Driver's License Expiration Validation Implementation Plan
Document Version: 1.0
Date: 2026-06-11
Status: Draft
Author: Engineering Team

Table of Contents
Overview

Requirements

Architecture Design

Implementation Phases

Technical Specifications

Testing Strategy

Deployment Plan

Monitoring & Maintenance

Risk Assessment

Appendices

Overview
Business Objective
Enforce a mandatory validation rule requiring all renters to possess a driver's license with minimum 30-day remaining validity from the date of submission.

Scope
In Scope: Frontend validation, backend API validation, database schema changes, user notifications, error handling

Out of Scope: Physical license verification, DMV database integration, international license translation services

Success Criteria
100% of license submissions validated against 30-day rule

<1% false rejection rate

<2 second validation response time

99.9% API uptime for validation endpoint

Requirements
Functional Requirements
ID	Requirement	Priority
FR-1	System shall validate license expiration date is ≥30 days from current date	P0
FR-2	System shall reject submissions with <30 days remaining validity	P0
FR-3	System shall display clear error messages to users	P0
FR-4	System shall support manual date entry and OCR scanning	P1
FR-5	System shall log all validation attempts with results	P1
FR-6	System shall send reminders at 60, 45, and 30 days before expiration	P2
FR-7	System shall support state-specific license formats	P2
Non-Functional Requirements
ID	Requirement	Target
NFR-1	API response time	<500ms p95
NFR-2	Validation accuracy	>99.9%
NFR-3	System availability	99.95%
NFR-4	Data encryption at rest	AES-256
NFR-5	PII data compliance	GDPR, CCPA
Architecture Design
System Diagram
text
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                         CLIENT LAYER                             │
│  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────────────┐  │
│  │  Web App     │  │  Mobile App  │  │  Admin Dashboard     │  │
│  │  (React)     │  │  (React      │  │  (Internal Tool)     │  │
│  │              │  │   Native)    │  │                      │  │
│  └──────┬───────┘  └──────┬───────┘  └──────────┬───────────┘  │
│         │                 │                      │              │
└─────────┼─────────────────┼──────────────────────┼──────────────┘
          │                 │                      │
┌─────────┼─────────────────┼──────────────────────┼──────────────┐
│         │           API GATEWAY LAYER             │              │
│  ┌──────┴─────────────────┴──────────────────────┴───────────┐  │
│  │              Kong / AWS API Gateway                       │  │
│  │         (Rate Limiting, Authentication, Routing)           │  │
│  └──────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                              │                                   │
│         ┌────────────────────┼────────────────────┐              │
│         │                    │                    │              │
│  ┌──────┴──────┐    ┌────────┴────────┐   ┌──────┴──────────┐  │
│  │  License    │    │  Renter         │   │  Notification   │  │
│  │  Validation │    │  Service        │   │  Service        │  │
│  │  Service    │    │                 │   │                 │  │
│  └──────┬──────┘    └────────┬────────┘   └──────┬──────────┘  │
│         │                    │                    │              │
│         └────────────────────┼────────────────────┘              │
│                              │                                   │
│                    DATA LAYER│                                   │
│  ┌───────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │                  PostgreSQL (Primary DB)                 │   │
│  └───────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────┘   │
│                              │                                   │
│  ┌───────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │            Redis (Cache + Rate Limiting)                 │   │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                                                                  │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Data Flow Sequence
Implementation Phases
Phase 1: Foundation (Week 1-2)
Week 1: Setup & Core Logic
Day 1-2: Project setup and repository configuration

Initialize Git repository with branch protection rules

Set up CI/CD pipeline (GitHub Actions/Jenkins)

Configure development, staging, and production environments

Day 3-4: Database schema design

sql
-- Migration: Create license_validations table
CREATE TABLE license_validations (
    id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
    renter_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES renters(id),
    license_number_encrypted TEXT NOT NULL,
    expiration_date DATE NOT NULL,
    issuing_state VARCHAR(2),
    validation_status VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL,
    days_remaining INTEGER,
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
    validated_by VARCHAR(50) -- 'SYSTEM' or 'MANUAL'
);

CREATE INDEX idx_license_expiration ON license_validations(expiration_date);
CREATE INDEX idx_license_status ON license_validations(validation_status);
Day 5: Core validation service implementation

