NBA Game Day Notifications / Sports Alerts System

Project Overview

This project is an alert system that sends real-time NBA game day score notifications to subscribed users via SMS/Email. It leverages Amazon SNS, AWS Lambda, Python, Amazon EventBridge, and NBA APIs to provide sports fans with up-to-date game information. The project demonstrates cloud computing principles and efficient notification mechanisms.

Features

• Fetches live NBA game scores using an external API.
• Sends formatted score updates to subscribers via SMS/Email using Amazon SNS.
• Automates scheduled updates using Amazon EventBridge.
• Designed with security in mind, following the principle of least privilege for IAM roles.

Prerequisites

• Free account with subscription and API key at sportdata (subscribe for NBA games).
• Personal AWS account with a basic understanding of AWS and Python.

Technical Architecture

Technologies

• Cloud Provider: AWS
• Core Services: SNS, Lambda, EventBridge
• External API: NBA Game API (SportsData.io)
• Programming Language: Python 3.x
• IAM Security:
• Least privilege policies for Lambda, SNS, and EventBridge.

Project Structure

Clone this repo:
git clone https://github.com/Vivixell/Game-Result-Notification.git

Game-Result-Notification/
├── src/
│   ├── gd_notifications.py          # Main Lambda function code
├── policies/
│   ├── gd_sns_policy.json           # SNS publishing permissions
│   ├── gd_eventbridge_policy.json   # EventBridge to Lambda permissions
│   └── gd_lambda_policy.json        # Lambda execution role permissions
├── .gitignore
└── README.md                        # Project documentation

Setup Instructions

Create an SNS Topic

• Open the AWS Management Console and search for SNS.

• Navigate to the SNS service, then click Topics → Create Topic.

• Select Standard as the topic type.
• Name the topic (e.g., Victor_Game_Notification) .

• Leave other options as default, click Create Topic and copy the ARN of the created topic (needed later).

Create an SNS Subscription

• Go to Create Subscription under the newly created topic.

• Select a Protocol:

  • Email: Enter a valid email address.
  • SMS: Enter a valid phone number in an international format (e.g., [phone]).

• Click Create Subscription.

• If using email, check your inbox and confirm the subscription. For SMS, it activates immediately.

Create an SNS Publish Policy

• Open IAM in the AWS Management Console.

• Navigate to Policies → Create Policy.

• Click JSON and paste the policy of the GitHub repo from gd_sns_policy.json (Replace the ARN with your SNS topic's ARN copied earlier).

• Click Next: Review, and name the policy (e.g., Victor_Game_Policy), and create it.

Create an IAM Role for Lambda

• In IAM, go to Roles → Create Role.

• Select AWS Service → Lambda → Next.

• Attach these policies:

  • SNS Publish Policy: Victor_Game_Policy.
  • AWS Managed Policy: AWSLambdaBasicExecutionRole.

• Click Next: Review, name the role (e.g., Lambda_Game_Role), and create it.

Deploy the Lambda Function

• Open the AWS Management Console and go to Lambda.

• Click Create Function → Author from Scratch.
• Name the function (e.g., Victor_Game_Notty).
• Select Python 3.x as the runtime.

• Assign the Lambda_Game_Role created earlier.
• Click Create Function.

• Under Function's Code Tab:

  • Copy the content of src/gd_notifications.py and paste it into the inline editor.
  • Click Deploy.

• Under Configuration → Environment Variables, add:
• NBA_API_KEY: Your NBA API key.
• SNS_TOPIC_ARN: The ARN of the SNS topic created earlier.

• Save the settings.

Test the Lambda Function

• Click Test → Create a test event.
• Name it (e.g., Test1) and save it.
• Click Test and check your email/SMS for notifications.
• Retry if needed (delays may occur due to API latency).

Set Up Automation with EventBridge

• Open EventBridge in the AWS Console.
• Go to** Rules** → Create Rule.

• Choose Schedule as the event source.

• Set a recurring schedule using this cron expression:

• 0 9–23/2,0–2/2 * * ? *

• Breakdown:

  • Minute (0): Runs at the start of the hour.
  • Hour (9–23/2,0–2/2): Every 2 hours from 9 AM–11 PM and 12 AM–2 AM.
  • Day of Month (*): Any day.
  • Month (*): Any month.
  • Day of Week (?): Any day.
  • Year (*): Any year.

• Turn off Flexible Window and click Next

• Under Targets, select the Lambda function (Victor_Game_Notty).

Click Next, Next, then Create Schedule.

What We've Learned

• Designing a notification system with AWS SNS and Lambda.
• Securing AWS services using least privilege IAM policies.
• Automating workflows with EventBridge.
• Integrating external APIs into cloud-based workflows.

Future Enhancements

• Add NFL score alerts for extended functionality.
• Store user preferences (teams, game types) in DynamoDB for personalized alerts.
• Implement a web UI.

That's it! You now have an automated NBA game alert system running in the cloud.