# Project Architecture Notes

## Overview

This document describes the architecture of our microservices platform deployed on Kubernetes.

## Services

### API Gateway
- Handles authentication and rate limiting
- Routes requests to downstream services
- Implements circuit breaker pattern

### User Service
- Manages user accounts and profiles
- PostgreSQL database for persistent storage
- Redis cache for session management

### Order Service
- Processes customer orders
- Integrates with payment providers
- Event-driven architecture using Kafka

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## Deployment

All services are containerized and deployed via Helm charts. CI/CD is handled by GitHub Actions with automated testing and staging deployments.

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## Infrastructure

| Component | Technology | Purpose |
|-----------|-----------|---------|
| Container Runtime | Docker | Service isolation |
| Orchestration | Kubernetes | Scaling & management |
| Service Mesh | Istio | Traffic management |
| Monitoring | Prometheus + Grafana | Observability |
| Logging | ELK Stack | Centralized logging |

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## Security

- mTLS between all services via Istio
- RBAC policies for Kubernetes access
- Secrets managed via HashiCorp Vault
- Regular penetration testing schedule