Build LicenseValidator class with business logic

Implement date parsing with multiple format support

Add unit tests for all validation scenarios

Week 2: API & Frontend
Day 1-3: REST API endpoint development

yaml
# OpenAPI Specification
/api/v1/licenses/validate:
  post:
    summary: Validate driver's license expiration
    requestBody:
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            type: object
            required:
              - expiration_date
            properties:
              expiration_date:
                type: string
                format: date
                example: "2027-06-11"
              license_number:
                type: string
              state:
                type: string
    responses:
      '200':
        description: License is valid
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                valid: 
                  type: boolean
                days_remaining:
                  type: integer
                message:
                  type: string
      '422':
        description: License validation failed
Day 4-5: Frontend component development

Build LicenseUpload component with date picker

Implement real-time validation feedback

Add accessibility features (ARIA labels, keyboard navigation)

Phase 2: Enhancement (Week 3-4)
Week 3: OCR Integration & Advanced Validation
Day 1-3: OCR service integration

python
class OCRLicenseProcessor:
    def __init__(self):
        self.textract_client = boto3.client('textract')
        
    async def extract_license_data(self, image_bytes: bytes) -> dict:
        """Extract license data using AWS Textract"""
        response = await self.textract_client.analyze_document(
            Document={'Bytes': image_bytes},
            FeatureTypes=['FORMS']
        )
        return self._parse_license_fields(response)
        
    def _parse_license_fields(self, textract_response: dict) -> dict:
        """Parse extracted fields into structured data"""
        # Extract expiration date using regex patterns
        # Map to standard format YYYY-MM-DD
        pass
Day 4: State-specific validation rules

Implement validation patterns for all 50 US states

Handle temporary licenses and permits

Add military ID and passport support

Day 5: Error handling and edge cases

Graceful handling of corrupted images

Invalid date formats

Network timeouts and retries

Week 4: Notifications & Admin Tools
Day 1-2: Notification system

python
class LicenseReminderService:
    REMINDER_SCHEDULE = [60, 45, 30]  # Days before expiration
    
    async def schedule_reminders(self, renter_id: str, expiration_date: date):
        for days_before in self.REMINDER_SCHEDULE:
            reminder_date = expiration_date - timedelta(days=days_before)
            await self.notification_queue.enqueue(
                'send_license_reminder',
                renter_id=renter_id,
                scheduled_at=reminder_date,
                days_remaining=days_before
            )
Day 3-4: Admin dashboard

Build validation queue for manual review

Analytics dashboard (rejection rates, common errors)

Bulk update and override capabilities

Day 5: Documentation and API docs

Update API documentation with Swagger/OpenAPI

Create internal wiki for support team

Write runbook for common issues

Phase 3: Testing & Hardening (Week 5-6)
Week 5: Comprehensive Testing
Day 1-3: Integration testing

javascript
// Integration test example
describe('License Validation API', () => {
    test('Should reject license expiring in 15 days', async () => {
        const response = await request(app)
            .post('/api/v1/licenses/validate')
            .send({
                expiration_date: '2026-06-26',
                license_number: 'DL123456'
            });
        
        expect(response.status).toBe(422);
        expect(response.body.valid).toBe(false);
        expect(response.body.message).toContain('30 days');
    });
    
    test('Should accept license expiring in 60 days', async () => {
        const response = await request(app)
            .post('/api/v1/licenses/validate')
            .send({
                expiration_date: '2026-08-10',
                license_number: 'DL789012'
            });
        
        expect(response.status).toBe(200);
        expect(response.body.valid).toBe(true);
        expect(response.body.days_remaining).toBeGreaterThan(30);
    });
});
Day 4: Performance testing

Load test with 1000 concurrent requests

Stress test OCR processing pipeline

Database query optimization

Day 5: Security audit

PII encryption verification

SQL injection and XSS testing

Authentication/authorization testing

Week 6: UAT & Deployment Preparation
Day 1-2: User acceptance testing

Test with real license images (anonymized)

Validate all error messages and flows

Cross-browser compatibility testing

Day 3: Staging deployment

Deploy to staging environment

Run smoke tests

Monitor for 24 hours

Day 4-5: Production deployment

Database migration execution

Blue-green deployment strategy

Gradual traffic shifting (10% → 50% → 100%)

