abhishekchauhan15 / email-automation-application

Email Automation Application

Overview

This application automates email responses using the Gmail API. It is built with Node.js and utilizes the Express framework for handling web routes and interactions. The Gmail API is accessed through the Google APIs Node.js client library.

Technologies Used

• Node.js: A JavaScript runtime for server-side development.
• Express: A web application framework for Node.js.
• Google APIs Node.js client: A library to interact with Google APIs, used for accessing the Gmail API.
• File System (fs): Node.js module for interacting with the file system.
• dotenv: A zero-dependency module for loading environment variables from a .env file.

Setup

1. Install Node.js: Node.js Installation Guide

2. Clone the repository: git clone <repository_url>

3. Install dependencies: npm install

4. Create a .env file and configure the following variables:

   CLIENT_ID=your_google_api_client_id
   CLIENT_SECRET=your_google_api_client_secret
   REDIRECT_URI=your_redirect_uri
   PORT=your_server_port
   TOKEN_PATH=your_token_file_path

Usage

1. Run the application: npm start
2. Access the Google OAuth login: http://localhost:PORT/auth/google
3. Authenticate and authorize the application.
4. The application will periodically check and respond to unread emails in the primary inbox.

Areas for Improvement

1. Code Modularization: The code can be further modularized into separate files and folders, such as controllers, services, and routes for better maintainability.

2. Token Management: Ensure that OAuth2 tokens are securely stored. Consider encrypting sensitive information before storage.

3. OAuth Redirect URI Validation: Validate and restrict the redirect URIs specified in your Google API Console to only allow redirects to trusted locations. This helps prevent certain types of attacks, such as redirect URI manipulation.

4. Testing: Implement unit tests to ensure the reliability and correctness of the application, especially for critical functions.

5. Optimization: Optimize the interval logic for checking and responding to emails based on the application's specific requirements.

6. Scalability: Consider scalability aspects for handling a larger number of emails and users efficiently.