This template should be used to implement the majority of the services, there might be exceptions that are not known yet.
The following table gives an overview which services are required.
| Service Name | Description | link to page |
|---|---|---|
| User Management (with Authentication Federation & Identity Mapping) | Manages user authentication, registration, and profile management across distributed instances. Uses Azure AD B2C to provide federated login (Microsoft, Google, corporate SSO). Each user’s identity is mapped to a unique internal ID, ensuring they can be recognized across different ecosystem services without requiring a new login. | |
| Role & Rights Management | Defines and enforces access control, user roles, and permissions across instances for data usage and monetization. | |
| Consent & Privacy Management | Allows users to manage data-sharing permissions, revoke consent, and ensure compliance with GDPR, EU Data Act, and similar regulations. | |
| Data Marketplace | Enables data providers (OEMs, fleet managers) to list, sell, and manage datasets while allowing buyers to search, preview, and purchase data. | |
| API Gateway & Management | Provides a secure API layer for communication between distributed instances. Ensures authentication and standardization using Azure API Management. | |
| Data Storage & Processing | A scalable, globally distributed database for storing metadata, logs, and access control settings. Uses Azure Cosmos DB and Azure Functions for event-driven processing. | |
| Search & Discovery (Global Registry) | Provides a federated registry for discovering datasets, services, and API endpoints across distributed instances. Supports metadata tagging for easy filtering. | |
| Monetization & Billing | Handles subscription models, pay-per-use pricing, and revenue-sharing among participants. Uses Azure Payment Connector for transactions. | |
| Security & Authentication | Ensures secure access using OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and multi-factor authentication (MFA). Protects against unauthorized access and fraud. | |
| Data Anonymization & Compliance | Automatically anonymizes sensitive user data before sharing, ensuring compliance with data privacy laws. Uses Azure Purview for governance. | |
| Service Orchestration | Manages workflows for data ingestion, user onboarding, and API integrations using Azure Logic Apps or Azure Event Grid. | |
| Logging & Monitoring | Provides real-time monitoring and logging of ecosystem activities, including API requests, user transactions, and data access logs. Uses Azure Monitor & Log Analytics. | |
| Incident & Violation Handling | Detects anomalies, data breaches, or regulatory violations and alerts operators. Provides remediation workflows. | |
| Regional Compliance Management | Ensures that different jurisdictions comply with data residency laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) by routing requests to appropriate data centers. | |
| Data Aggregation & Insights | Aggregates data from multiple sources and provides insights using Azure Synapse Analytics and Power BI for visualization. | |
| Edge Processing | Handles real-time data processing closer to the source for low-latency applications (e.g., connected vehicles, fleet monitoring). Uses Azure IoT Edge. | |
| Developer Portal | A hub for developers to access API documentation, sample datasets, and testing environments for building applications. | |
| Customer Support & Help Desk | Provides technical assistance, user guides, and ticketing support for all ecosystem participants. | |
| Distributed Node Management | Manages the lifecycle of distributed instances, allowing operators (OEMs, data collectors) to onboard, configure, and maintain their nodes. | |
| Capability Registration & Node Discovery | A global registry where distributed instances register their capabilities (e.g., data types available, APIs, supported regions). | |
| Instance Health & Load Balancing | Ensures each instance is healthy, load-balanced, and available, using Azure Front Door to route traffic efficiently across distributed nodes. | |
| Data protection rights execution service | Encapsulates all requests made by data owners to alter or read their stored information (right to be forgotten f.e.) | Executing user rights on data |
As for all µ-service based architectures it is important to cut the services in a way that on one hand the
size of the service stays maintainable but on the other hand that they are not too simple (too many services).
The microservice design approach can be applied to several other critical functions in the ecosystem. Below is a list of additional candidate microservices that should be decoupled for scalability, security, and compliance reasons.
Why It Should Be a Microservice:
✔ User consent management must be isolated for legal compliance.
✔ Ensures that all third-party services respect user privacy settings.
✔ Enables granular access control without modifying core services.
Key Functions:
Technology Stack:
Why It Should Be a Microservice:
✔ Financial transactions require high security & independent scaling.
✔ Payment processing should be separated from API/data logic.
✔ Allows flexibility for different pricing models (subscription, pay-per-use, revenue sharing).
Key Functions:
Technology Stack:
Why It Should Be a Microservice:
✔ The ecosystem is distributed; each instance must register its capabilities.
✔ Ensures discoverability of services and datasets.
✔ Enables automatic synchronization between nodes.
Key Functions:
Technology Stack:
Why It Should Be a Microservice:
✔ Security monitoring must be centralized & scalable across distributed instances.
✔ Provides real-time detection of fraud, breaches, and unauthorized access.
✔ Logs security events separately from user & business logic.
Key Functions:
Technology Stack:
Why It Should Be a Microservice:
✔ API quotas & rate limits must be enforced separately from core services.
✔ Prevents API abuse while ensuring fair usage across different users.
✔ Provides real-time insights into API traffic patterns.
Key Functions:
Technology Stack:
Why It Should Be a Microservice:
✔ Allows third-party developers to register and test their APIs before production.
✔ Enables API certification & validation before going live.
✔ Reduces dependency on core production services.
Key Functions:
Technology Stack:
| Microservice | Purpose |
|---|---|
| User Rights Execution Service | Handles GDPR requests (data deletion, consent revocation, access requests). |
| Consent & Privacy Management | Manages granular user consent and ensures real-time enforcement. |
| Data Monetization & Billing | Provides pricing, billing, and revenue distribution. |
| Global Registry & Node Discovery | Maintains a real-time directory of data providers & services. |
| Security & Incident Response | Detects and mitigates fraud, unauthorized access, and data breaches. |
| API Quota & Rate Limiting | Ensures fair usage and prevents API abuse with dynamic throttling. |
| Developer API Registration & Testing | Provides sandbox environments for developers to test APIs before deployment. |
A concept called orchestration makes out of the services a workflow. For example, if a user from the type of a
data collector is onboarding the orchestrator will ask to onboard a data source as well. These workflows
will be described in here.