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Cloud-based Hosting

Overview

This user story covers the implementation of cloud-based hosting for the platform, preferably on AWS to co-locate with the Velocity Credential Agent, ensuring scalability, reliability, and optimal performance.

User Stories

Implement AWS Cloud Hosting

As a platform administrator,
I want to host the solution on AWS cloud infrastructure,
So that we can leverage cloud scalability, reliability, and co-location benefits with the Velocity Credential Agent.

Acceptance Criteria: - Given the platform requires cloud hosting - When the infrastructure is deployed - Then the system should be hosted on AWS (preferred for Velocity Credential Agent co-location) - And the infrastructure should use AWS managed services where appropriate: - EC2 for compute instances - RDS for managed database services - S3 for object storage - CloudFront for content delivery - ELB for load balancing - VPC for network isolation - And the deployment should optimize for co-location with Velocity Credential Agent - And the infrastructure should support multiple availability zones - And all AWS services should be configured following security best practices

Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

As a platform administrator,
I want to implement Infrastructure as Code for reproducible deployments,
So that infrastructure can be version-controlled, tested, and deployed consistently across environments.

Acceptance Criteria: - Given the platform infrastructure needs to be managed - When infrastructure changes are made - Then the system should use Infrastructure as Code tools: - Terraform or AWS CloudFormation for infrastructure provisioning - Ansible or AWS Systems Manager for configuration management - Version control for all infrastructure code - Automated testing of infrastructure changes - And infrastructure code should be stored in version control - And changes should go through code review processes - And infrastructure should be deployable to multiple environments (dev, staging, production) - And rollback capabilities should be available for infrastructure changes

Deploy Container-based Architecture

As a platform administrator,
I want to implement container-based deployment,
So that applications are consistent across environments and can be scaled efficiently.

Acceptance Criteria: - Given the platform applications need to be deployed - When containers are implemented - Then the system should use containerization: - Docker for application containerization - Amazon ECS or EKS for container orchestration - ECR for container image registry - Container health checks and monitoring - Blue-green deployment capabilities - And containers should be optimized for security and performance - And container images should be scanned for vulnerabilities - And container orchestration should handle automatic scaling - And containers should support zero-downtime deployments

Implement Microservices Architecture

As a platform administrator,
I want to implement microservices architecture where appropriate,
So that the platform can scale individual components independently and maintain service isolation.

Acceptance Criteria: - Given the platform has distinct functional areas - When microservices architecture is implemented - Then the system should: - Separate core services (authentication, credential management, verification) - Implement service-to-service communication via APIs - Use message queues for asynchronous communication - Implement service discovery and load balancing - Maintain data isolation between services - And each microservice should be independently deployable - And services should have well-defined APIs and contracts - And service failures should not cascade to other services - And monitoring should track service health and performance

Optimize Cloud Resource Usage

As a platform administrator,
I want to optimize cloud resource usage for cost efficiency,
So that the platform operates within budget while maintaining performance requirements.

Acceptance Criteria: - Given the platform uses cloud resources - When resource optimization is implemented - Then the system should: - Use Reserved Instances for predictable workloads - Implement Auto Scaling for variable demand - Use Spot Instances for non-critical batch processing - Implement Resource Tagging for cost tracking - Monitor and alert on cost thresholds - And unused resources should be automatically terminated - And resource usage should be regularly reviewed and optimized - And cost optimization should not compromise security or performance - And resource allocation should match actual usage patterns

Document Cloud Architecture

As a platform administrator,
I want to maintain comprehensive documentation of cloud architecture,
So that the infrastructure is well-understood and can be maintained by the team.

Acceptance Criteria: - Given the cloud infrastructure is implemented - When documentation is created - Then the documentation should include: - Architecture diagrams showing all components and connections - Network topology and security group configurations - Deployment procedures and runbooks - Disaster recovery plans and procedures - Security configurations and compliance measures - And documentation should be kept up-to-date with infrastructure changes - And documentation should be accessible to authorized team members - And documentation should include troubleshooting guides - And architecture decisions should be documented with rationale

Implement Multi-Region Capability

As a platform administrator,
I want to implement multi-region deployment capability,
So that the platform can provide low latency access and disaster recovery across geographic regions.

Acceptance Criteria: - Given the platform may serve users in different geographic regions - When multi-region capability is implemented - Then the system should: - Support deployment in multiple AWS regions - Implement Cross-region data replication for critical data - Use Route 53 for DNS-based traffic routing - Maintain Regional failover capabilities - Ensure Data sovereignty compliance where required - And each region should be capable of independent operation - And data synchronization should be handled securely - And failover should be automatic and transparent to users - And regional deployments should maintain consistent functionality

Technical Notes

AWS Service Selection

Recommended AWS services for optimal performance and co-location: - Compute: EC2 instances with Auto Scaling Groups - Database: RDS for PostgreSQL with Multi-AZ deployment - Storage: S3 for object storage, EBS for block storage - Networking: VPC with public/private subnets, NAT Gateway - Security: IAM roles, Security Groups, WAF - Monitoring: CloudWatch, CloudTrail, X-Ray

Co-location Benefits

  • Reduced Latency: Minimize network latency to Velocity Credential Agent
  • Improved Reliability: Shared infrastructure reliability with Velocity services
  • Enhanced Security: Benefit from Velocity's security infrastructure
  • Cost Optimization: Reduced data transfer costs

Infrastructure Requirements

  • High Availability: Multi-AZ deployment with automatic failover
  • Scalability: Auto Scaling Groups for compute resources
  • Security: VPC isolation, encryption at rest and in transit
  • Monitoring: Comprehensive logging and monitoring
  • Backup: Automated backup and disaster recovery

Dependencies

  • AWS account setup and billing configuration
  • Network connectivity and DNS configuration
  • Security and compliance requirements
  • Development and deployment toolchain

Priority

High - Foundational requirement for the platform, required for first project drop (initial) and second project drop (complete)