Project Description / Goal

The Grand Library is a digital library system designed to store, manage, and share PDF books and JPG image-based books securely and efficiently. It leverages AWS services to provide scalable storage, AI-powered search, and a user-friendly front end.

The application workflow includes:

• Uploading and categorizing PDF and image-based books.
• Automatic conversion of JPG images to PDFs via AWS Lambda.
• Search functionality powered by Amazon DynamoDB with Global Secondary Indexes.
• React-based web application for managing and viewing books.
• Scalability through AWS services like S3, Lambda, and DynamoDB.
• Auto-cleanup of uploaded images after 24 hours.

Technology Stack

• React & AWS Amplify: Frontend for managing and accessing the library.
• Amazon S3: Storage for PDFs and image-based books.
• AWS Lambda: Handles automatic image-to-PDF conversion.
• Amazon DynamoDB: Stores book metadata and search indexes.
• API Gateway: Provides secure API endpoints for querying books.
• IAM Roles & Policies: Secure access control for AWS resources.

Project Planning / Architecting

The system follows a cloud-native architecture optimized for scalability and automation.

Workflow for Content Management:

1. Users upload JPG images or PDFs via the web application.
2. JPG images are automatically converted into PDFs using AWS Lambda.
3. Converted PDFs are stored in Amazon S3 for persistent access.
4. Book metadata is extracted and indexed in Amazon DynamoDB.
5. Users can search books by title, author, or topic.
6. Future updates will include an interactive Flipbook viewer.

Project Journal / History

• Initial Setup: Designed architecture and set up AWS infrastructure.
• File Handling: Implemented S3 storage and Lambda-based file conversion.
• Search Integration: Developed DynamoDB indexing for efficient searching.
• Frontend Development: Built React-based UI with Amplify deployment.

Obstacles

• Large File Processing: Optimized parallel processing for handling large books.
• Search Performance: Improved indexing in DynamoDB for better query performance.
• Access Control: Implemented IAM policies for secure resource access.