Service Design Specification

tutorhub-messaging-service documentation Version: 1.0.15

Scope

This document provides a structured architectural overview of the messaging microservice, detailing its configuration, data model, authorization logic, business rules, and API design. It has been automatically generated based on the service definition within Mindbricks, ensuring that the information reflects the source of truth used during code generation and deployment.

The document is intended to serve multiple audiences:

Note for Frontend Developers: While this document is valuable for understanding business logic and data interactions, please refer to the Service API Documentation for endpoint-level specifications and integration details.

Note for Backend Developers: Since the code for this service is automatically generated by Mindbricks, you typically won’t need to implement or modify it manually. However, this document is especially valuable when you’re building other services—whether within Mindbricks or externally—that need to interact with or depend on this service. It provides a clear reference to the service’s data contracts, business rules, and API structure, helping ensure compatibility and correct integration.

Messaging Service Settings

Real-time messaging service: student-tutor chat (bidirectional), admin-student warnings (one-way), admin-tutor communication (bidirectional). Uses RealtimeHub for WebSocket chat with persistence, typing, and read receipts.

Service Overview

This service is configured to listen for HTTP requests on port 3000, serving both the main API interface and default administrative endpoints.

The following routes are available by default:

The service uses a PostgreSQL database for data storage, with the database name set to tutorhub-messaging-service.

This service is accessible via the following environment-specific URLs:

Authentication & Security

This service requires user authentication for access. It supports both JWT and RSA-based authentication mechanisms, ensuring secure user sessions and data integrity. If a crud route also is configured to require login, it will check a valid JWT token in the request query/header/bearer/cookie. If the token is valid, it will extract the user information from the token and make the fetched session data available in the request context.

Service Data Objects

The service uses a PostgreSQL database for data storage, with the database name set to tutorhub-messaging-service.

Data deletion is managed using a soft delete strategy. Instead of removing records from the database, they are flagged as inactive by setting the isActive field to false.

Object Name Description Public Access
conversation Represents a chat channel between two participants. Types: studentTutor (bidirectional enrolled chat), adminStudent (one-way admin warnings), adminTutor (bidirectional admin-tutor communication). accessPrivate
chatMessage Auto-generated message DataObject for the chat RealtimeHub. Stores all messages with typed content payloads. accessPrivate
chatModeration Auto-generated moderation DataObject for the chat RealtimeHub. Stores block and silence actions for room-level user moderation. accessPrivate

conversation Data Object

Object Overview

Description: Represents a chat channel between two participants. Types: studentTutor (bidirectional enrolled chat), adminStudent (one-way admin warnings), adminTutor (bidirectional admin-tutor communication).

This object represents a core data structure within the service and acts as the blueprint for database interaction, API generation, and business logic enforcement. It is defined using the ObjectSettings pattern, which governs its behavior, access control, caching strategy, and integration points with other systems such as Stripe and Redis.

Core Configuration

Composite Indexes

The index also defines a conflict resolution strategy for duplicate key violations.

When a new record would violate this composite index, the following action will be taken:

On Duplicate: throwError

An error will be thrown, preventing the insertion of conflicting data.

Properties Schema

Property Type Required Description
conversationType String Yes Channel type: studentTutor, adminStudent, or adminTutor. Determines messaging permissions.
participantA ID Yes First participant userId. For studentTutor: the student. For adminStudent/adminTutor: the admin.
participantB ID Yes Second participant userId. For studentTutor: the tutor. For adminStudent: the student. For adminTutor: the tutor.
enrollmentId ID No FK to enrollment. Only set for studentTutor conversations to link chat to enrollment context.
lastMessageAt Date No Timestamp of the most recent message. Used for sorting conversations in inbox.
lastMessagePreview String No Truncated preview of last message content. Shown in conversation list.
status String Yes Conversation status: active or closed.
participantAName String No Cached display name of participant A for quick rendering in conversation list.
participantBName String No Cached display name of participant B for quick rendering in conversation list.
courseTitle String No Cached course pack title for display. Set on conversation creation for studentTutor type.

Default Values

Default values are automatically assigned to properties when a new object is created, if no value is provided in the request body. Since default values are applied on db level, they should be literal values, not expressions.If you want to use expressions, you can use transposed parameters in any business API to set default values dynamically.

Always Create with Default Values

Some of the default values are set to be always used when creating a new object, even if the property value is provided in the request body. It ensures that the property is always initialized with a default value when the object is created.

Constant Properties

conversationType participantA participantB enrollmentId

Constant properties are defined to be immutable after creation, meaning they cannot be updated or changed once set. They are typically used for properties that should remain constant throughout the object’s lifecycle. A property is set to be constant if the Allow Update option is set to false.

