🔧 Technical Documentation
Integrations
Rackspace Email Integration
Overview

Rackspace Email Integration Overview

The MyNATCA Platform includes a comprehensive Rackspace Email integration for managing official @natca.net email addresses for eligible members. This integration provides automated provisioning, availability checking, and password management for NATCA member email accounts.

Features

Email Account Management

  • Create new @natca.net email addresses for eligible members
  • Check email address availability before creation
  • Reset passwords for existing natca.net email accounts
  • Automatic profile integration (emails stored in member emailinformation table)

Member Eligibility Controls

  • Restricted to NATCA members (membertypeid=6)
  • Status validation (Active or Retired members only)
  • One email per member enforcement
  • Integration with member profile data

Email Format Options

  • First initial + Last name: jdoss@natca.net
  • First name + Last name: jason.doss@natca.net
  • Availability check ensures email is not already taken
  • Automatic format generation based on member name

Secure Password Generation

  • Auto-generated 16-character passwords
  • Meets Rackspace security requirements:
    • Minimum 8 characters
    • At least 3 of 4 character types (uppercase, lowercase, numbers, special characters)
  • Password displayed once after creation for security
  • Password reset capability for existing accounts

Key Components

ComponentPurposeLocation
Rackspace API ClientAPI client with authentication and rate limiting/sync/rackspace/lib/client.js
Platform API RoutesREST endpoints for email management/routes/rackspace.js
Member ValidationEligibility and profile checks/routes/rackspace.js
Password GeneratorSecure password generation/sync/rackspace/lib/client.js
Email FormatterEmail format generation and validation/sync/rackspace/lib/client.js

Architecture Flow

┌──────────────┐     Check         ┌──────────────┐
│  Member Hub  │  Availability     │   Platform   │
│      UI      │ ─────────────────▶│     API      │
└──────────────┘                    └──────┬───────┘
                                           │
                                           │ Validate
                                           │ Eligibility
                                           │
                                           ▼
                                    ┌──────────────┐
                                    │   Rackspace  │
                                    │  Email API   │
                                    └──────┬───────┘
                                           │
                                           │ Create
                                           │ Mailbox
                                           │
                                           ▼
                                    ┌──────────────┐
                                    │    MySQL     │
                                    │  (emailinfo) │
                                    └──────────────┘

Member Eligibility

Eligible Members

  • Member Type: NATCA members only (membertypeid=6)
  • Status: Active or Retired
  • Limit: One @natca.net email per member

Ineligible Members

  • Non-NATCA members (other member types)
  • Members with status other than Active or Retired
  • Members who already have a @natca.net email address

Data Flow

Email Creation Process

  1. Member Hub initiates email creation request (requires Auth0 session)
  2. Platform API validates member eligibility:
    • Checks membertypeid=6 (NATCA member)
    • Verifies status is Active or Retired
    • Confirms no existing @natca.net email in profile
  3. Platform API generates email format options:
    • First initial + last name: jdoss@natca.net
    • First name + last name: jason.doss@natca.net
  4. Platform API checks availability with Rackspace API
  5. Platform API creates mailbox with secure auto-generated password
  6. Platform API adds email to member profile in emailinformation table
  7. Platform API returns credentials (password shown once)

Password Reset Process

  1. Member Hub requests password reset for existing email
  2. Platform API validates member owns the email address
  3. Platform API generates new secure password
  4. Rackspace API resets mailbox password
  5. Platform API returns new password (shown once)

Environment Variables

The following environment variables are required for Rackspace integration:

# Rackspace Email API
RACKSPACE_API_KEY=your_rackspace_api_key
RACKSPACE_SECRET_KEY=your_rackspace_secret_key
RACKSPACE_CUSTOMER_ID=your_customer_account_number
 
# Supabase (for member data)
SUPABASE_URL=https://your-project.supabase.co
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY=your_service_role_key
 
# MySQL (for email profile storage)
MYSQL_HOST=your_mysql_host
MYSQL_USER=your_mysql_user
MYSQL_PASS=your_mysql_password
MYSQL_DB=your_mysql_database
 
# Auth0 (for session authentication)
AUTH0_DOMAIN=natca-prod.us.auth0.com
AUTH0_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
AUTH0_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
SESSION_SECRET=your_secure_session_secret

API Endpoints

Interactive Documentation: The Platform API includes comprehensive Swagger/OpenAPI documentation at http://localhost:1300/api-docs (opens in a new tab) under the "Rackspace Email" tag.

Check Email Availability

POST /api/rackspace/check-availability
Authorization: Session (Auth0)
Content-Type: application/json
 
{
  "memberNumber": "12345"
}

Create Email Account

POST /api/rackspace/create-email
Authorization: Session (Auth0)
Content-Type: application/json
 
{
  "memberNumber": "12345",
  "emailFormat": "jdoss@natca.net"
}

Reset Email Password

POST /api/rackspace/reset-password
Authorization: Session (Auth0)
Content-Type: application/json
 
{
  "memberNumber": "12345",
  "email": "jdoss@natca.net"
}

Quick Start

Check Email Availability

const response = await fetch('/api/rackspace/check-availability', {
  method: 'POST',
  credentials: 'include',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({ memberNumber: '12345' })
});
 
const data = await response.json();
// Returns: { availableFormats: ['jdoss@natca.net', 'jason.doss@natca.net'] }

Create Email Account

const response = await fetch('/api/rackspace/create-email', {
  method: 'POST',
  credentials: 'include',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    memberNumber: '12345',
    emailFormat: 'jdoss@natca.net'
  })
});
 
const data = await response.json();
// Returns: { email: 'jdoss@natca.net', password: '...' }
// Password shown once - must be saved by user

Reset Password

const response = await fetch('/api/rackspace/reset-password', {
  method: 'POST',
  credentials: 'include',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    memberNumber: '12345',
    email: 'jdoss@natca.net'
  })
});
 
const data = await response.json();
// Returns: { email: 'jdoss@natca.net', newPassword: '...' }

Security Features

Authentication

  • All endpoints require Auth0 session authentication
  • Member validation ensures users can only manage their own emails
  • Service-to-service authentication for administrative operations

Password Security

  • 16-character auto-generated passwords
  • Mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters
  • Passwords displayed once and never stored in Platform
  • Reset capability allows users to generate new passwords

Rate Limiting

  • Rackspace API client includes automatic rate limiting
  • Retry logic with exponential backoff
  • Error handling for API failures

Integration Points

Member Hub

  • Provides user interface for email creation and management
  • Displays available email formats
  • Shows password once after creation
  • Handles password reset workflow

Platform API

  • Validates member eligibility
  • Manages Rackspace API authentication
  • Handles email creation and password resets
  • Updates member profile with new email

MySQL Database

  • Stores email addresses in emailinformation table
  • Links emails to member profiles
  • Tracks email creation and updates

Rackspace Email API

  • External service for mailbox management
  • Handles actual email account creation
  • Manages password resets
  • Provides availability checking

Related Documentation

The Rackspace Email integration provides NATCA members with professional @natca.net email addresses, enhancing organizational communication and member benefits.

TroubleshootingSetup & Configuration