ADR-0033 GCP Mallzee API Proxy Function Removal

Publication Date2022-05-18
Last Update2022-05-18
StatusAccepted

Context

Mallzee’s Trend Detection / Recommendations API key is used for tracking and restricting load on the API from different clients and not really to secure access to the API. So it would be simplest and acceptable to embed the key in the provided apps. This defeats the purpose of authenticating to Firebase / GCP in order to call a proxy function that will handle the procurement of the API Key and act as an intermediary between the apps and the Mallzee API.

During the pilots, each developed application in the use cases needs one API key, because there is no need to track Malzee’s service api usage per user.

This could change in the future, when the applications become available while partnering with prospective clients, so the API Proxy function could be used at that point.

Decision

For each Use Case we will remove the Mallzee Proxy function that is in the GCP and instead call Mallzee API directly to get results for Trend Detection.

Consequences

The VR Designer, Dress Me Up and Magic Mirror Apps will directly call the Mallzee Trend Detection / Recommendation API, using the embedded key, in order to get trend scores directly.