Internal File Sharing Platform with Real-time Collaboration using Spring Boot

This project aims to develop a secure, real-time document sharing platform for internal team collaboration using Spring Boot and Spring WebFlux. Here's a breakdown of the functionalities and potential implementation:

Features:

User Management:

• User registration and login with secure authentication.
• Role-based access control for document permissions (view, edit, share).

File Sharing:

• Drag-and-drop or browse to upload files (documents, spreadsheets, presentations).
• Secure file storage with access control.
• Version control to track changes and revert to previous versions.
• Support for storing files locally or using cloud services (e.g., AWS S3)

Real-time Collaboration:

• Users can edit the same document simultaneously.
• Live updates reflected for all collaborators, indicating who is making changes.
• Conflict resolution mechanisms for concurrent edits.

Messaging and Notifications:

• Real-time chat functionality within documents for collaboration discussions.
• Notifications for file updates, mentions, or permission changes.

Technical Stack:

• Frontend: ReactJS.
• Backend: Spring Boot with Spring WebFlux for reactive APIs that handle file uploads, downloads, real-time updates, and communication between users.
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Real-time communication: Implement WebSockets to enable real-time document updates and chat functionality.

Implementation Approach:

User Management:

• Develop user registration and login functionalities using Spring Security.
• Implement a user table in the database to store user credentials and roles.

File Sharing:

• Create APIs using Spring WebFlux to handle file uploads and downloads.
• Store file locations in PostgreSQL and support both local file storage and cloud storage solutions (e.g., AWS S3).
• Maintain a document metadata table in PostgreSQL to store file details (name, size, owner, version, permissions).

Real-time Collaboration:

• Utilize a collaborative editing library like Quill or CodeMirror on the frontend for rich text editing.
• Integrate the library with WebSockets to establish real-time connections between users editing the same document.
• Implement mechanisms to send and receive delta updates (changes made by users) and apply them to the collaborative document in real-time.
• Consider using Operational Transformation (OT) libraries for efficient conflict resolution during concurrent edits.

Messaging and Notifications:

• Integrate a WebSocket chat library like SockJS or Pusher for real-time chat functionalities within documents.
• Develop notification APIs using Spring WebFlux to send alerts for file updates, mentions, or permission changes.
• Utilize a message queuing system like RabbitMQ to handle message delivery and ensure reliability.

Additional Considerations:

• Implement robust access control mechanisms to ensure document security based on user roles.
• Design a user-friendly interface for version history management and reverting to previous versions.
• Integrate user presence indicators to show which users are currently editing a document.
• Consider scalability aspects for handling a large number of concurrent users and documents.

Resources:

• Spring WebFlux
• Spring Security
• PostgreSQL
• WebSockets
• Quill Rich Text Editor
• CodeMirror
• SockJS
• Pusher
• RabbitMQ
• AWS S3