NBA Game Day Notifications / Sports Alerts System

A real-time notification system designed for sports enthusiasts, providing live NBA game updates via SMS and email. This project leverages AWS services, Python, and the NBA Game API to create a secure, automated, and user-friendly alert system.

Project Highlights

• Real-Time Game Updates: Fetches live NBA game scores using an external API.
• Multi-Channel Notifications: Sends formatted score updates to subscribers via SMS and Email using Amazon SNS.
• Automated Scheduling: Utilizes Amazon EventBridge to automate regular notifications during game hours.
• Secure Architecture: Designed with security best practices, implementing least privilege access for IAM roles.

Features

🏀 Live Score Updates: Stay updated with the latest NBA scores and stats in real time.

📩 Customizable Alerts: Receive notifications via your preferred channel—SMS or Email.

⚙️ Scheduled Updates: Automatically sends updates at key intervals, ensuring fans never miss critical game moments.

🔒 Secure Infrastructure: Adheres to cloud security principles for robust and reliable operations.

Prerequisites

• 1️⃣ Sports API Key: Create a free account at sportsdata.io to access NBA game data.
• 2️⃣ AWS Account: Set up an AWS account with basic knowledge of AWS services like SNS, Lambda, and EventBridge.
• 3️⃣ Python Skills: Familiarity with Python for setting up API integration and notification logic.

Why This Project Matters

This system combines cloud computing and real-world application of APIs to deliver timely sports alerts, making it a perfect example of leveraging modern technology for fan engagement.

Technical Architecture

Technologies Used

Cloud Provider: AWS

Core AWS Services:

Amazon SNS (Simple Notification Service): Sends notifications to subscribers via SMS and Email.

AWS Lambda: Executes the notification logic when triggered.

Amazon EventBridge: Automates scheduling of notifications.

External API: NBA Game API (SportsData.io)

Programming Language: Python 3.x

IAM Security: Implements the principle of least privilege for roles and policies.

Step-by-Step Implementation

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/princemaxi/Game-Day-Notifications
cd game-day-notifications

Step 2: Create an SNS Topic

• Navigate to the SNS service in the AWS Management Console.
• Click Create Topic → Select Standard.
• Name the topic (e.g., gd_topic) and note the ARN.
• Click Create Topic.

Step 3: Add Subscriptions to the SNS Topic

• Select your SNS topic and go to the Subscriptions tab → Click Create Subscription.
• Choose your preferred protocol:
  • Email: Provide a valid email address and confirm the subscription via the link sent to your inbox.
  • SMS: Enter a phone number in international format (e.g., [phone]).

Step 4: Create an SNS Publish Policy

• Go to IAM service → Policies → Create Policy.
• Under JSON, paste the content from policies/gd_sns_policy.json.
• Replace REGION and ACCOUNT_ID with your AWS region and account ID.
• Click Next → Review, name the policy (e.g., gd_sns_policy), and click Create Policy.

Step 5: Create an IAM Role for Lambda

• Navigate to IAM service → Roles → Create Role.
• Select AWS Service → Choose Lambda.
• Attach the following policies:
• gd_sns_policy (created in Step 4).
• AWSLambdaBasicExecutionRole (AWS-managed policy).
• Name the role (e.g., gd_role) and save its ARN.

Step 6: Deploy the Lambda Function

• Go to Lambda service → Create Function → Author from Scratch.
• Enter a name (e.g., gd_notifications) and select Python 3.13 as the runtime.
• Assign the IAM role (gd_role) to the function.
• Upload the code from src/gd_notifications.py into the function editor.
• Add environment variables:
• NBA_API_KEY: Your SportsData.io API key.
• SNS_TOPIC_ARN: The ARN of the SNS topic created earlier.
• Click Create Function.

Step 7: Set Up Automation with EventBridge

• Navigate to EventBridge → Rules → Create Rule.
• Set the event source to Schedule → Use a cron expression for regular updates.
• Example (hourly updates): 0 * * * *
• Set the target to your Lambda function (gd_notifications) and save the rule.

Step 8: Test the System

• Open the Lambda function in the AWS Console.
• Create a test event to simulate execution.
• Verify that notifications are sent to your email/SMS subscribers.

Key Takeaways

• Integrated AWS SNS, Lambda, and EventBridge to design a real-time notification system.
• Secured the architecture with least privilege IAM policies.
• Demonstrated API integration and automation in a cloud environment.

Future Enhancements

• Add NFL Alerts: Extend functionality to include NFL game notifications.
• Personalized Preferences: Use DynamoDB to store user preferences (e.g., teams or game types).
• Web UI Integration: Create a frontend interface for users to manage subscriptions and preferences.
• ****Enhanced Analytics: Use AWS CloudWatch for deeper insights into notification performance.

Conclusion

This project exemplifies how cloud technologies and APIs can revolutionize user engagement. By leveraging AWS services, Python, and real-time data, we’ve built a robust system that keeps sports fans connected to the action. Whether it’s NBA game day updates or future enhancements like NFL alerts, the possibilities are endless.