HiQuest / ScanCloud
Horizon International / Scan Global Logistics
Scan Global Logistics purchased Horizon International in late 2021, from July 2022 the
project became known as ScanCloud
I had the privilege of collaborating with Scan Global, formerly Horizon International,
to develop an innovative web portal designed for seamless use by internal staff,
clients, and agents worldwide. This cutting-edge platform, engineered for
scalability and global accessibility with minimal latency, supports a wide range of
devices. It expertly manages data validation, shipment reporting, and tracking,
ensuring swift and secure integration with Scan Global's existing systems via a secure
VPN connection.
Key functionalities include a WMS, shipment tracking, PO management, stock control,
a robust document repository, a powerful mass emailer, and an efficient EDI layer that
leverages OCR technology to process data and images from PDFs. It dynamically generates
XLSX and DOCX files and seamlessly interfaces with APIs to ensure accurate database
storage. Additionally, the portal interacts fluidly with Scan's back-office freight
systems and their client interfaces through APIs, custom Windows services, and VPN
integration.
This project not only enhances operational efficiency but also underscores
Scan Global's commitment to leveraging technology for superior service delivery.
Leveraging the power of AWS, our advanced solution is built to deliver exceptional
performance and reliability for global operations. The architecture features a multi-AZ
RDS backend with read-replicas, ensuring robust data management and availability.
Web servers are strategically positioned behind an application load balancer,
while ElastiCache (Memcached/Redis) is employed to turbocharge caching and performance
speeds.
For seamless static file delivery, we harness the capabilities of S3 and CloudFront,
with S3 also serving as the backbone for binary file storage. Global Accelerator
plays a critical role in minimizing latency, enabling users in Japan to connect with
the Tokyo AWS region, while U.S. and European users benefit from local AWS endpoints,
firmly routed across AWS's swift global network.
Our platform utilizes AWS Textract for intelligent PDF parsing and precise image
orientation correction. The core stack is crafted with Nginx, Gunicorn, and Django,
with the Django Rest Framework facilitating both public and private APIs.
Version control is meticulously managed through Git, with Bitbucket Pipelines driving
continuous integration and deployment, complemented by custom shell scripts for refined
server-based logic. Vigilant security measures are deployed via Snyk.io and PyCharm's
security plugins, ensuring third-party dependencies are thoroughly vetted for
vulnerabilities.
Moreover, resource-intensive tasks are efficiently offloaded to run-on-demand instances,
optimizing performance while maintaining cost efficiency. This sophisticated
infrastructure offers a potent, scalable platform that exemplifies innovation and
operational excellence.
Technologies Used: AWS, Python, Django, MySQL, Memcached, SQS, S3, Cloudfront,
Elastic Load Balancer, VPC, VPC-Peering, AWS Global Accelerator, SNS, RDS, AWS Textract,
SES, Windows Services (compiled from Python), Linux services, Django Rest Framework,
BitBucket, Snyk, Docker, Gunicorn, nGinx, Bootstrap, jQuery, ECMA6, Grafana Cloud
