Custom Build Overview

Welcome to the Custom Build Path! This is where you'll learn to build your arcade payment system from scratch, giving you complete control over how it works.

What You'll Build

You're going to create a cloud-based system that:

Generates QR codes for payments
Processes payments securely with Stripe
Sends signals to start and stop games
Keeps track of credits and game sessions

Learning Opportunity

By building this yourself, you'll learn real-world programming skills that professional developers use every day!

System Architecture

Your system will have these main components:

Payment API (Python + Flask)
- Creates payment links
- Processes successful payments
- Manages game sessions
- Runs in AWS Lambda
Messaging System (MQTT)
- Sends signals between components
- Controls when games start/stop
- Manages arcade cabinet state
Docker Container
- Packages your code
- Makes deployment easy
- Runs consistently everywhere

[!INSERT IMAGE: Basic architecture diagram showing components]

Technical Stack

Here's what we'll use to build the system:

Programming Language

Python 3.9
- Easy to learn
- Powerful libraries
- Great for APIs

Web Framework

Flask
- Lightweight
- Easy to understand
- Perfect for APIs

Payment Processing

Stripe
- Handles payments securely
- Creates payment links
- Processes credit cards

Message Broker

MQTT with EMQX
- Sends signals between components
- Fast and reliable
- Industry standard

Containerization

Docker
- Packages your code
- Makes deployment easy
- Works everywhere

Cloud Platform

AWS Lambda
- Runs your code in the cloud
- Scales automatically
- Stays in free tier

Project Structure

Here's how our project files are organized:

arcade-payment-api/
│
├── app.py              # Main application code
├── Dockerfile          # Instructions for building Docker image
├── requirements.txt    # Python package dependencies
├── ca.crt             # SSL certificate for MQTT
└── .env.local         # Local environment variables

The Build Process

You'll build this system in these stages:

Set Up Development Environment
- Install required software
- Configure your editor
- Set up version control
Create the Payment API
- Build Flask application
- Integrate Stripe payments
- Handle webhooks
Add MQTT Messaging
- Set up MQTT client
- Implement signal handling
- Test messaging
Containerize the Application
- Create Docker container
- Build the image
- Test locally
Deploy to AWS
- Configure AWS Lambda
- Push container image
- Set up API Gateway