Auto Update Properties

conversationType participantA participantB enrollmentId lastMessageAt lastMessagePreview status participantAName participantBName courseTitle

An update crud API created with the option Auto Params enabled will automatically update these properties with the provided values in the request body. If you want to update any property in your own business logic not by user input, you can set the Allow Auto Update option to false. These properties will be added to the update API’s body parameters and can be updated by the user if any value is provided in the request body.

Enum Properties

Enum properties are defined with a set of allowed values, ensuring that only valid options can be assigned to them. The enum options value will be stored as strings in the database, but when a data object is created an addtional property with the same name plus an idx suffix will be created, which will hold the index of the selected enum option. You can use the index property to sort by the enum value or when your enum options represent a sequence of values.

Elastic Search Indexing

conversationType participantA participantB enrollmentId lastMessageAt status participantAName participantBName courseTitle

Properties that are indexed in Elastic Search will be searchable via the Elastic Search API. While all properties are stored in the elastic search index of the data object, only those marked for Elastic Search indexing will be available for search queries.

Database Indexing

conversationType participantA participantB enrollmentId lastMessageAt status

Properties that are indexed in the database will be optimized for query performance, allowing for faster data retrieval. Make a property indexed in the database if you want to use it frequently in query filters or sorting.

Relation Properties

participantA participantB enrollmentId

Mindbricks supports relations between data objects, allowing you to define how objects are linked together. You can define relations in the data object properties, which will be used to create foreign key constraints in the database. For complex joins operations, Mindbricks supportsa BFF pattern, where you can view dynamic and static views based on Elastic Search Indexes. Use db level relations for simple one-to-one or one-to-many relationships, and use BFF views for complex joins that require multiple data objects to be joined together.

The target object is a parent object, meaning that the relation is a one-to-many relationship from target to this object.

On Delete: Set Null Required: Yes

The target object is a parent object, meaning that the relation is a one-to-many relationship from target to this object.

On Delete: Set Null Required: Yes

The target object is a parent object, meaning that the relation is a one-to-many relationship from target to this object.

On Delete: Set Null Required: No

chatMessage Data Object

Object Overview

Description: Auto-generated message DataObject for the chat RealtimeHub. Stores all messages with typed content payloads.

This object represents a core data structure within the service and acts as the blueprint for database interaction, API generation, and business logic enforcement. It is defined using the ObjectSettings pattern, which governs its behavior, access control, caching strategy, and integration points with other systems such as Stripe and Redis.

Core Configuration

Properties Schema

Property Type Required Description
roomId ID Yes Reference to the room this message belongs to
senderId ID No Reference to the user who sent this message
senderName String No Display name of the sender (denormalized from user profile at send time)
senderAvatar String No Avatar URL of the sender (denormalized from user profile at send time)
messageType Enum Yes Content type discriminator for this message
content Object Yes Type-specific content payload (structure depends on messageType)
timestamp No Message creation time
status Enum No Message moderation status
replyTo Object No Reply thread reference { id, preview }

Default Values

Default values are automatically assigned to properties when a new object is created, if no value is provided in the request body. Since default values are applied on db level, they should be literal values, not expressions.If you want to use expressions, you can use transposed parameters in any business API to set default values dynamically.

Constant Properties

roomId senderId senderName senderAvatar messageType timestamp replyTo

Constant properties are defined to be immutable after creation, meaning they cannot be updated or changed once set. They are typically used for properties that should remain constant throughout the object’s lifecycle. A property is set to be constant if the Allow Update option is set to false.

Auto Update Properties

roomId senderId senderName senderAvatar messageType content timestamp status replyTo

An update crud API created with the option Auto Params enabled will automatically update these properties with the provided values in the request body. If you want to update any property in your own business logic not by user input, you can set the Allow Auto Update option to false. These properties will be added to the update API’s body parameters and can be updated by the user if any value is provided in the request body.

Enum Properties

Enum properties are defined with a set of allowed values, ensuring that only valid options can be assigned to them. The enum options value will be stored as strings in the database, but when a data object is created an addtional property with the same name plus an idx suffix will be created, which will hold the index of the selected enum option. You can use the index property to sort by the enum value or when your enum options represent a sequence of values.

Elastic Search Indexing

roomId senderId senderName senderAvatar messageType content timestamp status replyTo

Properties that are indexed in Elastic Search will be searchable via the Elastic Search API. While all properties are stored in the elastic search index of the data object, only those marked for Elastic Search indexing will be available for search queries.

Database Indexing

roomId senderId senderName senderAvatar messageType content timestamp status replyTo

Properties that are indexed in the database will be optimized for query performance, allowing for faster data retrieval. Make a property indexed in the database if you want to use it frequently in query filters or sorting.

Secondary Key Properties

roomId

Secondary key properties are used to create an additional indexed identifiers for the data object, allowing for alternative access patterns. Different than normal indexed properties, secondary keys will act as primary keys and Mindbricks will provide automatic secondary key db utility functions to access the data object by the secondary key.

