Rent-a-Read: A Secure, Cloud-Powered eBook Rental

Rent-a-Read is a secure, cloud-based eBook rental system designed to make books more accessible and affordable through a real-time rental platform. This paper presents a robust web-based solution that allows users to rent eBooks for a limited time, ensuring seamless access while preventing downloads. The platform is powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) for secure storage, MongoDB for data management, and Flask with JWT authentication for backend services. The system implements fine-grained access control using signed URLs to provide time-limited access to rented content. Furthermore, MongoDB schemas are enforced to maintain data integrity, and the platform supports role-based access for customers and book owners. The integration of real-time payment system ensures a streamlined transaction process. This research outlines the architectural design, security implementations, and real-time functionalities that make Rent-a-Read a scalable and user-friendly solution for modern readers. Key Words: eBook rental, Cloud computing, MongoDB, AWS S3, Flask, JWT authentication, signed URLs, Role-based Access control, Secure content streaming, Real-time payments, Schema validation