Task Management Solution with Email Notifications

This project demonstrates the integration of multiple Azure services to build a robust task management system with real-time email notifications. The solution leverages an event-driven architecture to enhance user experience by notifying users of task updates promptly.

Overview

The Task Management Solution combines several Azure services, providing a seamless integration for creating, updating, and managing tasks while delivering email notifications when tasks are created or updated. The architecture ensures scalability, security, and responsiveness, making it a suitable foundation for modern cloud-based applications.

Key Features

1. Task Management: A secure, cloud-ready web application built on MVC architecture, allowing CRUD operations for task management.
2. Database Integration: Azure Cosmos DB serves as the database backend, ensuring high availability and low latency for task storage and retrieval.
3. Event-Driven Notifications: Azure Functions monitor the Cosmos DB change feed, triggering email notifications for task updates in real-time.
4. Email Service: Azure Communication Services (ACS) handles email notifications, utilizing a free Azure-provided subdomain for verified sender addresses.
5. Secure Configuration: Azure Key Vault and App Configuration securely store and manage connection strings and secrets, enabling secure and scalable application deployments.

High-Level Workflow

1. User Interaction:
   • Users interact with the MVC web application to create, update, or manage tasks.
2. Data Storage:
   • Task data is stored in Azure Cosmos DB.
3. Change Detection:
   • The Cosmos DB change feed detects data modifications (insertions or updates).
4. Function Invocation:
   • An Azure Function is triggered by the change feed to process the updates.
5. Email Notification:
   • The Azure Function sends email notifications using ACS to alert users about task updates.

Benefits

• Real-Time Alerts: Instant notifications improve user engagement and productivity.
• Scalability: Cloud-based architecture supports scaling as the application grows.
• Security: Azure services like Key Vault and managed identities ensure secure handling of sensitive data.
• Low Maintenance: Serverless architecture reduces operational overhead.

Prerequisites

To deploy and utilize this solution, ensure the following:

• Azure account with sufficient permissions.
• Basic knowledge of .NET, Azure Functions, and Azure services like Cosmos DB, ACS, and Key Vault.

Future Enhancements

• Extend notification mechanisms to include SMS or push notifications.
• Implement advanced user preferences for customized notification settings.
• Integrate analytics for monitoring notification efficiency and user interactions.

Conclusion

This project showcases how Azure services can be orchestrated to deliver a scalable and secure task management solution with real-time notifications. By leveraging event-driven architecture and serverless technologies, it provides a foundation for building modern, responsive cloud applications.