Session Data Properties

senderId

Session data properties are used to store data that is specific to the user session, allowing for personalized experiences and temporary data storage. If a property is configured as session data, it will be automatically mapped to the related field in the user session during CRUD operations. Note that session data properties can not be mutated by the user, but only by the system.

Filter Properties

roomId senderId senderName senderAvatar messageType content timestamp status replyTo

Filter properties are used to define parameters that can be used in query filters, allowing for dynamic data retrieval based on user input or predefined criteria. These properties are automatically mapped as API parameters in the listing API’s that have “Auto Params” enabled.

chatModeration Data Object

Object Overview

Description: Auto-generated moderation DataObject for the chat RealtimeHub. Stores block and silence actions for room-level user moderation.

This object represents a core data structure within the service and acts as the blueprint for database interaction, API generation, and business logic enforcement. It is defined using the ObjectSettings pattern, which governs its behavior, access control, caching strategy, and integration points with other systems such as Stripe and Redis.

Core Configuration

Properties Schema

Property Type Required Description
roomId ID Yes Reference to the room where the moderation action applies
userId ID Yes The user who is blocked or silenced
action Enum Yes Moderation action type
reason Text No Optional reason for the moderation action
duration Integer No Duration in seconds. 0 means permanent
expiresAt No Expiry timestamp. Null means permanent
issuedBy ID No The moderator who issued the action

Default Values

Default values are automatically assigned to properties when a new object is created, if no value is provided in the request body. Since default values are applied on db level, they should be literal values, not expressions.If you want to use expressions, you can use transposed parameters in any business API to set default values dynamically.

Constant Properties

roomId userId action duration expiresAt issuedBy

Constant properties are defined to be immutable after creation, meaning they cannot be updated or changed once set. They are typically used for properties that should remain constant throughout the object’s lifecycle. A property is set to be constant if the Allow Update option is set to false.

Auto Update Properties

roomId userId action reason duration expiresAt issuedBy

An update crud API created with the option Auto Params enabled will automatically update these properties with the provided values in the request body. If you want to update any property in your own business logic not by user input, you can set the Allow Auto Update option to false. These properties will be added to the update API’s body parameters and can be updated by the user if any value is provided in the request body.

Enum Properties

Enum properties are defined with a set of allowed values, ensuring that only valid options can be assigned to them. The enum options value will be stored as strings in the database, but when a data object is created an addtional property with the same name plus an idx suffix will be created, which will hold the index of the selected enum option. You can use the index property to sort by the enum value or when your enum options represent a sequence of values.

Elastic Search Indexing

roomId userId action reason duration expiresAt issuedBy

Properties that are indexed in Elastic Search will be searchable via the Elastic Search API. While all properties are stored in the elastic search index of the data object, only those marked for Elastic Search indexing will be available for search queries.

Database Indexing

roomId userId action reason duration expiresAt issuedBy

Properties that are indexed in the database will be optimized for query performance, allowing for faster data retrieval. Make a property indexed in the database if you want to use it frequently in query filters or sorting.

Secondary Key Properties

roomId userId

Secondary key properties are used to create an additional indexed identifiers for the data object, allowing for alternative access patterns. Different than normal indexed properties, secondary keys will act as primary keys and Mindbricks will provide automatic secondary key db utility functions to access the data object by the secondary key.

Relation Properties

roomId

Mindbricks supports relations between data objects, allowing you to define how objects are linked together. You can define relations in the data object properties, which will be used to create foreign key constraints in the database. For complex joins operations, Mindbricks supportsa BFF pattern, where you can view dynamic and static views based on Elastic Search Indexes. Use db level relations for simple one-to-one or one-to-many relationships, and use BFF views for complex joins that require multiple data objects to be joined together.

The target object is a parent object, meaning that the relation is a one-to-many relationship from target to this object.

On Delete: Set Null Required: Yes

Session Data Properties

issuedBy

Session data properties are used to store data that is specific to the user session, allowing for personalized experiences and temporary data storage. If a property is configured as session data, it will be automatically mapped to the related field in the user session during CRUD operations. Note that session data properties can not be mutated by the user, but only by the system.

Filter Properties

roomId userId action reason duration expiresAt issuedBy

Filter properties are used to define parameters that can be used in query filters, allowing for dynamic data retrieval based on user input or predefined criteria. These properties are automatically mapped as API parameters in the listing API’s that have “Auto Params” enabled.

Business Logic

messaging has got 8 Business APIs to manage its internal and crud logic. For the details of each business API refer to its chapter.

Realtime Hubs

messaging has 1 Realtime Hub configured. Each hub provides bidirectional communication powered by Socket.IO with room-based messaging, built-in and custom message types, and auto-generated REST endpoints.

Hub Name Namespace Room DataObject Roles
chat /hub/chat conversation member, viewer

For detailed documentation on each hub, refer to:

This document was generated from the service architecture definition and should be kept in sync with implementation changes.