Prerequisites

Before we start building, let’s make sure you have everything you need.

Technical Prerequisites

HTTP and JSON basics

• You understand how web requests work
• You can read JSON data
• You know what GET and POST mean

Programming language

• Comfortable with Node.js or Python
• Can write simple functions
• Understand basic error handling

Cloud account

• AWS, Azure, or GCP account
• Free tier is enough for this tutorial
• Access to create resources

Account Setup

You’ll need accounts for:

1. Cloud provider (choose one):

   • AWS: aws.amazon.com
   • Azure: azure.microsoft.com
   • GCP: cloud.google.com

2. Email service (choose one):

   • SendGrid: sendgrid.com (free tier: 100 emails/day)
   • Mailgun: mailgun.com (free tier: 5,000 emails/month)
   • AWS SES: Included with AWS account
   • Azure Logic Apps: Included with Azure account

Architecture Overview

Here’s how the components fit together:

Component Breakdown

1. Storage Bucket

• Stores uploaded files
• Emits events when files are added
• Provides file metadata (name, size, path)

2. Event Trigger

• Listens for storage events
• Routes events to serverless function
• Can filter by file type or path

3. Serverless Function

• Receives event with file details
• Processes the information
• Calls email service

4. Email Service

• Sends notification emails
• Handles delivery and retries
• Provides delivery status

Cloud Provider Services

Each cloud provider has different names for similar services. Here’s the mapping:

Storage:      Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service)
Function:    AWS Lambda
Trigger:    S3 Event Notification
Email:      Amazon SES (Simple Email Service)
          OR SendGrid / Mailgun

Service Names:
- S3 Bucket → Storage bucket
- Lambda Function → Serverless function
- S3 Event → Trigger configuration
- SES → Email sending service

Storage:      Azure Blob Storage
Function:    Azure Functions
Trigger:     Blob Storage Trigger
Email:       Logic Apps Email Connector
          OR SendGrid / Mailgun

Service Names:
- Blob Container → Storage bucket
- Azure Function → Serverless function
- Blob Trigger → Trigger configuration
- Logic Apps → Email sending service

Storage:      Cloud Storage
Function:    Cloud Functions
Trigger:     Cloud Storage Trigger
Email:       SendGrid / Mailgun
          (via Cloud Functions)

Service Names:
- Cloud Storage Bucket → Storage bucket
- Cloud Function → Serverless function
- Storage Trigger → Trigger configuration
- SendGrid API → Email sending service

Service Comparison Table

All three providers offer similar capabilities. The main differences are in naming and configuration steps.

Quick Setup Checklist

Before moving to the next page, complete these steps:

Cloud Account Setup

• Create cloud account (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
• Verify account (may require credit card for free tier)
• Choose a region (pick one close to you)
• Set up billing alerts (optional, but recommended)

Email Service Setup

• Create email service account (SendGrid, Mailgun, or use cloud-native)
• Get API key (save it securely, you’ll need it later)
• Verify sender email (follow service instructions)
• Test email sending (optional, but good to verify)

Development Environment

• Install CLI tools (AWS CLI, Azure CLI, or gcloud)
• Set up credentials (configure authentication)
• Test CLI access (run a simple command to verify)

Knowledge Check

Let’s test your understanding of the architecture:

What’s Next?

Now that you understand the architecture, let’s start building. In the next page, we’ll create the storage bucket. This is where files will be uploaded and where events will originate.