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flight-slack/DESIGN.md
2025-07-14 19:08:42 +00:00

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# Flight Tracker Slack Bot - Design Document
## Overview
A Slack bot that allows users to track their flights and automatically posts updates to their personal channels. The bot monitors flight status changes and provides real-time notifications about delays, gate changes, cancellations, and other important flight information.
## Features
### Core Functionality
- Track multiple flights per user
- Automatic flight status updates
- Personal channel notifications
- Flight search and booking reference lookup
- Timezone-aware scheduling
### Commands
#### `/flight-add`
**Usage:** `/flight-add [airport_code] [DD-MM-YY]`
**Description:** Add a new flight to track
**Example:** `/flight-add AA1234 2024-01-15 LAX JFK`
#### `/flight-remove`
**Usage:** `/flight-remove [flight_id]`
**Description:** Stop tracking a specific flight
**Example:** `/flight-remove 12345`
#### `/flight-list`
**Usage:** `/flight-list`
**Description:** Display all currently tracked flights for the user
#### `/flight-status`
**Usage:** `/flight-status [flight_id]`
**Description:** Get current status of a specific flight
**Example:** `/flight-status 12345`
## Data Models
### User
- `id`: Unique identifier
- `slack_user_id`: Slack user ID
- `slack_channel_id`: User's personal channel ID
- `timezone`: User's preferred timezone
- `created_at`: Account creation timestamp
- `updated_at`: Last update timestamp
### Flight
- `id`: Unique identifier
- `user_id`: Reference to User
- `flight_number`: Airline flight number
- `airline`: Airline code/name
- `departure_airport`: IATA departure airport code
- `arrival_airport`: IATA arrival airport code
- `departure_time`: Scheduled departure time
- `arrival_time`: Scheduled arrival time
- `flight_date`: Date of flight
- `status`: Current flight status
- `gate`: Departure gate (if available)
- `terminal`: Departure terminal (if available)
- `booking_reference`: Optional booking reference
- `is_active`: Whether to continue tracking
- `created_at`: Timestamp when added
- `updated_at`: Last status update
### FlightUpdate
- `id`: Unique identifier
- `flight_id`: Reference to Flight
- `status`: New status
- `message`: Update message
- `timestamp`: When the update occurred
- `notification_sent`: Whether notification was sent
## System Architecture
### Components
1. **Slack Bot Handler**: Processes incoming commands and events
2. **Flight API Integration**: Interfaces with flight data providers
3. **Notification Service**: Sends updates to user channels
4. **Database Layer**: Stores user and flight data
5. **Scheduler**: Periodic flight status checks
### External APIs
- **Flight Data API**: Real-time flight information (e.g., FlightAware, Aviation Stack)
- **Airport Data API**: Airport and airline information
- **Slack API**: Bot interactions and messaging
## Event Handling
### Command Processing
1. Parse incoming slash command
2. Validate parameters
3. Execute appropriate handler
4. Store data in database
5. Send confirmation response
### Flight Status Updates
1. Scheduled polling of flight APIs
2. Compare current status with stored status
3. Detect changes (delays, gate changes, cancellations)
4. Generate appropriate notification
5. Send message to user's channel
6. Update database records
### Error Handling
- Invalid flight numbers
- API rate limiting
- Network timeouts
- Database connection issues
- Missing user permissions
## Notification Types
### Status Changes
- **Delayed**: Flight departure/arrival time changes
- **On Time**: Flight returns to scheduled time
- **Boarding**: Flight begins boarding process
- **Departed**: Flight has left the gate
- **Arrived**: Flight has reached destination
- **Cancelled**: Flight has been cancelled
- **Gate Change**: Departure gate has changed
- **Terminal Change**: Departure terminal has changed
### Timing
- **24 hours before**: Flight reminder
- **2 hours before**: Check-in reminder
- **Real-time**: Status change notifications
- **Post-flight**: Arrival confirmation
## Security & Privacy
### Data Protection
- Encrypt sensitive flight information
- Store minimal required data
- Implement data retention policies
- Secure API key management
### Access Control
- User-specific flight data isolation
- Personal channel restrictions
- Rate limiting for API calls
## Configuration
### Environment Variables
- `SLACK_BOT_TOKEN`: Bot authentication token
- `SLACK_APP_TOKEN`: App-level token for socket mode
- `FLIGHT_API_KEY`: Flight data API credentials
- `DATABASE_URL`: Database connection string
- `NOTIFICATION_INTERVAL`: How often to check for updates (default: 5 minutes)
### Settings
- Default notification preferences
- Timezone handling
- API rate limits
- Maximum flights per user
## Deployment
### Requirements
- Node.js runtime
- PostgreSQL database
- Redis for caching (optional)
- External flight data API access
### Monitoring
- Flight API response times
- Database performance
- Notification delivery rates
- Error tracking and logging