Technical Specifications
Validation Rules Matrix
Scenario	Condition	Action	Response Code
Valid License	≥30 days remaining	Accept	200
Warning Zone	30-60 days remaining	Accept + Schedule Reminder	200 + Warning
Expiring Soon	1-29 days remaining	Reject	422
Expired	≤0 days remaining	Reject	422
Invalid Format	Date parse error	Reject	400
Future Date	>20 years from now	Reject	400
Missing Date	No date provided	Reject	400
API Response Examples
Success Response
json
{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "valid": true,
    "days_remaining": 365,
    "expiration_date": "2027-06-11",
    "message": "License verified successfully",
    "next_reminder": "2027-04-12"
  }
}
Error Response
json
{
  "status": "error",
  "error": {
    "code": "LICENSE_EXPIRING_SOON",
    "message": "License must have at least 30 days remaining validity. Your license expires in 15 days on 2026-06-26.",
    "details": {
      "expiration_date": "2026-06-26",
      "days_remaining": 15,
      "minimum_required": 30,
      "suggested_action": "Please upload a valid license with more than 30 days remaining."
    }
  }
}
Environment Variables Configuration
bash
# .env.example
LICENSE_MIN_VALIDITY_DAYS=30
LICENSE_WARNING_THRESHOLD_DAYS=60
OCR_ENABLED=true
OCR_PROVIDER=aws_textract
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/rental_db
ENCRYPTION_KEY=your-256-bit-key
LOG_LEVEL=info
Testing Strategy
Test Pyramid
text
        ┌──────┐
        │ E2E  │  10% - Critical user journeys
        │      │
       ┌┴──────┴┐
       │Integrat│  30% - API contracts, DB interactions
       │  ion   │
       │        │
      ┌┴────────┴┐
      │   Unit   │  60% - Business logic, validation rules
      │          │
      └──────────┘
Test Cases
Unit Tests (60% coverage)
Test ID	Description	Input	Expected Output
UT-01	Date exactly 30 days from now	today + 30 days	valid: true
UT-02	Date 29 days from now	today + 29 days	valid: false
UT-03	Date in past	2020-01-01	valid: false
UT-04	Invalid date string	"invalid"	Error handled
UT-05	Leap year date	2028-02-29	Correctly calculated
UT-06	Timezone edge case	Various timezones	Consistent results
Integration Tests
API returns correct status codes for all scenarios

Database correctly stores encrypted license data

Redis cache properly invalidates

Notification queue receives correct messages

OCR pipeline processes images end-to-end

End-to-End Tests
User uploads valid license → Success flow

User uploads expired license → Error flow

User receives reminder notification

Admin can manually override validation

Deployment Plan
Pre-Deployment Checklist
All tests passing (unit, integration, E2E)

Security scan completed (no critical/high vulnerabilities)

Database migration scripts reviewed and tested

Rollback plan documented and tested

Monitoring dashboards configured

Alert thresholds set up

Support team trained on new features

API documentation updated

Performance benchmarks met

Data backup completed

Deployment Steps
Phase 1: Database Migration (30 min downtime)
bash
# 1. Take database snapshot
pg_dump -h production-db -U admin rental_db > backup_20260611.sql

# 2. Run migrations
npm run migrate:production

# 3. Verify migration
SELECT * FROM schema_migrations ORDER BY version DESC LIMIT 5;
Phase 2: Backend Deployment (Blue-Green)
bash
# 1. Deploy to green environment
kubectl apply -f deployment-green.yaml

# 2. Run health checks
curl https://green-api.example.com/health

# 3. Switch traffic (10% → 50% → 100%)
# Update load balancer configuration

# 4. Monitor for 15 minutes
# Watch logs: kubectl logs -f deployment/license-validation-green
Phase 3: Frontend Deployment
bash
# 1. Build and deploy to CDN
npm run build:production
aws s3 sync dist/ s3://rental-app-prod/ --cache-control "max-age=3600"

