A Scalable and Secure Solution for Comparing Excel Files Via API

Project background 

Overview

The client required a web-based service to compare Excel files and display differences in a user-friendly web interface. The key requirement was to build an API-driven system that would accept file paths, process the comparison, and present results interactively. The solution needed to be scalable, secure, and deployable in a Kubernetes environment while ensuring efficient logging and resource management.

Project Goals

• Develop an API service that processes Excel file comparisons and renders the results in a web view.
• Create seamless integration with the client’s existing infrastructure, maintaining all code in the Datarails Git repository.
• Deploy the service in Kubernetes with a well-defined containerization strategy.
• Implement logging, security, and storage management best practices.
• Keep the system flexible for future UI modifications.

Challenges

• Handling potentially large Excel files efficiently without overloading system resources.
• Making sure no sensitive data is stored locally while allowing temporary processing.
• Configuring the service to run smoothly in the client’s cloud infrastructure.
• Displaying comparison results in an intuitive and interactive format.

Our approach

Solution

The system architecture was designed around .NET (ASP.NET Core) for the backend and React with Grid.js for the frontend. The backend leverages the Aspose.Cells library to handle Excel file comparison, ensuring robust and high-performance processing.

For deployment, we containerized the application using Docker and set up configurations for Kubernetes-based execution. Logging is configured to output all logs to STDOUT, ensuring compatibility with the client’s automated monitoring systems.

To ensure security, the service does not persist files locally. Instead, temporary storage (if required) is managed using a time-to-live (TTL) policy, automatically deleting files after processing or when the browser session ends.

Team

The project is being developed by a team of three specialists. A backend engineer is responsible for building the API and integrating the Aspose.Cells library for file processing. A frontend engineer is working on the web interface, creating smooth interaction and data visualization using React and Grid.js. A DevOps engineer handles infrastructure setup, Kubernetes deployment, and logging configurations to maintain system stability and security.

Results

The first phase of development is in progress, with an internal estimation completed for the project timeline and cost. The system is being designed with a focus on scalability, security, and maintainability. Once the core service is successfully deployed and tested, the next phase will involve UI modifications to enhance usability and presentation. We are also considering further optimizations to improve performance and streamline the user experience.