System Architecture
Comprehensive overview of the Medical Data Ingestion Pipeline architecture
Architecture Overview
The Medical Data Ingestion Pipeline follows a modern cloud-native microservices architecture built entirely on Microsoft Azure. The system has clear separation of concerns across presentation, application, and data layers, with all services hosted on Azure for enterprise-grade scalability, security, and reliability.
Presentation Layer
Next.js 14 frontend with server-side rendering, TypeScript for type safety, and TanStack Query for optimized data fetching.
Application Layer
FastAPI backend with async support, service-layer pattern, and comprehensive API endpoints following REST principles.
Data Layer
PostgreSQL for structured data, Azure Blob Storage for document storage with encryption at rest, Azure AI Search for semantic search, and SQLAlchemy ORM.
Core Components
Frontend Application
Modern React application built with Next.js 14 featuring server-side rendering, optimistic UI updates, and real-time data synchronization.
Backend Services
High-performance async API built with FastAPI, implementing service layer pattern for business logic separation.
AI/ML Processing Pipeline
Apache Airflow orchestrates a 6-stage DAG for document processing with AI-powered entity extraction and semantic indexing.
Data Flow Architecture
Document Upload Flow
Search Query Flow
Performance Optimizations
Backend Optimizations
- •Response Caching: 5-minute TTL for frequently accessed data (60-70% hit rate)
- •Query Optimization: Eager loading eliminates N+1 queries (98% reduction)
- •Pagination: 10 items per page reduces payload by 90%
- •Lazy Loading: Content excluded by default (10x smaller responses)
- •Selective Loading: Optional fields via query parameters
- •Connection Pooling: Async database connections with SQLAlchemy
Frontend Optimizations
- •React Query Caching: Automatic request deduplication and background refetch
- •Code Splitting: Next.js automatic route-based splitting
- •Server Components: Next.js 14 App Router for zero JS when possible
- •Parallel Data Fetching: Multiple independent queries run concurrently
- •Optimistic Updates: Immediate UI feedback before API confirmation
- •Image Optimization: Next.js Image component with lazy loading
Security Architecture
Data Encryption
- • Encryption at rest (Azure Blob)
- • SSL/TLS in transit
- • PostgreSQL encrypted columns
Access Control
- • SAS tokens with expiration
- • Role-based access (RBAC)
- • API authentication
Compliance
- • HIPAA compliant storage
- • Audit logging
- • PHI data handling
Network Security
- • Private endpoints
- • VNet integration
- • Firewall rules
Data Validation
- • Pydantic schemas
- • Input sanitization
- • SQL injection prevention
Monitoring
- • Health check endpoints
- • Error tracking
- • Performance metrics
Scalability Design
Horizontal Scaling
FastAPI backend is stateless and can be deployed across multiple containers/VMs. Load balancing distributes traffic evenly. Database connection pooling prevents connection exhaustion.
Database & Search Optimization
PostgreSQL with read replicas for query distribution. Azure AI Search provides cloud-native vector search with HNSW algorithm for sub-second query performance at scale. Regular database vacuuming and query optimization based on execution plans.
Async Processing
Apache Airflow DAG handles background processing asynchronously. Task queues prevent blocking operations. Celery workers can scale independently based on workload.
CDN & Caching
Azure CDN for static asset delivery. API responses cached with TTL. Browser caching for improved client performance. Azure Blob Storage with global replication and Azure CDN integration for fast document delivery worldwide.