# 2. Invalidate CloudFront cache
aws cloudfront create-invalidation --distribution-id E1234567890 --paths "/*"
Rollback Plan
bash
# Immediate rollback if error rate >5% or p95 latency >2s
# 1. Revert load balancer to blue environment
# 2. Scale down green deployment
kubectl scale deployment license-validation-green --replicas=0

# 3. Rollback database (if schema changes)
npm run migrate:rollback:production

# 4. Notify on-call engineer
# 5. Create incident postmortem
Monitoring & Maintenance
Key Metrics Dashboard
yaml
Dashboard: License Validation Service
Metrics:
  - name: license_validation_total
    type: Counter
    description: Total validation attempts
    labels: [status, source]
    
  - name: license_validation_duration_seconds
    type: Histogram
    description: Validation processing time
    buckets: [0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 5]
    
  - name: license_rejection_rate
    type: Gauge
    description: Percentage of rejected licenses
    alert: ">20% for 5 minutes"
    
  - name: ocr_processing_errors
    type: Counter
    description: OCR processing failures
    alert: ">10 errors in 5 minutes"
Alert Configuration
yaml
alerts:
  - name: HighRejectionRate
    condition: license_rejection_rate > 0.20
    duration: 5m
    severity: warning
    channel: "#engineering-alerts"
    
  - name: ValidationServiceDown
    condition: up{job="license-validation"} == 0
    duration: 1m
    severity: critical
    channel: "#on-call"
    
  - name: SlowValidationResponses
    condition: histogram_quantile(0.95, license_validation_duration) > 2
    duration: 5m
    severity: warning
    channel: "#engineering-alerts"
Maintenance Tasks
Task	Frequency	Owner	Duration
Database index optimization	Monthly	DBA	1 hour
SSL certificate renewal	Annually	DevOps	30 min
Dependency updates	Bi-weekly	Engineering	2 hours
Security patches	As needed	Security team	Varies
Log rotation	Automated	System	N/A
Risk Assessment
Risk Matrix
Risk	Impact	Probability	Mitigation
OCR misreads date	High	Medium	Manual review fallback, confidence scoring
Timezone mismatch	Medium	Low	Store all dates in UTC, convert at presentation layer
Database connection failure	High	Low	Connection pooling, retry logic, circuit breaker
Third-party OCR service outage	Medium	Low	Implement fallback to manual entry, cache provider
PII data breach	Critical	Low	Encryption at rest/transit, access controls, audit logging
Performance degradation under load	Medium	Medium	Auto-scaling, caching, load testing
Contingency Plans
Scenario 1: OCR Service Unavailable

Automatically switch to manual entry mode

Display clear instructions to user

Queue OCR processing for retry when service recovers

Scenario 2: High False Rejection Rate

Temporarily adjust threshold to 15 days

Notify support team to expect inquiries

Investigate root cause (date parsing, timezone, etc.)

Deploy hotfix if needed

Appendices
Appendix A: Supported License Formats
Country/State	Format	Example	Notes
US Standard	MM/DD/YYYY	06/11/2027	Varies by state
EU Standard	DD/MM/YYYY	11/06/2027	
ISO 8601	YYYY-MM-DD	2027-06-11	Preferred internal format
Military ID	DD-MMM-YYYY	11-JUN-2027	
Appendix B: Error Code Reference
Code	HTTP Status	Description
LICENSE_EXPIRED	422	License has expired
LICENSE_EXPIRING_SOON	422	Less than 30 days remaining
LICENSE_INVALID_FORMAT	400	Date format not recognized
LICENSE_FUTURE_DATE	400	Date too far in future
LICENSE_MISSING_DATE	400	No date provided
OCR_PROCESSING_FAILED	500	Could not extract from image
LICENSE_ALREADY_EXISTS	409	Duplicate submission
Appendix C: Team Contacts
Role	Name	Contact
Product Owner	[Name]	[Email/Phone]
Tech Lead	[Name]	[Email/Phone]
Backend Developer	[Name]	[Email/Phone]
Frontend Developer	[Name]	[Email/Phone]
DevOps Engineer	[Name]	[Email/Phone]
Security Engineer	[Name]	[Email/Phone]
On-Call Rotation	Schedule	[PagerDuty Link]
Document Control
Version	Date	Author	Changes
1.0	2026-06-11	Engineering Team	Initial creation