main API + SignalR hub
├── ProjectService/ # CC.NET integration
├── ManuscriptService/ # FogBugz integration
├── DocumentService/ # PDF generation
├── StorageService/ # Cloud storage abstraction
├── HelpCenterService/ # Article update service
├── PublishingService/ # Workflow orchestration
├── Shared/ # Common models, interfaces
├── Frontend/ # React TypeScript app
└── Database/ # EF migrations, seed data
```
## Key Architectural Decisions
### 1. Microservices with Service Mesh
- **Rationale**: Clean separation of concerns, independent scaling
- **Communication**: HTTP REST + SignalR for real-time updates
- **Service Discovery**: Docker network DNS resolution
### 2. Hangfire for Background Processing
- **Benefits**: .NET native, web dashboard, persistent queues
- **Use Cases**: Document generation, cloud uploads, batch processing
- **Storage**: PostgreSQL for job persistence
### 3. Strategy Pattern for External Integrations
- **Cloud Storage**: Pluggable providers (S3, Box, FTP)
- **Help Centers**: Extensible article update system
- **Benefits**: Easy to add new providers without core changes
### 4. SignalR for Real-time Updates
- **Use Cases**: Build status, publishing progress, job completion
- **Frontend Integration**: React SignalR client with auto-reconnection
### 5. Entity Framework with Repository Pattern
- **Database**: Code-first migrations
- **Testing**: In-memory provider for unit tests
- **Performance**: Query optimization with projection
## Security Considerations
### Authentication & Authorization
- JWT tokens with refresh mechanism
- Role-based access control (Admin, User, ReadOnly)
- Secure password hashing (bcrypt)
### API Security
- HTTPS only in production
- CORS properly configured
- API rate limiting
- Input validation and sanitization
### Secrets Management
- Docker secrets for production
- Environment variables for configuration
- No hardcoded credentials
## Deployment Strategy
### Development
- Docker Compose with hot-reload volumes
- Shared PostgreSQL instance
- Frontend dev server proxy to API
### Production
- Individual Docker containers
- Nginx reverse proxy
- PostgreSQL with persistent volumes
- Health checks and restart policies
## Questions for Next Phase
1. **CC.NET Integration**: What format are the log files? XML, plain text, or proprietary?
2. **Manuscript API**: Is there existing API documentation or will we need to reverse-engineer?
3. **Document Templates**: Do you have existing release note templates or should we create standard ones?
4. **Cloud Storage**: Any specific bucket/container naming conventions?
5. **Help Center**: Do you have existing article templates or categories to work with?
## Publishing Workflow
```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
participant User
participant UI as React Frontend
participant GW as API Gateway
participant PUB as Publishing Service
participant DOC as Document Service
participant STOR as Storage Service
participant HELP as Help Center Service
participant HF as Hangfire
participant SH as SignalR Hub
Note over User,UI: Package Management Phase
User->>UI: Create/Edit Package Configuration
UI->>GW: POST /api/packages
Note over UI: Package List View, Package Details Form
UI->>GW: GET /api/packages (List View)
UI->>GW: GET /api/packages/{id} (Details)
Note over User,UI: Publishing Phase
User->>UI: Select Package & Initiate Publishing
UI->>GW: POST /api/publish/package/{id}
GW->>PUB: Queue Publishing Job
PUB->>HF: Enqueue Background Job
Note over HF: Background Processing Starts
HF->>DOC: Generate Release Notes PDF
DOC-->>HF: PDF Generated
HF->>STOR: Upload Package + PDF to Cloud
STOR-->>HF: Upload Complete
HF->>HELP: Update Help Center Articles
HELP-->>HF: Articles Updated
HF->>SH: Notify Completion
SH->>UI: Real-time Publication Status
UI->>User: Show Completion Status
```
## Data Flow Architecture
```mermaid
flowchart TD
subgraph "External Sources"
CC[CruiseControl.NET
Build Logs]
FB[FogBugz/Manuscript
Developer Data]
end
subgraph "Data Ingestion"
PS[Project Service
Log Parser]
MS[Manuscript Service
API Client]
end
subgraph "Core Data Model"
PROJ[Projects
CC.NET Projects]
BUILDS[Builds
From Projects]
PKG[Packages
User-Defined Configs]
PUB_DATA[Publications
Publishing History]
end
subgraph "Processing Layer"
DS[Document Service
PDF Generator]
PUB[Publishing Service
Workflow Orchestrator]
end
subgraph "Output Channels"
STOR[Storage Service
Multi-Provider]
HELP[Help Center Service
Multi-Platform]
end
subgraph "User Interface"
UI[React Frontend
Package Management Console]
end
CC --> PS
FB --> MS
PS --> PROJ
MS --> PROJ
PROJ --> BUILDS
UI --> PKG
PKG --> PROJ
PKG --> BUILDS
PKG --> PUB
PUB --> DS
PUB --> STOR
PUB --> HELP
PUB --> PUB_DATA
classDef external fill:#ffebee
classDef ingestion fill:#e3f2fd
classDef coredata fill:#e8f5e8
classDef processing fill:#fff3e0
classDef output fill:#f3e5f5
classDef ui fill:#fce4ec
class CC,FB external
class PS,MS ingestion
class PROJ,BUILDS,PKG,PUB_DATA coredata
class DS,PUB processing
class STOR,HELP output
class UI ui
```
## Frontend Views
### Package Management Interface
- **Package List View**: Display all packages with columns for Title, Project, Build, Status, Publish Date
- **Package Details/Create Form**:
- Title (user input)
- Project (dropdown from available projects)
- Build (dropdown from project's successful builds)
- Publish Date (date picker)
- Help Center Articles (multi-select/tags)
- Cloud Storage Configuration
- Status tracking
## Next Steps
1. Set up development environment with Docker Compose
2. Create solution structure and shared contracts
3. Implement core database models and Entity Framework setup
4. Build API Gateway with authentication
5. Develop individual services in parallel
6. Create React frontend with Package Management views and SignalR integration
7. Integration testing and deployment scripts